Question

Why is Machiavelli a synonym for evil?

Answer 1

Answer:

Machiavelli as a term is based on the teachings and writings of the Italian politician, Niccolò Machiavelli who is commonly hailed as one of the greatest philosophers and political scientists to ever live.

Machiavelli however, has overtime become a synonym for evil because of his teachings and writings which centered on acquiring and maintaining power involved many heinous acts such as murder, deception, and other immoral act. His view was that the end justified the means.

Critics have pointed to the fact that tyrants such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini used Machiavelli's ideas in their quests to acquire and maintain power to prove that indeed, Machiavelli or at least his teachings were evil and encouraged it.