BF199 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Merchant Prince, Devil In Christianity, Rationality
Document Summary
The prince niccol machiavelli: the gift of knowledge, objectification, rationality and strategy, examples, appearances vs. reality. Power/success no matter what means: associated with satan (a. k. a. Old nick : wrote book a year after he was imprisoned and tortured by the medici family for being accused of attempting to overthrow them. Key quotes: it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. , the ends justify the means did not actually say this, but it is a key idea. Tradition, ethics, or rationality? (closest machiavelli gets to discussing morality: it is not talent to slay fellow citizens deceive friends, be without faith, without mercy, without religion. Such methods may gain empire but not glory (will get power but will also be feared and disliked). Agathocles cannot be esteemed less than other men. 4: if they are successful, might try to overthrow you.
