CryptoBox
Sunday, May 30, 2004
How to read Macchiavelli
Unfortunately, Machiavelli has been read by generations of capitalist leaders as an endorsement of their most primitive and anti-social urges. This is not the author's fault. Any ideological book can be interpreted as a guide to selfishness and hedonism. Similar misinterpretations have happened to Darwin, Adam Smith, The Bible, and just about any other manifesto or holy book you can imagine.
Machiavelli did not advocate cruelty and treachery; The Prince is really just a guide about how a leader should behave in order to survive and prosper when surrounded by the lowest sort of allies and opponents alike. I think the best read of Machiavelli can be had by discounting the advice you want to hear. The most growth will come from meditating on those observations that most displease or vex you. It is a book about trying to be strong, just, and wise, while threatened by weak, corrupt, and foolish people.
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