Unit 2 Reflection

An individual has a duty to his government and a government has a duty to its people. These duties must be met for the society to succeed. This subject was addressed by many famous ideologists. For example, Machiavelli talks about the qualities of a good leader in his book, “The Qualities of the Prince”, Giordano references the duties of an individual to be righteous in his painting, “Justice”, and Socrates mentions the duties of individual compared to the government, and vice versa, in his social contract theory. With a community of people who fulfill they’re duties to their government and a government that fulfills its duties to the people, a society can thrive.

In “The Qualities of the Prince”, by Machiavelli, it is stated that a leader needs to have certain characteristics to be an effective leader. He states, “…the prince must read histories and in them study the deeds of great men…. He must examine the reasons for their victories and for their defeats…” Machiavelli is trying to say that one of the duties of a government is to be well-read and informed of what happened in the past. This will help protect the people. This, according to Machiavelli, is a very important quality, and duty, of a leader or government.

Giordano references the duties of an individual in his painting, “Justice”. The painting shows what a person must overcome to be just. It also shows that everyone should strive to be just. The picture depicts lady justice above 3 other figures that are supposed to be Punishment, Recompense, and Deceit. This is supposed to tell the viewer that one must overcome all 3 of these aspects to truly be just. It also shows that you will be rewarded if you do. This tells us that Giordano’s views on an individual’s duties to their government are that everyone must be just or the society will fall apart.

Socrates has a social contract theory that coincides with an individual’s and a government’s duties to one another. The social contract theory states that if the people give a government power, they expect the government to take that power and benefit the society. It also works the other way around, if a government allows a person to be in a society, they expect the individual to be beneficial to the community. This is another duty that the government and the individual have for one another. They are expected to be beneficial with the freedoms they are given. If one does not hold up their end of the social contract then the society will not work. Each party must work to help the other for a society to be efficient.

An individual has duties for their government and a government for their people. The government must be knowledgeable to know how to protect its people in every situation possible, and an individual must strive to be just. Both must do whatever they can to benefit the other side. With all of these duties completed, a society can thrive and work efficiently.