You do realise that every politician reads this before heading towards the big time?
You do realise that every politician reads this before heading towards the big time?
Machiavelli sure was a traitorous, backstabbing guy! He must've been all politics and no heart. Imagine what our society would be like if all rulers lived by his example!<br> I suppose you could rule a kingdom by his rules--and there are plenty of modern-day politicians who follow his ideas as far as appearing outwardly charming--and being about as attractive as a rotten carcass on the inside. It's part of the hide-your-emotions, two-faced deal that gives people the upper hand in a situation.<br> All the same, some of his quotes were just downright brutal. "It is better to be feared than to be loved." In particular, the idea that rulers were free of all moral and religious ethics and could be excused for any action--no matter how horrendous it would be considered in personal life.<br> In a sense, doesn't that imply that rulers aren't at the human level; that they're above the status of other people? Strip away the power, and you have a regular human being. It's interesting what power will do to a person's mind.<br> Oh, and by the way . . . my resources say that The Prince was written to impress a ruler who Machiavelli wanted to work as an advisor for. Do other sources out there agree, or am I off?<br>--KJ
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