Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics
Most great thinkers have speculated about the kind of leadership that might give rise to a better society, analyzing it through what’s sometimes called a “normative” lens: What …
Niccolò Machiavelli
Need to Improve your Relations with Others? Start by Getting Human Nature Right
Most of us periodically struggle to manage our relationships, whether we’re trying to manage a company, a team, a marriage, or a friendship. The problem is that we’re often fighting, …
Niccolò Machiavelli on Reading as a Cure for Boredom
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527) offered ruthless advice in his timeless classic The Prince, which was inspired on Xenophon’s Cyrus The Great: The Arts of Leadership and War. Based on force and …
Machiavelli’s Mistake: Why Good Laws Are No Substitute For Good Citizens
A summary of Samuel Bowles’ lecture series entitled “Machiavelli’s Mistake” at the Santa Fe Institute. 1. Moral Sentiments and Material Interests The classical thinkers from …
Niccolò Machiavelli and the Four Princes of Pragmatism
To top off the course The Moral Leader, Professor Badaracco’s students dissect Niccolo Machiavelli’s chilling classic The Prince. “You may think that’s an odd place to end what …