The Philosophies of Plato, Machiavelli, and Ayn Rand Are All

question 15

Essay

The philosophies of Plato, Machiavelli, and Ayn Rand are all based on the idea of self-interest as good or moral. Explain what self-interest means to each of these people. Tell how the idea of self-interest as moral applies to each of their views. Of the three, discuss which one you find the most compelling and why.
I. Define and explain self-interest as moral in Plato's Republic.
II. Define and explain self-interest as moral in Machiavelli's The Prince.
III. Define and explain self-interest as moral in Ayn Rand's essay.
IV. State which philosophy is the most compelling and support the stance with reasons.

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Definitions:

Transgressions

Acts that go against a law, rule, or code of conduct; an offense.

Autobiographical Memory

A type of memory system consisting of episodes recollected from an individual's life, based on a combination of episodic (personal experiences and specific objects, people, and events experienced at particular time and place) and semantic (general knowledge and facts about the world) memory.

Specific Questions

Queries designed to elicit particular pieces of information, often narrow in focus and precise in nature.

Locomotion

The ability to move from one place to another using bodily movements, common in animals and humans.