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.
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