Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this piercing work distills three thousand years of the history of power in to forty-eight well explicated laws. As attention--grabbing in its design as it is in its content, this bold volume outlines the laws of power in their unvarnished essence, synthesizing the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun-tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, and other great thinkers. Some laws teach the need for prudence ("Law 1: Never Outshine the Master"), the virtue of stealth ("Law 3: Conceal Your Intentions"), and many demand the total absence of mercy ("Law 15: Crush Your Enemy Totally"), but like it or not, all have applications in real life. Illustrated through the tactics of Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, P. T. Barnum, and other famous figures who have wielded--or been victimized by--power, these laws will fascinate any reader interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.
Reportedly banned in some schools and prisons, so it goes.
This book has a chapter for each of the rules. Most of the rules you've likely heard before. Each presents with historical references to ancient Asian or European stories about then famous or important people and how they used or abused each rule. The author adds his interpretations and thoughts on each.
It's a pretty deep read, and has a ton of historical references to second/third level of people then.
Reportedly banned in some schools and prisons, so it goes.
This book has a chapter for each of the rules. Most of the rules you've likely heard before. Each presents with historical references to ancient Asian or European stories about then famous or important people and how they used or abused each rule. The author adds his interpretations and thoughts on each.
It's a pretty deep read, and has a ton of historical references to second/third level of people then.
It is a fun little book with many interesting, short historical anecdotes. For me it was worth the read just for the small insights into the life of Talleyrand, the Chinese court, Michelangelo, etc.
As a guide to power it seem pretty useless though. First of almost all examples are taken from very powerful people. So if you happen to not be a member of an imperial court, a high ranking diplomat or a great con man, I think you will struggle to draw comparison's to your own life. You haven't had to decide what to do with potentially rebellious generals who just won you a war? Not taken part in any conflict-filled peace negotiations between countries? Well, how unfortunate for you. The statements are usually, as a good horoscope, pretty sweeping and vague. "Master the art of timing", "Enter action with boldness", etc. And yes, that seem like …
It is a fun little book with many interesting, short historical anecdotes. For me it was worth the read just for the small insights into the life of Talleyrand, the Chinese court, Michelangelo, etc.
As a guide to power it seem pretty useless though. First of almost all examples are taken from very powerful people. So if you happen to not be a member of an imperial court, a high ranking diplomat or a great con man, I think you will struggle to draw comparison's to your own life. You haven't had to decide what to do with potentially rebellious generals who just won you a war? Not taken part in any conflict-filled peace negotiations between countries? Well, how unfortunate for you. The statements are usually, as a good horoscope, pretty sweeping and vague. "Master the art of timing", "Enter action with boldness", etc. And yes, that seem like pretty good advice, but also seem like statements where the devil is in the details. Furthermore the support for the laws is entirely based on historical anecdotes and fables. I understand it is very hard to get any quantitative data from how the laws a formulated and of course it is not possible to gather data to solve all questions (as a lover of philosophy I should now), but in this case it feels more like a good cover than anything else. There is also the "small" problem that certain "laws" seem to contradict each other. In chapter three he puts great emphasis on how Bismarck in a long, poignant speech managed to persuade the parliament not to go to war with Austria and in the next it is said you should always say as little as possible because you will appear less in control and easier mess up. In chapter 22 he argues against martyrdom because there is something "selfish and arrogant" about martyrs since they believe they and their glory is more important, ignoring the fact that the rest of the book is about how to increase your power at the expense of others! In chapter 28 there is a fable about a man who planned and calculated and gave up on an opportunity which a less planning man "entered with boldness" and in that way won control of a whole kingdom and then the next chapter is about how you should "plan all the way to the end" in everything you do. Finally, the last chapter tells the reader to ignore everything which is written in the book as she should adapt to new circumstances and see events through her own eyes and "must throw out the laws that others preach, and the books they write to tell you what to do". Good decision on the author's part to have that at the end of the book.
Can someone who seeks power learn something from the book? Absolutely. In view of the apparent contradictions I highly suspect it is a work of satire, but there are still definitely anecdotes which people can apply to their lives (using more or less force) to try to get an upper hand in situations. Mostly, though, it is a bunch of amusing historical anecdotes and fables gathered together in a one place.
Take off rose-colored glasses, read it. If you don't want to use the laws as a weapon, at least you can learn what weapons other people use. If you think power games stink, read the preface, it's for you.
As usual with Greene, it's dense and full of very interesting historical examples. The range of actors is impressive, from Japanese tea ceremony masters to Mexican revolution generals.
Take off rose-colored glasses, read it. If you don't want to use the laws as a weapon, at least you can learn what weapons other people use. If you think power games stink, read the preface, it's for you.
As usual with Greene, it's dense and full of very interesting historical examples. The range of actors is impressive, from Japanese tea ceremony masters to Mexican revolution generals.
