Machiavelli: The Ideas Behind Politics and Justice, Essay Example

The concept of both justice and politics are two common elements that create the overall stance of what is understood as the foundations of social governance. In his writing, Niccolo Machiavelli provides a clear indication on what justice is about and how the essence of politics powerfully determines the supposed identity of what the government plays in the direction of how a society understands and follows the different sanctions of justice. Being a philosopher, writer and an overall artist, Machiavelli did not forget to include interpretation of current issues in most of his works. Relatively, his writing on the Discourses on Livy provides a properly identified indication on how Machiavelli understands justice and its value in the concept of social governance as he is able to observe based on his father’s work as a lawyer.

He points out in the writing that people, as imperfect as they are, make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes are not accidental. Because of the personal attitude and behavior of individuals directed towards selfishness and greediness, it could not be denied that there exist people in the government who are dedicated towards serving themselves than the public. In context, he points out how personal desires of people placed in position, known as the politicians, could affect the way they lead the public. Manipulating the situations and the operations that are considered in the society, these leaders use their authority to mandate the way people work and the way resources are being distributed to the public. Relatively, to salute the existence of ethical measures, Machiavelli further suggests that consideration over removing such politicians from their post be given attention to. He believes that doing so would improve the overall system of governance applied in a particular community. However, there is a huge issue towards the implication of this suggestion. There is not only one, but many politicians who engage in the concept of greed and corruption. In fact, as current situations show, humans, given the power and the authority, often end up utilizing such given capacity to lead in determining their personal goals and desires at the extent of manipulating public systems of living.

Justifying their acts, several politicians convey messages that portray the way they are trying to accomplish their work for the sake of the greater number of individuals they need to serve. At some point, they even say that they are merely weighing things according to their value and there are simply some values that need to be set aside. As if saying that there are some things to be sacrificed to be able to gain the best of what is available for the people, these politicians often blind the people of what is meant by true justice and proper governance. As a result, people are left behind the curtains, not knowing what is actually happening inside the governing systems that the administrators are working with. It is through this that politicians become the source of public depression and desperation; certainly the opposite of what they have promised to be when they have been sworn into position.

The work of Machiavelli strongly identifies well with the concept of governance known to people then and now. It could be realized from his writing that issues of corruption and greed among politicians have been specifically plaguing the society ever since. The natural behavior of humans towards power and authority has become the key reason as to why good governance is so hard to find. People living in either the developed or the underdeveloped countries remain as witnesses to such fact. At some point, it could be realized that Machiavelli tries to point out that it is not the government or the type of governance applied in a country, but the type and the attitude of the people placed in position to govern that needs to be changed to be able to attain the benefits of effective leadership.