The Dimensions of Morality in The Prince and The Republic...

Morality is likely the most debated topic of all time, especially in regards to our moral responsibility for each other. Throughout history many writers and philosophers have taken different angles the concept of morality and have applied it in many ways. This includes: Niccolà ² Machiavelli with The Prince (we will be looking at The Qualities of the Prince) and Plato with The Republic (we will be looking at the section The Allegory of the Cave. The Prince (1513) essentially lays out a how-to guide of how to obtain power and how to keep it; The Qualities of the Prince contains a list of qualities that one should appear to have while in power; this work will be used to represent the case against moral responsibility for others. The Republic†¦show more content†¦However after awhile their eyes adjust and are able to see not only the shadows, but reflections and eventually people themselves, as Plato wrote â€Å"when he remembered his old habitation and the wisdom of the den and his fellow prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?† (Plato 870). After being outside for awhile they are eventually thrown back into the blinding darkness of the cave. The whole point of the allegory is to represent to journey to enlightenment. The prisoners represent either the unenlightened that have not had enough experience to gain great wisdom or the uneducated that have not learned enough to gain great intelligence. And being thrown out of the cave into the outside world represents the process of becoming enlightened. Once enlightened they would of course not want to leave and to make them go back into the Cave would be cruel, as is noted by Glaucon. But as is explained they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the den, and partake of their labors and honors, whether they are worth having or not† (873). Plato claims that these enlightened have a moral responsibility to bring their wisdom to th e common people in order to help them learn more so everyone can benefit from the knowledge of an individual. This is certainly an agreeable prospect and one that is not seen enough in the real world. OnceShow MoreRelatedInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pagesapplicable to practice. We continue to take a balanced approach in the eighth edition of International Management: Culture, Strategy, and Behavior. Whereas other texts stress culture, strategy, or behavior, we feel that our emphasis on all three critical dimensions and the resulting synergy has been a primary reason why the previous editions have been the market-leading international management text. Specifically, v vi Preface this edition has the following chapter distribution: environment (three