Machiavelli and the Ethics of Political Convenience.
In this paper, Machiavelli's discourse, "The Prince," is analyzed as advocating an ethics of political convenience. In this essay, examples of strategic morality are discussed with relation to the reputation of a prince, and it is argued that Machiavelli is not concerned with the character of a man so much as he is interested in the ways a prince is perceived by others. In this calculated perspective, a prince is advised that being virtuous is useful only in measured performances and in ways that will bring about the least amount of risk to his authority.
