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Summary: IL PRINCIPE: ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS EVER
Review: Here are some BASIC, UTMOST IMPORTANT and UNIVERSAL REMARKS for those that start reading Niccolò Machiavelli, be it 'Il Principe' or his 'Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio', better known as 'The Discourses', giving a very original political comment on the the first ten books of Titus Livius.
* Machiavelli's ideas are NOT a close-fitting nor a rounded down system: who thinks elsehow will get into everlasting problems;
* The 'Secretarius Florentinus' is NOT a SYSTEMATIC philosopher in the scholastic sense of the word: he DOESN'T WORRY whether the question or idea he describes is IN CONCORDANCE with notions or opinions written down elsewhere. Therefore lots of statements can but difficultly be brought in accordance to the former AND can even bring CRITICISM INTO TROUBLE. This is of far lesser importance while these incongruities are merely touching the general points of departure of his work, instead of the distinct parts of his arguments. You can notice this through his LOGIC (as strong as iron!!) and an IRREFUTABLE CONSEQUENCE.
* Machiavelli stays A-MORAL in Il Principe, just as nature is: not judging about good and bad, not influenced by a religion or anything else!! I know people have problems with this last 'way of writing, thinking', BUT this is the most important factor that makes his work so IMMENSELY UNIVERSAL...There are two central themes in this work: POLITICS and THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE CONNECTED WITH THE NOTION, THE CONCEPT 'POWER'.
Il Principe is a flaming and militant political piece of writing in which the author is not only rationally, but also emotionally 'present' with the full power of his personality.
Machiavelli's ideas are closely related to the general philosophical concept of the Renaissance. His vision too is antropocentric: the only right to exist man has, is present in man himself AND in the realisation of the self in this world.
Machiavelli is the founder of the political science(s): nobody before him had considered that politic is a single, separate science, free of any moral or religion.
In his system he isolates the technical bias (read: orientation) on what is politically useful from the moral and theological aspect of kindness and justice. He defines sharply THE PURPOSE that one wants to reach, to achieve and THEN, starting from the situation in which a (the) person stands, WEIGHS UP THE PROS AND CONS (on a rational-technical basis) OF THE MEANS THAT LEAD TO THE PURPOSE. WHICH MEANS THOSE ARE, DOES NOT MATTER (= AMORAL).
A means or reason that is MORALLY BAD, can be GOOD FOR POLITICS and VICE VERSA...! Instead of talking about The Prince, it is only correct to use the word RULER: the crucial person in this work. For Machiavelli it was Cesare Borgia, for Nietzsche it was Napoleon, who REALLY 'slept with Il Principe' (he understood the book very well).
Too many readers are misled by words as "fortune, virtue": in Middle-Italian (very difficult, even for specialists) the author uses the words "FORTUNA" and "VIRTU": these two words (f.e.) have NOTHING OR LITTLE IN COMMON with fortune and virtue or virtus. There are about 23 POSSIBLE TRANSLATIONS for the word virtù... To be a good ruler is not easy. In 26 short chapters the biggest philosopher of the 16th century, Machiavelli describes what the ruler can and/or should do ... to stay 'the ruler', not to lose the power he/she has, in absence of moral and religion: amoral. THAT IS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN: JUST LOOK AROUND, LISTEN TO THE NEWS, THINK ABOUT GLOBAL PROBLEMS: EVERYWHERE YOU'LL MEET NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI, WAVING WITH HIS HAND TO YOU AND TRYING TO MAKE YOU AND US FREE FROM PREJUDICES, WHISPERING WHAT WE SHOULD DO OR NOT. I have read several editions of Il Principe, but have only one that stays with me since decades now: I read and keep on reading about our ruler forever, so my book will stay with me too.
Last note: The saying "The end justifies the means" is NOT from Machiavelli: it already existed for a few centuries.
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Summary: The Prince
Review: In short....the art of war and power!!
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Summary: Advice Proposed
Review: The advice is pertanient to modern life with some modification. Machiavelli is not as brutal as sterotyped, but is still of strong opinions. The topic of government as principality is throughly covered.
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Summary: More often cited than read
Review: No one can doubt the lasting significance of The Prince, for it is frequently cited in discussions of modern political theory. The work has been often criticized as malevolent, while its original form has been examined less than closely. Such being the case, Machiavelli's intentions are easily misread. His goal was in fact to offer a practical, realistic guide to governing; it is a sad irony that these pragmatic goals have become something philosophically ethereal in the hands of many critics. The Prince draws from the past and is at the same time applicable to the future. The author was a statesman of moderate capacity as well as member of the social body, a link between the ruler and the ruled. He was driven by a realism that forsook Platonic ideals of justice and virtue, in favor of efficiency, military strength, and power. For Machiavelli, the ends always justified the means. The state's perpetuity was the sole goal to be sought by the ruler. While it is true that Machiavelli voiced a disdain for men, he did not call for their enslavement or complete subordination to the ruler; in fact, he felt that what was best for the state was best for the people. One must bear in mind the time in which Machiavelli wrote, which was a time of great upheaval in the Italian states. This lack of stability certainly contributed to the author's commitment to strong, lasting government. Nowhere does he condemn democracy nor worship autocracy; in fact, he clearly implies that the particular conditions of any polity best determine the most fitting type of government. He warns the ruler of dangers both from within and without, and recommends in all matters strength of position. When he counsels that virtues, when excessive, can weaken the state, he does not endorse tyranny. One finds simplicity alongside complexity in this book. Just as he encourages efficiency in the ruler, Machiavelli writes directly, never indulging in philosophical digressions. He defines the state and how it comes to be, as well as the manners by which a prince accedes to power. He then shifts to the practice of warfare, the most important activity of a state, complemented with advice on maintaining internal stability. Finally, he speaks of Italy's present troubles, making clear that it is his ambition in writing this work to return stability to his homeland and protect its future from chaotic affairs. The Prince is a pioneering work of political science. It is distinguished by Machiavelli's employment of history as a source of applicable knowledge. Machiavelli had no idealistic goals in mind when he wrote The Prince. He was successful in that, although controversial and often misinterpreted, his guide is still a source for knowledge as well as action.
