Machiavelli's The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is a political treatise sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy, especially modern political philosophy, in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. It was also in direct conflict with the dominant Catholic and scholastic doctrines of the time concerning how to consider politics and ethics.

The descriptions within The Prince have the general theme of accepting that ends of princes, glory, and survival, can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.

Niccolò di Bernardo dei was an Italian philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science, was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, poetry, and some of the most well-known personal correspondence in the Italian language.