Lao Tzu vs. Machiavelli
by: McKenna Debus
Lao Tzu wrote the Tao-te Ching which became the basis for the Taoism religion. In it, Lao Tzu felt it was important for politicians to only interfere when it is necessary and their goal is to do so as inconspicuously as possible. He stressed the ideas of simplicity, patience, and compassion.
Lao Tzu wanted to minimize the power of the state. The goals of a leader, according to Lao Tzu is to be take away all of the bad qualities of a person, like desire, so they act morally and civilized on their on own. Lao Tzu felt that a good leader helped without others realizing and be willing to know when to step back and let the path that has been laid to take action. Sometimes a leader is not able to control everything and he/she has to be willing to accept that. Also, Lao Tzu feels a good leader can't lead the people unless they are willing to sometimes put the people before him/her and be a follower.
Machiavelli wrote a book called The Prince. In that book, Machiavelli talked about bringing more power to the leader of the city-states in Italy. He said a prince had to be a well rounded military man since one's first priority should be war. Machiavelli felt the an "armed man is a powerful one." Also, he said a leader needs to do whatever necessary to achieve what they want, even if that means torturing one's followers. Machiavelli said "it's safer to be feared than to be loved" and that a prince just needs to keep up his reputation. It doesn't matter if he keeps his promises or is a good person, all that matters is securing power by direct and effective means.
Even with all the differences between the two works, there are a few notable similarities. Both Lao Tzu's master and Machiavelli's prince want to be considered good leaders. They both strive to make their respected lands a better place. Also both works say that a leader needs to believe what he is doing is right, he can't look to others for validation. They think an uncertain leader is a weak leader. Also Lao Tzu and Machiavelli feel one of the worst things to be is despised. A powerful leader is not one that is despised by its people since it will lead to unwillingness to behave as the leader wants. Again both goals of the master and prince is to be a successful ruler and they can't do that if they are despised.
