"The ends justify the means." This statement is mentioned in Machiavelli's The Prince written in 1513 and is still the subject of much discussion and debate. When thought about one might think that at first this only refers to war but once you start to dig deeper you soon realize how much more this statement applies to then originally conceived. It has to deal with more of our every day actions and living itself. With man wanting to succeed and constantly thinking of ways to better himself and his surroundings I can see how many adopt this idea. Some might say that this statement is true in some cases but this makes the statement false to them. In any case I don't find this statement to be 100% true in all situations so I disagree with it greatly.
             When you look at this statement from less of a standpoint in a more analytical sense you come to realize that all people are different so one's means greatly differ morally from one another more then anything. Let's take a look at spanking for an example. Most see it as harmless punishment to furthermore improve their child's behavior while others see it as downright brutality. In the end the child behaves but from one standpoint that child could be scarred for life and greatly lose respect for it's parents. You take a look beyond the end or outcome and look at the repercussions. In most cases it shows this statement to be false far more then true.
             During Machiavelli's time and before war wasn't what it is now. "In peacetime he thought of nothing except the means of waging war; and when he was out in the country with his friends, he often stopped and reasoned with them."(Pg. 39, in reference to Philopoemon) War was a big thing back then and was always on the mind. There was nothing greater then winning a war and acquiring land etc. Now with the technology we have available our "means" aren't always the brighte...