Even though I did not agree with everything Machiavelli wrote, I did understand where his writing was coming from. In his Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli talks about how there are three good kinds of governments, monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. He shows how they are all good but eventually degenerate into tyranny, oligarchy, and mob rule. Specifically, I like to talk about two things I found this area.
First off, I liked to talk about his criticism on monarchy, which I totally agree with... "But if at the beginning this monarch who rescues the unworthy people from themselves is virtuous, his successors will not be; and so step by step monarchy again becomes tyranny in the same way discussed earlier." This got me thinking. He's right, when he's talking about earthly monarchies, because we all are human, and none of us are perfect (As Sir Gawain demonstrated earlier this week). Then I thought about how God is a king and a perfect monarch. I found myself amazed at how God, through Machiavelli, revealed some His glory to me. God was suppose to be Israel's only King, that is why He never instituted a monarchy over Israel until Israel begged for one. In doing so, Israel rejected God as their King, the mob rule. God gave them over their desires and established a earthly monarchy, and from the slow degeneration of that monarchy Israel was destroyed and exiled. But God being our perfect King can never degenerate, will never have a successor, He is eternal and whole. He is also a perfectly just King and perfectly merciful. We will never live in fear or a corrupt monarchy, serving Him.
Secondly, (This kind of goes off another path) I like how Machiavelli says the best government is a combination of monarchy, aristocracy and democracy, that they all balance each other. This gave me a lightbulb moment! Balances, balances, like our checks and balances! This is kind of how our government was set up. Monarchy resembles our executive branch, aristocracy our judicial, and democracy our congress. That's what came to my mind anyways.
Well that's all folks
P.S. commented on Becca's post
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