Episode 66, Niccolò Machiavelli (Part II - The Prince)

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, and Rose de Castellane

Euthanasia, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Existentialism, Marxism, Kant, Ethics, Davidpapineau, Dennett, Marx, Evilgodchallenge, Cosmological, Mind, Consciousness, Courses, Nagasawa, Education, Johnstuartmill, Jeremybentham, Aristotle, Ocr, Camus, Josephfletcher, Conscience, Society & Culture, Kantianethics, Philosophy

4.8 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2019

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

No book can teach you how to tame the raging river of fortune, for it has many plans contrary to ambitious minds. Yet to submit powerlessly to fate with lamentation, as if God has not instilled you with freedom of the will, is a sign of disrespect and the ultimate folly of our kind. For the river splits into many paths and those that appear to drag us towards the abyss, may, in the end, lead us to glory if only we persist in our efforts.

That is not to say that fortune always favours the brave. The acts of life should be understood as drama rather than science, and sometimes the heroes lose. Nevertheless, if it just so happens that you wish to play the role of the Prince or Princess, and be responsible for guiding others to a better future, there is wisdom you can learn from your time and through history to aid your cause.

Before we go any further, however, I must warn you that the practicalities of ruling come with demands that are not for the faint-of-heart. Human nature dictates that at times, you will need to adopt the methods of the Fox and the Lion.

You must be like the Fox in order to spot the traps laid by those who wish to see you fail and you must be like the Lion so that those same people will never try too hard for fear of the repercussions.

This might sound harsh, but let me remind you that the road to hell is often pathed with good intentions and that sometimes to be good you must learn… to be cruel.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga.

Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 15% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSY.

Contents

Part I. Life and Context

Part II. The Prince

Part III. Machiavellianism Today

Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (Amazon).

Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Livy (Amazon).

Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Amazon).

Erica Benner, Be Like the Fox (Amazon).

The Great Courses, Machiavelli in Context (Audible).

Alan Ryan, On Politics (Amazon).

Cary J. Nedermand, Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Amazon).

Dick Morris, New Prince: Machiavelli Updated for the Twenty-First Century (Amazon).

Transcript

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0:00.0	Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan
0:07.7	Scicast!
0:09.0	Part 2, The Prince.
0:24.7	So before we jump into Machiavelli's The Prince, we have a short little advertisement here from Gaston Lugo Backpacks.
0:32.4	I've been rocking my black and brown classic for the last few months. I've absolutely loved it. But before we decide to
0:38.9	advertise the backpack on the show, I decided that it would be best if we only advertise
0:45.2	products that are ethically sourced from here. We always do this anyway, where we try our best to.
0:50.9	All of our merchandise we've done before is ethically sourced. And I think we should carry on in the same spirit.
0:57.0	So making sure that we're only doing you the best service.
1:00.0	I spoke to Yolanda and I'm going to read a confidential email between me and Yolanda here.
1:06.0	When I asked her, I said, Yolanda, love the backpack.
1:09.0	Looks great. But we're only going to advertise
1:11.9	them if you can reach our ethical standards.
1:15.3	And Yolanda said, our backpacks are assembled from strong resistant fabrics such as cotton
1:19.8	canvas and metal buckles.
1:21.2	We don't use any animal products.
1:23.7	All parts look leather are made from synthetic alternatives.
1:27.3	We strive for perfection in everything we do. All parts look leather are made from synthetic alternatives.
1:32.9	We strive for perfection in everything we do while also taking care of our environment.
1:36.5	We are also committed to lowering our carbon footprint by using the most offensive,
1:40.0	offensive, no, effective transportation alternatives.
1:44.0	Gas and Luca trucks are not offensive in any way.
	...

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