How the Ends Justify the Means Essay

Everyone has goals. Some people believe in order to attain a certain goal that it is acceptable to do things that are immoral. This may cause one to wonder if the actions taken to reach such a goal will be worth it. I am going to discuss some different situations that may or may not have a worthy ending, including any means it might take to reach goals such as gaining power, maintaining authority and gaining a title. I’ll also go over what some of the difficulties are in using tactics that may be categorized as unfair or even bad. Are immoral actions ever an acceptable way to achieve a goal? Machiavelli insists that it is not only acceptable, but a necessary means of gaining and maintaining power if that were the goal one wished to achieve. I do believe, however, that doing so may prove to be more difficult than imagined. I say this because anyone who is trying to create or keep an image would want to appear moral even through actions that when looked at separately may not see m so. One cannot, in my opinion, be greedy while simultaneously appearing generous. There must be a middle ground; a place that is at either one absolute or the other, but rather a balance of the two extremes.[1] For example, Machiavelli states â€Å"With time he will come to be considered more generous once it is evident that, as a result of his parsimony, his income is sufficient† (43). Therefore, one may seem generous without actually giving up anything, as long as nothing is being taken. There is no need to give up all to be generous. Nor is there a need to take all from others to maintain wealth. Is the perception of being cruel to be preferred over that of being merciful? Yes, with cruelty comes fear of consequences. Those who are afraid of repercussions are less likely to rebel. Just like Scipio, who was overthrown in Spain just because he showed too much compassion (Machiavelli 47). Too much mercy or compassion is likely to do nothing more than put a figurative target on one ’s back. To avoid being overthrown, Scipio should have instilled a certain level of fear in those who lacked discipline. Those under him had no fear in acting upon the envy they had for such power. The fear and discipline needed is comparable to modern day prisons. For instance, if Jack the prison guard acted as though he was more of a friend to the prisoners, they would not fear him and would be constantly looking for ways to undermine his authority. On the contrary, if Jack were throwing prisoners into segregation for small things such as not having their beds made, the prisoners would have a greater fear of the consequences for other offenses.[2] This also may be a difficult medium to attain because one wouldn’t want to take the authority aspect to a level where it would only create anger and resentment rather than the desired fear and respect. Straying from a promise is another thing that is perceived to be immoral, but is sometimes necessary gain a desired title. It is necessary to know how to disguise the human nature of being a hypocrite and a liar because the people that are being lied to will be so wrapped up in themselves that they will actually allow themselves to be deceived and not even realize what’s happening (Machiavelli 48). Just as in politics today, there are always promises being made and not followed through on. It seems as though this is how things have always been. And yet, the people to whom these politicians give their speeches, seem to believe that one party or the other speaks the truth, and then go back on those original beliefs after that party has come into office, and speak of what a liar he or she has turned out to be. Politicians in my opinion have yet to master the art of disguising their deception for any longer than it takes to gain a title. I do believe the middle ground for lying, is that it should only be done with good intention behind it. In conclusion, I find myself agreeing with the many statements given by Machiavelli in that it is very necessary to act in some ways that could be viewed as immoral in order to reach a goal. They seem to hold an especially helpful curve if that goal is to gain power, maintain order or create an image for one’s self. But, I also believe that in order for such strategies to be effective, a middle ground has to be reached. These cannot be seen in an all or nothing sense. They each have difficulties and they each have proven to be effective when that middle ground is reached. Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. â€Å"The Qualities of the Prince.† World of Ideas Boston, Bedford/St.Martin’s 2010 ———————– [1] Definition: Middle Ground [2] Hypothetical Example