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One of Machiavelli's arguments in "The Prince" is that a leader must only maintain the appearance of morality in order to be revered by the people ("Politics have no relation to morals", he says. In what ways do you find the authors statements true or false in modern times?

While I hate to say it I totally agree with Machiavelli on many points including this one. When I first began studying Machiavelli I thought his system was too black and white and way too cold, but as I delved into the study of his politics I began to see that politics are just that- cold. In order to be a good politician one must appear to be what the people want. To think that appearances will always match actions is ludicrous. It would be nice to think that politicians were everything they say they are, but we all know that it isn't true. Politicians and world leaders are representatives of their respective populations and I know that not one soul is perfect, but we do want to be well represented at all times. Not only do I think this statement hold water now, but it has and will continue to throughout time. "The people" do not generally support politicians who "get caught" being immoral. What "the people" don't know, won't hurt them and if the job is getting done "the people" don't generally care if their politicians are immoral, as long as no one knows about it.

Machiavelli took a scientific approach to the world of politics. Much like laws of nature, laws of politics have not changed in modern times. So I would say his statements are still true.