How Good People Lose Power | Machiavelli's The Prince

Machiavelli's The Prince is a book with a sordid and scandalous history. Banned for hundreds of years and thought to corrupt the minds of everyone that read it, it contains the insights of Niccolo Machiavelli on how to gain and retain power. And today we will see what lessons it has, and how it has been misinterpreted throughout the years.

00:00 The Prince
01:18 The Fall of Idealism
05:34 The Necessity of Power
08:28 The Kindness of Cruelty
12:11 The Danger of Complacency
14:45 The Importance of Being Adaptable

[Kaynan]

Incredible video. I just finished watching and I have to say, the way you articulate other people's ideas in a way that is so easy to understand is admirable.

[Cantread]

Machiavelli seemed like a realist. It takes a strong person to look at the ugliness of our reality and confirm that it is indeed just as we see it. But there is also wisdom to be found there, and if you follow the unpleasant thread of contemporary truth you will probably make sense of it all. Thanks for the breakdown!

[Germanicus_Daimetor]

He’s right about people caring about “looking good” as opposed to actually being good.
It’s hard to step away from it though morality is used against us our entire life…

[Justineyedia]

Definitely truth to this.
Quietly yearning for what you don't have while fearing losing what you do. Fear and desire.
"All in all, human nature offers little to inspire. We can say this of most people: that they are ungrateful and unreliable; they lie, they fake, they're greedy for cash and they melt away in the face of danger".
"How we live is so far removed from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation".
"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him." "It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."

[pokerani]

A solid example of Machiavelli’s philosophy is Julius Caesar vs Augustus…Caesar was extremely loyal, even to his opposition, and cared more about the people, while Octavian destroyed even his allies if he thought they’d threaten him in the future…who ended up living and ruling longer?

[ntshaupamojela]

"I'm just a bloke with a camera and some books"...the humility 🙌🏿

[JonV.Jordan]

finally someone who can talk about this books and topics without having a one pace monologue that is hard to follow and makes me go asleep. I like your tone and how you change it and put accent on different words, it keeps me focused on what you have to say. I also like your interpretation on the works you mention and agree with most of them. Keep up the good work!

[PaidAMaluCachu]

Love your style of videos. Not watered down at all but not an hour long lecture. Just the core subject matter and your passion and excitement for it. Keep up the good work!

[kyleclawson]

Machiavelli, explained this way, reminds me of a Jungian shadow. It’s dark and possibly even evil, but it’s even worse to ignore. A Machiavellian state of mind would be useful to visit for understanding, but not to set up residence in

[stevereeves]

I'll forever respect machivelli, true realist who spits facts

[KingJames-of]

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own." — Bruce Lee

[Yahyahyahyahyahhalftone]

I was a student in college and spoke to a tutor of philosophy from time to time. I liked his take, and I was interested in philosophy. He mentioned to me that someone wrote about Machiavelli as writing the instruction book aimed at the princes of Europe and praised the Catholic church for striking heretics down but pointed out that the Ottoman princes were afraid of the sultan and would turn on him. I think Machiavelli's approach was the most concise for its time. A comparable analogy for today would be "Never Split the Difference" by Mark Voss.

[Multi]

That's one of the biggest problems with the world is that people ignore other perspectives. Since they assume others are wrong or even evil they avoid them like plagues. An example I experienced earlier is this woman who reports all my comments involving contraversy with no response.

[General_Kenobi_]

Machiavelli: "I intend to write a book about you one day." Ezio: "If you do Machiavelli, make it short." - Assassin's Creed Brotherhood

[Justineyedia]

It is hard to know who we actually are. We hide ourselves behind masks of pretense and deception. We try to act the way we think others want us to act. Even though we may try to do this a little, we usually end up not being who we really are. The self is a complex and dynamic construct influenced by personal experiences, cultural background, and beliefs about oneself and others. Our interactions with others can affect our sense of self, and there is a tension between the desire for coherence and the desire for freedom in our self-perception. The concept of self is not static, but rather constantly evolving through social interactions and the ongoing construction of our identity. Our self is a construction of relationships and interactions, constrained and yet in search of the feeling of freedom.

[sunbrah]

I read the Prince in the worst time of my life. Now my life is stable and secure. Because i took some of Machiavelli's advice to heart.

For example: i cut out people who were using my kindness to their own benefit. Yeah my reputation took a fall. But now i met genuine people who care about me. Yes sometimes im harsh and no nonsense. But these people respect that and they respect my boundaries. No one messes with me anymore. Being respected again because i respect myself again feels... good.

Also understanding how evil humans can be it helps me to stay wary so I don't accept a bad person in my life and so much more. So yes if youre struggling, id suggest reading the Prince. Take the advice to heart

[rob]

I love your use of Caravaggio's paintings with the themes of this video, they exhibit a certain level of horror I expect from a terrified and anxious Italy.

[lilfrnkie]

Stumbled onto your channel and video on paradise lost yesterday at work and it’s safe to say I’m about 15 videos in now. Thank you & please, never stop.

[toni]

The thing about adaptability, when to apply what advice, philosophy, mindset, virtue or whatever, is something I learnt the hard way in life as well, and definitely one of the biggest lessons I ever learnt.

[kevinnguyen]

This Channel is a goldmine glad I found it recently