What ends, if any, justify the means?

Two of you are on a desert island. One of you eats the other one 10 days before a rescue boat comes. If you ate the other one then you made it. Do the math.

Machiavelli- the ends justify the means.

Machiavelli's assumptions about human nature as being fundamentally flawed are also reflected in the need for brute force to attain practical ends. Complete trust and faith in one's subjects is not sustainable.

The term "Machiavellian" was adopted by some of Machiavelli's contemporaries, often used in the introductions of political tracts of the sixteenth century that offered more 'just' reasons of state, most notably those of Jean Bodin and Giovanni Botero. The pejorative term Machiavellian as it is used today (or anti-Machiavellism as it was used from the sixteenth century) is thus a misnomer, as it describes one who deceives and manipulates others for gain; whether the gain is personal or not is of no relevance, only that any actions taken are only important insofar as they affect the results. It fails to include some of the more moderating themes found in Machiavelli's works and the name is now associated with the extreme viewpoint.[3]

No. Not only ends can justify. Probability and alternatives also are the factors. Was stealing the only solution for feeding the starving dependant ? or there were other probability and alternatives ?

No, I do not think that the end result can justify the means. Any result obtained through unjustified, illegal and improper means will always remain improper. Otherwise , it will be difficult for the man-kind to survive on this land . How, any one mis-utilizing our environment, going against the nature and harming others can be excused by his achievements? If one gets success initially on the basis of such excuses than he will try to achieve success in all the actions through such means only.Therefore, once an illegal function is always illegal. irrespective of its end results.

No, there are many reasons why it makes sense - I E the idea of Communisium ( not socialisim ) The problem is that the economy doesnt work suffeciently in such a system.

War seems to be the prime example right now.