The Essence of Machiavelli's The Prince

Summary

Axios Press’s Essence of . . . series takes the greatest works ever written in the field of practical philosophy and pares them down to their essence. We select the best passages—the ones that are immediately relevant to us today, full of timeless wisdom and advice about the world and how best to live our lives—and leave behind the more obscure or less important bits. Our selections are not isolated: they flow together to create a seamless work that will capture your interest and attention from page one. And we provide useful notes and a solid introduction to the work.

Machiavelli’s The Prince is not a long work, but one that is full of digressions and historical examples that do not mean much to the modern reader. Between these digressions are pearls of observation about managing human beings that are absolutely priceless. Before Machiavelli, writers described human beings as they ought to be, not as they are. Machiavelli was brutally realistic—not to mention cynical and amoral. Today many people consider Machiavelli to be the first social scientist. But we mainly read him because his insights are absolutely essential for anyone who plans to manage a business, organization, or nation.

About the Author

Machiavelli is one of Axios Institute's Top 100 People

Niccoló di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469–1527) was an Italian philosopher, humanist, and writer largely based in Florence during the Renaissance. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, poetry, and some of the most well-known personal correspondence in the Italian language.

About the Editor

Carlo Celli holds degrees from the University of Virginia and UCLA, and studied at the universities of Florence and Bologna. He is currently a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and author of books on the historical, economic, and social factors influencing culture