Throughout time many great minds have defined what they feel is truth and what its importance is in society. Three of these people whose works deal with truth are Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince, Martin Luther in Three Treatises, and Galileo Galilei in Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo. Each has his own opinion of where to turn to find truth in life. Machiavelli believes one should look at history to find truth. Luther feels that one can find truth through reading of the scripture and a personal relationship with the Christian God. Galileo believes that one can find truth in what is observed in science. Not only does the opinion of where one must look to find truth differ among these three men, but the role truth should play in society also differs. Machiavelli did not believe truth was a very important aspect of life. Luther believed truth should only be implied with religious affairs. Galileo believed truth dealt with scientific matters.
             Niccolo Machiavelli believed that truth could be found by observing the past. According to Machiavelli, if something has already happened then it must be the truth . Machiavelli believed that by observing the actions and traits of great leaders, one could become a great leader himself. By becoming a great leader he has reached the ultimate truth. Machiavelli has a section dealing with princes and truth in The Prince:
             Everyone realizes how praiseworthy it is for a prince to honour his word and to be straightforward rather than crafty in his dealings; none the less contemporary experience shows that princes who have achieved great things have been those who have given their word lightly, who have known how to trick men with their cunning, and who, in the end, have overcome those abiding by honest principles. (56)
             Machiavelli was not concerned much with leaders telling the truth. It was not the great leaders that told the truth and had good qualities, it was the great leaders w...