To Be Loved or To Be Feared? Argument on Cicero and Machiavelli.

Questions on Political Theory

To Be Loved or To Be Feared? Argument on Cicero and Machiavelli.

Abstract
Cicero thinks that love must be preferred to fear in politics: “there is nothing at all more suited to protecting and retaining influence than to be loved, and nothing less suited than to be feared.” According to Cicero, fear brings about hatred and hatred ruin.  Machiavelli thinks otherwise; one can, he believes, be feared without incurring hatred and this is better than being loved.  Both of them have strong certitude, but one can argue, who is right then?

In this essay, I would like to argue whether – as a ruler – it is better to be feared or to be loved, including both, Machiavelli’s and Cicero’s side. Which one is better is the short term? Which one is more useful in the long term? Can a ruler be both, feared and loved at the same time? Those are the questions I try to answer here, in order to help us understand, which option is better for a ruler.

            On one side, according to Cicero: “There are two ways in which injustice may be done, either through force or through deceit; and deceit seems to belong to a little fox, force to a lion. Both of them seem most alien to a human being; but deceit deserves a greater hatred. And out of all injustice, nothing deserves punishment more than that of men who, just at the time when they are most betraying trust, act in such a way that they might appear to be good men.” (Cicero, De Officiis, 1.41)

            On the other side then, looking at the Machiavellian ideal, it is more complex than it is from Cicero. Machiavelli is someone, who counts with luck in politics, he has an example on how rulers should owe little to luck for sometime, but in that period, while they have their luck they should prepare for the time when the luck is gone, therefore they have to stabilize. His example is about a young prince, who wanted to establish his power on the future throne, everything went well, he needed one more year to complete his plan, then suddenly his luck has gone by his father’s death. We can see, Machiavelli thinks rulers should use luck for strengthening their power for later, he counts with luck in life. Upon this then, let us see whether it is better to be loved or to be feared.

First, we have to understand, that

            In a conclusion, I think we can clearly see, as a ruler, especially as a new ruler of a territory, in the long term it is more useful to be feared. Not just because it is more easier to act in a way that people will be feared of, than to act in favour of all those people to love you, but because it establishes the power for the ruler in the long term, the people will not try to remove him, fearing the revenge.