The Prince & The Grand Inquisitor

Niccolo Machiavelli, in The Prince, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, in "The Grand Inquisitor" section of his novel The Brothers Karamazov, present similarly pessimistic and cynical views of human nature. Both the Prince and the Inquisitor argue that human beings are basically beasts who need to be controlled by any means necessary, including deception and violence. Although they may claim that they serve the happiness of their subjects, in fact, it is not happiness that their deceived and manipulated subjects experience but a false security based on conformity and fear.

The Prince is concerned only with the maintenance of power, rather than with any ethical consideration or the "happiness" of the people he rules. The Prince would have honored Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt, and Stalin equally, because they were able to maintain power, though in different ways. The Prince would not advocate brute force or terror as the only or primary tool of the leader, but instead would use reasonable persuasion, as long as such persuasion worked. Clearly, however, the effective Prince would use force when necessary and would let the people know that such violence is available at any moment.

The argument of the Grand Inquisitor for a godless society is internally logical, consistent and systematic, just as is the argument of Machiavelli in his presentation of the Prince. Both the Prince and the Inquisitor exist in a context in which the material world is all that exists or matters. Such material

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rol of the plantation and the slaves. If sweet-talking the slaves into obedience works, fine, but if not, use whatever force is necessary, including brutality, use it swiftly and without remorse. The leader should be like the slaveowner, in effect, for he should have only one aim---maintaining power and control over his domain and the subjects within that domain. It is a political philosophy which demeans the value of human beings, not only the people but the prince as well, for it reduces all of them to the status of brute animals, or even machines, with no reference to love, compassion, mercy, justice, charity, goodness, etc. In fact, to Machiavelli, "goodness" or morality will only get in the way of the achievement of the success of the Prince (Machiavelli 42). As with the Prince, the Inquisitor presents an argument for a godless society which is materialistic and based on deception, manipulation and the exercise of power. The problem with the Inquisitor's argument is that the human heart and soul are not logical, consistent, systematic or coherent, and, as Alyosha knows, it is with the human heart and soul that God and Jesus Christ commune. Ivan---through the Grand Inquisitor---presents the human race as a stupid lot of ig

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