Often I came across the some books which referred to Machiavellian ideas, attitudes etc. and I had went on reading without knowing exactly what it meant. So it came to be that I read this famous book of political science in the sleeping trains of India.
I was surprised to find that the book was so thin, and was even more so when I found the letters in it were huge. The book is a gift from Machiavelli to a certain lord of the Medici family - I forgot the exact name - and in it Machiavelli advises him what he should do to emerge as a successful prince, or ruler.
As said in the introduction of the book, Machiavelli is deeply pessimistic of human nature. For instance, he argues that it is better to be feared than to be loved because there is no obligation to continue loving the ruler. Also, he had more reasonable advices which I somewhat related to the politics of today; Machiavelli repeatedly stresses that although the ruler should be feared, he should never be hated, as hatred will cause the fall of a prince.
There was a lot to digest in the short book. Most of the ideas were radical and rather barbaric, but reasonable nonetheless.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Jorges Luis Borges - Ficciones
After the merciless rejections from the Ivies, my vanity had crumbled to dust. I looked out for books which explained for meaning of life(maybe a slight exaggeration but true nonetheless) and I found Borges.
The book is not a novel, but a compilation of short stories that he had written; very short, in fact, that some were only 4 sides long. However, Borges showed that he was the master of succinct writing by making them so packed and structured. Indeed, I feel like I've read 15 books by just reading this.
At first, I didn't know what on earth he was talking about, his topics being so abstract. However, when I read the words with the utmost concentration that the stories of Borges deserved, I found myself wonderfully entertained when he talked about various philosophical questions in a playful and narrative way.
Let me just pick one from the stories which were all interesting. The "Library of Babel" was staged in a library which was (supposedly) infinite; it contained information about everything in the world, as the library had books which had all possible combination of words. However, in the end, one realises that this Library, which definitely does contained answers to everything, is as good as nothing, as although there are answers, there will also be refuting arguments in other books.
The book mentioned Schopenhauer a lot; maybe I'll read his works next time
The book is not a novel, but a compilation of short stories that he had written; very short, in fact, that some were only 4 sides long. However, Borges showed that he was the master of succinct writing by making them so packed and structured. Indeed, I feel like I've read 15 books by just reading this.
At first, I didn't know what on earth he was talking about, his topics being so abstract. However, when I read the words with the utmost concentration that the stories of Borges deserved, I found myself wonderfully entertained when he talked about various philosophical questions in a playful and narrative way.
Let me just pick one from the stories which were all interesting. The "Library of Babel" was staged in a library which was (supposedly) infinite; it contained information about everything in the world, as the library had books which had all possible combination of words. However, in the end, one realises that this Library, which definitely does contained answers to everything, is as good as nothing, as although there are answers, there will also be refuting arguments in other books.
The book mentioned Schopenhauer a lot; maybe I'll read his works next time
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
