Comparing the Concepts of Seeming and Being in Relation...

Comparing the Concepts of Seeming and Being in Relation to Political Power and Leadership in The Prince and The Republic 9. Machiavelli says the prince only has to seem good, not be good. Socrates insists that seeming is bad, being is good. Is it better to remain in the cave with Machiavelli, or see the light with Socrates? Write three pages for Machiavelli and against Socrates, write another three pages against Machiavelli and for Socrates. Both Niccolà ² Machiavelli and Plato, in their works The Prince and The Republic (respectively), address the concepts of seeming and being in relation to political power and leadership, however they do so in two distinct manners. In the Republic, Socrates insists that seeming is bad, and†¦show more content†¦They have gained this knowledge because they have spent the majority of their lifetimes preparing to rule. The other two classes of people in the Republic, the warriors and the moneymakers, can really only see what seems to be, and occasionally what really is. They simply rely on the philosopher/rulers to be knowledgeable and always act in the best interests of the community as a whole. The parable of the cave is evident here. Socrates tells Glaucon a tale of men in a cave. These men have been â€Å"chained foot and neck since childhood† (Plato 514a). The chains prevent them from turning around; they can face only forward towards a wall. Directly behind them is a low wall, behind that a road, and behind that a burning fire. People pass by on the road between the backs of the men and the fire, casting shadows onto the wall directly in front of the men. Sometimes these people carry things, and on occasion they speak. Since the men cannot turn their heads, and never have been able to, they must assume that the shadows they see on the wall are real images. Likewise, they assume that the noise they hear is made by the shadows on the wall and not by the passersby. These men â€Å"would firmly believe truth to be the shadows of artificial objects† (Plato 515c). Socrates then proposes that one of the men is set free, drug from the cave and told that all he now sees is truer and more real th an what he saw before. Once accustomed to theShow MoreRelatedMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesusers, I hope the book will meet your full expectations and be an effective instructional tool. Although case books abound, you and your students may find this somewhat unique and very readable, a book that can help transform dry and rather remote concepts into practical reality, and lead to lively class discussions, and even debates. In the gentle environment of the classroom, students can hone their analytical skills and also their persuasive skills—not selling products but selling their ideas—and