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Summary: What was I thinking?
Review: I have heard references to the book in question for many years. I was looking forward to the chance to finally read it, but I was sorely disappointed. I found the book very dry and extremely difficult to understand. All I can say about those who have praised this book is that they surely must be more intelligent than I. Machiavelli starts out on the very first page by saying that "I have not sought to adorn my work with long phrases or high-sounding words or any of those superficial attractions and ornaments with which many writers seek to embellish their material..." This statement is a mockery of itself. This whole drawn-out book is filled with embellishments of all sorts and it is beyond me how Lorenzo the Magnificent, the prince who Machiavelli wrote the book for, ever managed to get through it. After reading every last page, I am still as clueless as when I began. ...
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Summary: Classic work that is central to a common body of knowledge
Review: So many business schools promote this book and so many politicos also claim to support a derivative of Machiavellian philosophy, I thought it was only fitting that I also review this work. Notably, Niccolo was a politician in his day and not a Prince or a warrior, but his observations have merit and can be seen even in our world today. I was/am on a quest to improve my leadership ability so I constantly review the current management texts to see what the new paradigm is for managers and leaders. Although, you need a little bit of history to understand how great leaders became great as well. This thesis by Niccolo provides just that. A lesson that many have followed and still follow concerning what it takes to lead a people. A good read.
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Summary: Not Bad for an Unemployed Writer!
Review: "The Prince" reminded me of Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer". Both are full of aphorisms about life and the use of power. Power is gained, maintained and often lost. TP has sayings to aptly fit each situation. The sophomore political science major will quickly relate: "It's easier to hold power if you first gained it by ability than gained it by luck". (W take heed!). "Be feared but neither be hated nor loved". "Don't trust mercenaries". These may be trite but the author does include some cynically useful advice for the day our sophomore graduates to the real world: "One must be sometimes a lion and sometimes a fox. One avoids snares, the other avoids wolves." "No one will lift you to your feet. If he does, it will only be to his advantage". "Make provisions in calm times. Build dikes and levies for the storms to come". If carefully read, TP could be beneficial to the reader considering political life, to anyone faced with hardball office politics-or a boss who is a jerk. TP does, to its credit, suggest purely defensive moves that one could use for self -preservation. This is on a higher plane than using dirty tricks to gain advantage. One tactic I disagree with is the author's suggestion to always take sides in a dispute. (Win or lose, neither side will respect you when battle is done). What a way to make enemies! For such a short work, TP is strangely challenging. It is frequently repetitive, set in small typeface and the historical examples can be obscure, with references to Spartans, Persians, Medes, Moses, Cyrus the Great and old Popes. Students of history should still take a chance on TP. They will undoubtedly learn from it. TP first appeared in 1513(!) and is still selling. Old Niccolo, who was in exile at the time, must have done something right.
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Summary: Must be understood in context
Review: Many reading this classic do not account for Machiavelli's personal circumstances when employing these strategies, and thus achieve a dangerous half-understanding of his advice. Remember, he was an unemployed political consultant, exiled to an agrarian existence by the man this treatise advises. Hence, this text was designed as a covert form of revenge and to lay the groundwork for his future employment. To achieve these aims, Machiavelli selected a set of strategies & historical examples that achieve striking yet misleading short-term results, but end in the long-term attrition of their implementer. Thus, Lorenzo was impressed with the effectiveness of these strategems, yet he would soon require Machiavelli's expertise to extricate himself from the unforseen consequences of his actions. When read in the proper context, this book illustrates well how to mislead a powerful person with deceptively simplified stratagems & historical metaphors, yet not get caught at it.
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Summary: Read it
Review: The Prince offers a very pragmatic, and, dare I say, Macchiavellian approcach to life. You wont make any friends with his lessons (unless you have an ulterior motive), but I honestly believe that everyone should read it. Do so with an open mind, and dont walk away, little red book in hand, walking and talking Macchiavelli. But there are valuable lessons to learn, and if nothing else, a valuable perspective to be exposed to in these pages.
A 5 only because its on the short list of books that everyone should read.
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Summary: Change "Prince" for "Boss", and...
Review: If we substitute some words, like "Director" where it says "Prince", and "lay-off" instead of "kill", we get a book that explains how -to stay in power-, it is necessary to be in good terms with the people, how influences help, how change is very difficult to achive, and many other great advices. This book is a jewel. It shows how technology evolves, and people remain mostly the same, no matter the date.
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