From Machiavelli


Michael Stuart Kelly

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Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

This is from The Prince, Chapter 3 - Concerning Mixed Principalities.

For proper context, Machiavelli divided nations into 2 types: republics and principalities (or dictatorships). He does not discuss republics in The Prince by choice, so this advice applies to dictatorships. (Actually, he is discussing colonization and confiscating the property of the locals.) Notice that reason, productivity and especially individual rights are absent from such a formulation. The only issue is keeping power.

Now notice those who advocate the same view as that in the quote. I personally have no problem identifying what their core interest is. This is an absolutely effective use of force by the government. It works. It ensures the benefit of the government and the dictator.

Michael

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Here is another excellent quote from Chapter 3:

From this a general rule is drawn which never or rarely fails: that he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined; because that predominancy has been brought about either by astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power.

This explains why it is so common for dictators to make a purge among their supporters after they take power.

Michael

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Here is another excellent quote from Chapter 3:
From this a general rule is drawn which never or rarely fails: that he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined; because that predominancy has been brought about either by astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power.

This explains why it is so common for dictators to make a purge among their supporters after they take power.

Michael

And that's why the U.S. had Saddam Hussein executed--and all those Nazis and Japanese.

--Brant

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Chugging right, here is another piece of useful advice on how to wield the carrot and the rod (Chapter 8).

For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.

If anyone wants to become a tyrant, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is almost an instruction manual if you can get around the numerous long discussions of local politics of antiquity involving people nobody ever heard of except academics.

Michael

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Here is a quote from Machiavelli I fully agree with. From CHAPTER XXV -- WHAT FORTUNE CAN EFFECT IN HUMAN AFFAIRS AND HOW TO WITHSTAND HER:

... not to extinguish our free will, I hold it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions, but that she still leaves us to direct the other half, or perhaps a little less.

Incidentally, I love this little program of reading 5 minute excerpts a day (Dailylit). The above quote came from part 35 of 50 installments. I can hardly believe that I am reading this book in its entirety without yawning, especially because of the old awkward English of the translation. Right when my eyes start to itch (during the pre-glaze-over stage I usually go through with this kind of literature—you know—the stage right before I go into a coma), I am done.

And I understood what I read.

Wonderful.

Michael

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Chugging right, here is another piece of useful advice on how to wield the carrot and the rod (Chapter 8).
For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.

If anyone wants to become a tyrant, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is almost an instruction manual if you can get around the numerous long discussions of local politics of antiquity involving people nobody ever heard of except academics.

Michael

Ooo Ooo! I might want to be a tyrant!

I'm a little lazy though so it might not work out well. :-P

You know....wake up, arrest dissidents, executions, seizing the printing presses. Hehe. That can really tire a fella out!

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  • 3 weeks later...

The following quote from near the end of the book does not really bear on anything, but I found it rather funny. Machiavelli is discussing a ruler named Castruccio. From CHAPTER XXVI -- AN EXHORTATION TO LIBERATE ITALY FROM THE BARBARIANS:

A friend gave him a very curiously tied knot to undo and was told: "Fool, do you think that I wish to untie a thing which gave so much trouble to fasten?"

That is a good question.

:)

Michael

EDIT: btw - I just finished The Prince through the DailyLit 5 minute a day feed. What a nice little service!

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