The word “Machiavellian” has come to imply all sorts of sinister, deceptive and cunning behaviour, whether it be in politics, diplomacy, marketing and management. Is this fair? Nicolo Machiavelli had a career as a highly successful bureaucrat and diplomat in Medician Florence at the height of the Italian renaissance. He wrote prolifically on politics, war, history and art and was a poet and playwright. His seminal book The Prince published posthumously in 1532 is now regarded as the work that established the principles of effective republican government. It is referenced today by politicians, marketing and management gurus. But what does it really say?
- The Portable Machiavelli, edited Peter Bondanella (Penguin, 1979, ISBN 978-0-14-015092-6)
- Thoughts on Machiavelli, Leo Strauss (Uni Washington Press, 1958, Library of Congress cat 58-94020)
- An Unlikely Prince, Niccolo Capponi (De Capo Press, 2010, ISBN 978-0-306-81756-4)
- Machiavelli – a Man Misunderstood, Michael White (Little, Brown, 2004, ISBN 0 316 72476 9)
- Machiavelli, Marketing and Management, edited Phil Harris (Routledge, 2000, ISBN 0-415-21670-2)
- Machiavelli’s advice to rulers and his reflections on the art and practice of government and how it has been both interpreted and (significantly) misinterpreted.
- The impact of his works on forming political practice and discourse – in his own time and today.
- The current revival of interest in his works by marketing and management gurus and the extension of his principles into the wider operation of political, social and economic activities.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Have some appreciation of what Machiavelli actually wrote and how the loosely used term “Machiavellian” seriously misinterprets this
- Enjoy engaging with Machiavelli’s principles and advice and reflect on how they might reflect how people actually think and act personally
