Question

Read the following portion of Machiavelli’s The Prince and answer the question that follows.

A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power, but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank…. Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.



According to Machiavelli, why should a prince be a master of war? What should a prince do “wishing to hold on to his power”?

Answer 1

According to Machiavelli, every prince must master the art of war, since war is the elemental form through which nations settle their questions of power. Therefore, if the prince masters the art of war, no one can dispute his power. It implies, therefore, that the prince dominate and monopolize the use of force and the way of applying it on those who seek to gain power over him.

Thus, every prince who seeks to maintain his power should know how to cause evil to those who challenge him, knowing how to administer this power so as not to incur unnecessary tyranny.