Politicians are never short of advice... some of it sensible, much of it self-serving tosh. But there are some observations with which some might find it hard to argue. Around 2000 years ago the Roman philosopher, Cicero, wrote 'On Obligations' which amounted to advice for anyone entering politics:
'The person who embarks on affairs of state must be sure to give thought not only to the honourable nature of the work but also to whether he has the capacity to perform it.'
He also had advice on the dangers of power:
'When we are enjoying our success and things are going our way, we must make strenuous efforts to avoid arrogance, contempt and disdain. It is a mark of instability to be intemperate in the face of success no less than in adversity.'
Cirero's views contrast sharply with those of another great political philosopher, Machiavelli. These were written 500 years ago:
'The successful politician must be a great liar and deceiver...The ruler who never preaches anything except peace and good faith turns out to be an enemy of both.' From 'The Prince'.
'One can make this generalisation about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit.' From 'The Prince'.
'All men are bad.' From 'The Discourses'.
'When the deed accuses him, the effect excuses him.' From 'The Discourses'.
Professor Peter Walsh of Glasgow University has just translated a new version of 'On Obligations' by Cicero and Dr Paul Kelly of the London School of Economics is an expert on Machiavelli. We spoke to them both on Wednesday's, May 16 2001, programme.
Links:
The Cicero homepage
The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy.
Essays on Machiavelli
Machiavelli online
The Life and Works of Niccol貌 Machiavelli
