Great Books Webinar: Dr. Jim Garrison on Machiavelli's 'The Prince,' Part 2

Dr. Jim Garrison lectures on "The Prince.”
"The Prince" is considered one of the most influential political treatises of all time and the foundation of modern political science. It has shaped the thinking of leaders as diverse as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams to Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin. It was written during the Italian Renaissance by Niccolo Machiavelli who was for many years a senior official and diplomat of the city of Florence. Seeing that Italy was being torn apart by intrigue, war, pestilence, and religion, he sought to write a treatise that would serve as a guide to the princes of his age. For him, politics could not be based on ideals but on the hard realities of power and violence. The Prince raises the fundamental question of whether morality and idealism can or should play a part in political decision making.

[chuckmartin]

damn! I wish this guy did more lectures on the classics. An awesome lecture. This guy does this with no prompts or notes! I read Machievelli but much of it was lost on me-but the incredible historical backdrop he discusses is tour de force and really cool. I learned more in watching this video than I did in four years wasted in school history courses. The 1300s- nature always checks you with an unforeseen unanticipated black swan event out of nowhere. The unknown unknowns- like Taleb discussing the thanksgiving turkey and Betrand Russell's problem of induction.