The Prince

<p>A cornerstone of political philosophy <em>The Prince</em> is Niccolò Machiavelli's pragmatic guide to gaining and maintaining power. Written during the turbulent Italian Renaissance this work examines leadership strategy and the sometimes ruthless realities of governance. Still widely studied today <em>The Prince</em> remains essential reading for those interested in politics history and human nature.</p><p>Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) was an Italian Renaissance historian politician diplomat philosopher humanist and writer. He has often been called the founder of modern political science. He was for many years a senior official in the Florentine Republic with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He also wrote comedies carnival songs and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512 when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his most renowned work The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513. Machiavellianism is a widely used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described most famously in The Prince. Machiavelli described immoral behavior such as dishonesty and killing innocents as being normal and effective in politics. He even seemed to endorse it in some situations. The book itself gained notoriety when some readers claimed that the author was teaching evil and providing evil recommendations to tyrants to help them maintain their power. The term Machiavellian is often associated with political deceit deviousness and realpolitik. On the other hand many commentators such as Baruch Spinoza Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot have argued that Machiavelli was actually a Republican even when writing The Prince and his writings were an inspiration to Enlightenment proponents of modern democratic political philosophy.</p>