Question

“[We now consider] the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. For of men it may generally be affirmed that they are thankless, fickle, false, studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain, devoted to you while you are able to confer benefits upon them, and ready, as I said before, while danger is distant, to shed their blood, and sacrifice their property, their lives, and their children for you; but in the hour of need they turn against you. The Prince, therefore, who without otherwise securing himself builds wholly on their professions is undone. For the friendships which we buy with a price, and do not gain by greatness and nobility of character, though they be fairly earned are not made good, but fail us when we have occasion to use them. Moreover, men are less careful how they offend him who makes himself loved than him who makes himself feared. For love is held by the tie of obligation, which, because men are a sorry breed, is broken on every whisper of private interest; but fear is bound by the apprehension of punishment which never relaxes its grasp. Nevertheless a Prince should inspire fear in such a fashion that if he [does] not win love he may escape hate. For a man may very well be feared and yet not hated, and this will be the case so long as he does not meddle with the property or with the women of his citizens and subjects. And if constrained to put any to death, he should do so only when there is manifest cause or reasonable justification. But, above all, he must abstain from the property of others. For men will sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their property.” Do you agree with Machiavelli that a ruler CANNOT be both feared and loved? Why? How does this concept apply to our current political leaders?

Answer 1

An ideal situation would be the one in which the leader is feared as well as loved. But when it comes to a ruler, people will love him only for the power he has, through which the people eventually benefits. When the power weakens, people will lose the love. On the other hand, if a ruler is feared by his people, the fear will yield long lasting support. The support will be guaranteed because people fear what might happen if they do not support the ruler. Thus, a strong and clever ruler will make himself a fear evoking figure rather than depending on the innate goodness and love of people. Machiavelli himself described humans as ungrateful, fake and fickle minded. Thus a fear evoking ruler ensures that his power is sustained.