ualities, but it is very necessary for him to appear to have them” (Machiavelli 18). While Socrates appears to be moral and encourages the philosopher/ruler to find the truth and to share it with his community by guiding them, Machiavelli is the exact opposite. In fact, the power which Machiavelli is seeking limits morality because he believes that a city cannot be founded unless strength, force, or violence is used to institute that regime. He declares that might make right, and a prince should do whatever it takes to seize and maintain his power, whether he believes the process is just or not. That is of no importance. What is of importance is power and glory obtained through power. The means by which these two things are gained are not critical. Sometimes takeover is easy and law-abiding, but usually one must resort to more fierce means.There are two means of fighting: one according to the laws and the other with force; the first way is proper to man, the second to beasts; but because in the first, in many cases is not sufficient, it becomes necessary to use the other (Machiavelli 18). Machiavelli promotes taking over territory with a vengeance, imitating both a fox and a lion. Even if the prince does not, by nature possess these qualities, it is important that he seems as though he does. He should be sly like a fox, carefully planning his every move and watching out for traps, attacking powerfully and protecting himself, like a lion.The cave parable used by Socrates in The Republic can also be applied to the city that Machiavelli encourages the prince to found, however it can be interpreted very differently. Machiavelli advocates leaving all the men in the cave, never to be brought out to see reality. He encourages the prince to do all that he can to keep the men in the cave, facing the images on the wall. By seeming to be things that he is not, such as “merciful, faithful, humane, trustworthy, [and] religio...
