The Impact of Philosophy on Government - 1413 Words

Between the time of Machiavelli’s The Prince and Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, the concept of government evolved greatly. There were several philosophers that contributed their ideas and helped build the foundation for the governments we have today. Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher, who lived from 1469 – 1527, became well known with his ideas and concepts of government. Machiavelli in his book The Prince, a guide of how to rule dedicated to Lorenzo de’ Medici, ruler of Florence at that time, clearly exposed his concepts about what he thought a ruler had to do to be respected and admired. Machiavelli believed that whoever possessed the power had the right to command, however, he stated that the†¦show more content†¦Hobbes left very clear in his work that for a government to be powerful it had to have a strong central authority. His ideas had a great impact on the Federalists during the first steps of the creation of the US laws. Hobbes concept that men were weak and needed to be guided made the Federalist lead to create the Federal Constitution of 1787 since they also saw the American people unable to defend themselves and keep the country as a strong nation against the foreign menace. Another important philosopher of the early 17th century was Baruch de Spinoza, a Dutch philosopher born in 1632. His ideas were the most radical of the early modern period. His Treatise, The Ethics: Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect, was a very ambitious document. What Spinoza expressed here are his ideas of truth about God, nature and especially ourselves; as well as the highest principles of society, religion and the well being of men. He studied Hobbes and Machiavelli’s works intensely but he differ from them in a major way. He did not believe that there was a supernatural power or God that had to settle the differences among men or to punish them if they did not act properly. He stated that the government had to be created by human beings for their specific needs and purposes, but for this government to be effective it had to be based on theShow MoreRelatedJohn Locke versus Thomas Hobbes Essay1297 Words   |  6 Pagessociety, the relationship between a society and its government, and the affect that both philosophers’ novels had on the government, it can be concluded that both Hobbes and Locke’s philosophies created prominent change in the methods of government. Both Locke and Hobbes experienced different events that prompted them to write their novels. Hobbes witnessed the conflict and violence of the English revolution in the 1640s. His political philosophy was shaped by the chaos after the execution of theRead MoreEssay on The Culture and History of China1656 Words   |  7 Pageswho have greatly influenced Chinas economy, literature, and philosophy. 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