In comparing and contrasting the governmental philosophies of the great thinkers Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli‚ I have found a pleasant mix of both of their ideas would be the best for America today. Lao-Tzu’s laisse-faire attitude towards the economy‚ as well as his small scale military is appealing to my liberal side‚ while Machiavelli’s attitude towards miserliness which causes low taxes appeals to the right wing. These great thinkers contradict the popular saying "all great thinkers think alike." They
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Political Stand-off Both Lao-tzu and Machiavelli seem to have a clear-cut view on how they believe the government should run. In some ways‚ both men have very similar ideas; more often‚ though‚ they couldn’t be more opposed. A few similarities brought forth are that people in power must not strive to make everyone happy‚ nor must they be considered unmerciful and they should avoid being despised. The final view they both share is that they believe if the common people think they are happy
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Lao Tzu once said‚ “He who gains victory over other men is strong‚ but he who gains a victory over himself is all powerful.” I believe this means that the most powerful person is one who understands and has control over themselves. Richard Wright‚ in his autobiography Black Boy‚ and the titular character of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel‚ The Great Gatsby both lend themselves in portraying the truth of this quote. This quote can be interpreted as saying that one who understands and has control over
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Kayla Kessler Dekle English 101 11 September 2013 Machiavelli versus Lao Tzu There are many kinds of leaders in this world that believe that their style of leadership is the best. Machiavelli and Lao Tzu were two people that believed that their style of ruling was the best way to rule. They were both extremely outspoken and they stood by their ways. Both Machiavelli and Lao Tzu were very clear about how they thought a government should be run. Even though they both held strong opinions on
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Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli on Government and Those Who Govern Machiavelli‚ in “The Prince” and Lao-Tzu in “”Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching” have very opposing views. In their writings‚ they differ on topics such as qualities of a leader‚ functions of government‚ and human nature and the world around them. Here I will describe each of their views and compare the differences. Both Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu are philosophers writing in regard to Government‚ giving advice in ways that they feel people should
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1 Kayla Short English 2 12:30 PM Class The way in which a leader governs his country can differ for different countries. Two polar opposites would be Lao-Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli. They’re both on opposite sides of the spectrum for their ideas on how a leader should govern. Lao-Tzu leans more towards a less intrusive government‚ while Machiavelli believes in powerful rulers. Some of their ideas are shown today in our society‚ some good and some bad. Starting with Machiavelli‚ he says
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In “The Scholars‚” Wu Ching-Tzu revealed the truth and dark side of Chinese government organization and examination. He also discussed the morality and philosophy of people in Ming Dynasty. As the beginning of the “The Scholars‚” Wu Ching-Tzu used Wang Mien’s story as an example to show what a clever‚ remarkable man should be. The story is started with an introspective question: “in human life riches‚ rank‚ success and fame are external things. Men will risk their lives in the search for them;
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Despised Two leaders by the names of Lao Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli had two opinions on how one should lead their people. To be a leader‚ one must guide in the way they think is the best way to live. As humans‚ love and fear is something that surrounds us in our day to day life. Some‚ like Lao Tzu prefer to show love and to be loved‚ while some‚ like Niccolo Machiavelli‚ have the preference to be feared. To be loved means to be cherished‚ and that was Lao Tzu’s goal as a leader. To be feared means
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)Compare Lao-tzu’s view of government with of Machiavelli in the next selection. Consider what seem to be the ultimate purposes of government‚ what seem to the obligations of the leader to the people being led‚ and what seems to be the main work of the state. What comparisons can you make between Lao-tzu’s Master and Machiavelli’s Prince. Summary: The writings of Machiavelli and Lao Tzu indicate that they would disagree most strongly on the concept of how a government should run. Machiavelli
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attention of common people. Early Chinese writers like Lao Tzu‚ Confucius‚ and T’ao Ch’ien gave answers to universal questions to help people decide how to live their lives. Many pieces of Chinese poetry like Form‚ Shadow‚ Spirit‚ The Analects‚ and Tao Te Ching answer ambiguous questions like how one should live with the knowledge of death when T’ao Ch’ien explains that one should not waste time pondering about death; the actions of a ruler when Lao Tzu states that a ruler should keep the people healthy
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