Meaning of The end justifies the means

The end justifies the means is a phrase erroneously attributed to the writer and relevant character of Renaissance Italy, Nicholas Machiavelli. It expresses that when the objective or the cause is important, any means used to achieve it is valid.

Habitually, many have attributed this phrase to Niccolò Machiavelli in his work Prince, published in 1532 in which the author defends the imposition of any theory or political plan by the ruler to remain in power in the face of any incident.

In consideration of the above, the closest thing to this phrase is found in the work Prince, in chapter XVIII:

In the actions of men, and particularly of princes, where there is no appeal possible, the results are attended to. So let a prince try to conquer and preserve the State, that the media will always be honorable and praised by all; because the common people are fooled by appearances and by success; and in the world there is only vulgarity, since minorities do not count except when majorities have nowhere to lean.

Thus, the postulate "the end justifies the means" does not appear verbatim in Machiavelli's words but is attributed as a conclusion to the idea given by the writer in his narrations.

There are historians who attribute the phrase to the German theologian Hermmann Busenbaum, extracted from the book "Medulla theologiae moralis", under the phrase "Cum finis est licitus, etiam media sunt licita", Which is" When the end is lawful, so are the means. "

According to other theories, they indicate that Napoleon Bonaparte, in the book of Prince, he wrote down a phrase with a similar meaning "Always succeed, no matter how, and you will always be right" that leads the individual to the same conclusion.

Explanation of the phrase "The end justifies the means"

The end justifies the means is a phrase that indicates the individual willing to do whatever he wants to achieve or fulfill a goal. This phrase was originally applied only in the field of politics, or business, but now it addresses other contexts of the individual's life.

This phrase is used to evade any act or way that is contrary to ethics and good customs but that carries a presumably good end. With this phrase the individual places morals and ethics in the background, and justifies all his deceptive means provided that it allows him to achieve a certain end.

In conclusion, according to this phrase and its supposed author, the acts of men must be judged by the results, so if in the end the individual achieves his objectives, the means must be accepted.

However, according to the famous English writer Aldous Huxley the ends cannot justify the means, because the means used determine the nature of the end that is achieved.

For a better understanding, I will cite an example of a person who considers that the end justifies the means. In a company, two great managers must each present an interesting project to increase the sales and recognition of the products, and be awarded with the increase in salary and position of job.

They both wanted to impress the boss, but especially the one who has a family to support and the desire to provide a better life for his children. On the day of the project presentation, candidate A arrives at the office earlier with the aim of destroying candidate B's project, making it impossible for him to attend today's event.

By virtue of the above, it can be concluded that the end justifies the means, since candidate A sought to give a better life to his family, so it was necessary to impress with his project to achieve a salary increase, regardless of the damage caused to his colleague.

See also:

• The prince of Nicholas Machiavelli
• Nicholas Machiavelli