Machiavelli's The Prince: Blog/Review
before i go back, to the last piece i wrote, and not only reply to you guys but also post the second part of "the feverish mind",
i'd like to share this little piece i wrote around May of last year, when i read Machiavelli's The Prince.
i think my creative block is starting to fade away... or have i found a Muse?
enjoy.
----------------
Wed. the 16th of May 2007
As I’ve mentioned in the past to many, I suddenly noticed that I was picking my books in a certain manner to educate myself. It came as a surprise to be honest, For about two years I had such difficulty selecting any book to read, my brain was numbing down. About 6 months ago I was with my mother in the American University of Cairo’s Bookstore where I was scanning the many titles present, most of which were requirements for courses in the university. And this book came into view.
I asked my mother what she thought of it. She simply said that this book described a portion of my current character. Apparently I am Machiavellian.
All I knew about Machiavelli is that “The ends justify the means”. It Turns out this saying was never written by him, but indeed Consequentialism is a very strong theme in the book.
Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action. Thus, on a consequentialist account, a morally right action is an action, which produces good consequences.
fundamentally this is the most important concept you gain from this book.
I must admit the book is very interesting, the only reason I give it 4 stars is that at times it reads as a manual, which can be tedious. the book itself is in fact a letter or essay written to a new regional Italian prince, with which Machiavelli wanted to gain favor and improve the deteriorating conditons of Italy in his time.
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but I strongly recommend it to any wannabe leader or decision maker.
Following that theme, I also recommend Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. And over all excellent read.
Am I Machiavellian? I can be.
i'd like to share this little piece i wrote around May of last year, when i read Machiavelli's The Prince.
i think my creative block is starting to fade away... or have i found a Muse?
enjoy.
----------------
Wed. the 16th of May 2007
As I’ve mentioned in the past to many, I suddenly noticed that I was picking my books in a certain manner to educate myself. It came as a surprise to be honest, For about two years I had such difficulty selecting any book to read, my brain was numbing down. About 6 months ago I was with my mother in the American University of Cairo’s Bookstore where I was scanning the many titles present, most of which were requirements for courses in the university. And this book came into view.
I asked my mother what she thought of it. She simply said that this book described a portion of my current character. Apparently I am Machiavellian.
All I knew about Machiavelli is that “The ends justify the means”. It Turns out this saying was never written by him, but indeed Consequentialism is a very strong theme in the book.
Consequentialism refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of a particular action form the basis for any valid moral judgment about that action. Thus, on a consequentialist account, a morally right action is an action, which produces good consequences.
fundamentally this is the most important concept you gain from this book.
I must admit the book is very interesting, the only reason I give it 4 stars is that at times it reads as a manual, which can be tedious. the book itself is in fact a letter or essay written to a new regional Italian prince, with which Machiavelli wanted to gain favor and improve the deteriorating conditons of Italy in his time.
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but I strongly recommend it to any wannabe leader or decision maker.
Following that theme, I also recommend Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. And over all excellent read.
Am I Machiavellian? I can be.
posted by ymialien at 2:02 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home