Was Geoffrey Chaucer Machiavellian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Was Geoffrey Chaucer Machiavellian - Essay Example In this respect, they have greatly influenced leadership models that have been adopted through time. Emergent philosophers have also borrowed heavily from the insights that were initially put forth by this philosopher. Perhaps the most pronounced in this regard was Geoffrey Chaucer. Notably, his life was greatly influenced by the Machiavellian principle. It is against this background that this paper provides an explicit review of how Chaucer exhibited Machiavellianism. To enhance coherence, it begins by underscoring the principles of this philosophy. Basically, Machiavellian principle places great emphasis on the concept of governance. In particular, it addresses the notion of idealism and suggests informative ways through which the government of a given population can operate with utmost ease. In detail, this philosophy advocates for a type of leadership that is manipulative, objective and overly dictatorial. The chief proponent of this philosophy proposes that any mode of governanc e needs to be augmented by the services of a strong army. He posits that this offers a strong basement upon which a strong state can be established. With respect to virtuous living, Machiavelli believes that no leader can be virtuous enough to satisfy the expectations of all his subjects (Pearsall 59). Nonetheless, leaders need to strive towards attaining virtuous living in order to maintain credible performance and safeguard their reputation. A review of Chaucer’s life, works and general philosophy indicates that he is Machiavellian. He borrows heavily from the preceding principles and seemingly, these inform his decisions, career, education, social life and general way of life. In his biographical review, Pearsall indicates that Chaucer came from a well to do economic background (Pearsall 61). Probably, his father was one of the richest merchants in the region. This enabled him to attend good schools and gain quality education from a very tender age. From this point of view , his background was already grounded on the Machiavellian propositions regarding a strong army. Strength in this regard can be defined in terms of knowledge, strength and expertise. His strong education implies that Machiavellianism greatly influenced his decisions from the very initial stages of his life. In 1357, he enrolled in the house of Elizabeth to perform court responsibilities. Historical evidence indicates that persons from the middle class faction were mostly placed in these positions in order to familiarize themselves with the duties of the royalty. After two years, Chaucer was recruited to serve in the army under the leadership of Edward III. Although he was captured during the offensive at Reims, he was ransomed later on. Then, he was given a chance to serve in diplomatic missions and effectively represented the government abroad. At this point, it is worth appreciating that his career life revolved around serving in governance and in the arm. From their point of view , Chaucer and Larry ascertain that elative decisions were informed by the need to remain assertive in the society (Chaucer and Larry 71). Typically, the roles of the army tend to involve violence and fighting. Cruelty and objectivity are notions that are intrinsic to the values and attitudes that are assumed by the army men. From this consideration, it is certain that Chaucer’s career related decisions were greatly influenced

International terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

International terrorism - Essay Example There is no simple reason why the people choose to join a jihad movement. According to Venhaus (2010), Al-Qaeda preys on the potential recruit’s self-definition dilemma to turn them into violent individuals. Nevertheless, the motivation to join the group is always specific to that individual since each one has to have something he seeks to fulfill in life. There are those that seek revenge and believe that jihad is a way out for their frustrations in life. Those that are looking for status enlist into the movement as a means for recognition. There are still some individuals who join Al-Qaeda as a way of searching for their identity. Furthermore, some see enlisting as an adventurous endeavor that can be thrilling to them. These factors added to the hard-line stance of non-compromising ideologies of the terror group (Aaron, 2008) make the reasons youth join jihadist movements a complex one. Venhaus (2010) gives five misconceptions that people have concerning Al-Qaeda recruits, the first mistaken belief that Venhaus dispels is that the recruits are crazy. The author argues that such recruits are in control of their mental faculties although anyone who is not familiar with the workings of such movements would think otherwise. This school of thought concurs with Sageman (2008) assertion that persons with antisocial disorders cannot to be relied on and are prone to compromising the security of an underground group like al-Qaeda. Such individual cannot be tolerated in the organization and are throw out or some choose to leave on their own violation when they realize that the spirit of suicide terrorism is a readiness one has to have to give up for the greater good. Further, hardship it takes to trace information and training added to the organizational demand for secrecy as applied to its vetting would not accommodate a member with unstable mind. In her article, Curcios (2005) notes actual reasons the recruits