Machiavelli - an ugly loser and theif who stole his ideas from other ugly people

[Questioner]

I hear the name Machiavelli come up a lot in political or philosophical discussions.

In short, he was just an ugly, no name tyrant, of which there are dime a dozen in any historical period you can name, dating as far back as Caligula and Nero.

His book "The Prince" (which Saul Alinsky allegedly stole his ideas from) was just simple, ubiquitous set of little axioms, most of which the average socially maladjusted, anime masturbating 13 year old boy could come up with on his own - it was more or less a complete ripoff of Thrasymachus, who was debunked in Plato's Republic.

I honestly have no idea why this little worm is given any attention in political or academic discussion, other than maybe as comic relief. A supervillain from a kid's TV show or video game, like "Dr. Robotnik" from Sonic the Hedgehog could have written a better manifesto on pseudo-villainy, honestly.

 

[kyzr]

Spell "thief" correctly please

 

[EvilEyeFleegle]

Well...you'd have to study the politics of the time....the Medici era, as it were. Aphorisms and axioms are powerful....I'd not knock them. There's a reason that the same philosophical constants always reappear.

Machiavelli wasn't a tyrant..he never 'ruled' anything...think more Consigliere and less Nero.

 

[Questioner]

Well...you'd have to study the politics of the time....the Medici era, as it were. Aphorisms and axioms are powerful....I'd not knock them. There's a reason that the same philosophical constants always reappear.

Machiavelli wasn't a tyrant..he never 'ruled' anything...think more Consigliere and less Nero.

I think he inherited his power, so even from a petty tyrant POV, why would anyone listen to a minor no-name aristocrat who was born into it; at least Hitler and Mussolini earned it on their own, tyrants that they were.