Book of the Week

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Recommended by Alexandre Vecchioli

Authored by Niccolo Machiavelli at a time of significant political upheaval, The Prince sought to address the political and ethical dilemmas faced by Renaissance rulers.

Machiavelli saw a need to advise leaders of Italian states, by mean of a political treatise, in the effective application of political policy and in the process delivered one of the most significant milestones in the history of political thought.  In pre-Machiavellian thought, ethics and politics converge.  Plato's Republic, for instance, propounded the view that these two ideals were inseparably connected.  The separation of these two subjects created a less philosophical and more pragmatic approach to political science.

A response to the Age of Enlightenment, whereby rational thinking was valued over abstract thought, The Prince is a practical handbook for political leadership.  Rooted in this practicality, it unashamedly and singularly adovcates motive and rule of action as governed by prudential considerations and policy, as opposed to morality.  The lucidity of expression that results makes for an enthralling treatise.  Despite its setting in the turmoil of Renaissance Italy, it remains a timeless guide for modern politcal thought, for its scientific nature based on reason and experience.

Though my view of the treatise may be partial, as it entertained my interest in politics, part of its appeal is its ability to resonate with the reader, and change his perspective, mine having been undoubtedly altered.  Featuring controversial principles, such as that it is 'better to be feared than loved', the treatise is not only riveting, but particularly relevant to the modern reader, in an age where making contentious statements is encouraged within the anti-establishment political sphere.

It also provides an understanding of how pioneering ideas can initially be rejected: the censorship of The Prince was only lifted five years after Machiavelli's death, but his work was later embraced as mainstream thought.  The lessons which one can draw not only apply to the field of politics but also to those of science and mathematics. The Prince has an uncanny ability to turn the reader into a shrewd general, ready to calculate the positioning of this troops in battle.

Despite the intellectual weight of these reflections, the nature of Machiavelli's writing is lively and witty, as well as the short construction of the book allows the reader to study it on a more simplistic level, leafing through the pages, as well as a more lengthy academic pursuit.