Caltrops - Dead Trees - "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene

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by Mischief Maker 02/12/2013, 9:43pm PST

Aesop wrote:

TWO MEN, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told nothing but lies, were traveling together and by chance came to the land of Apes. One of the Apes, who had raised himself to be king, commanded them to be seized and brought before him, that he might know what was said of him among men. He ordered at the same time that all the Apes be arranged in a long row on his right hand and on his left, and that a throne be placed for him, as was the custom among men. After these preparations he signified that the two men should be brought before him, and greeted them with this salutation: "What sort of a king do I seem to you to be, O strangers?' The Lying Traveler replied, "You seem to me a most mighty king." "And what is your estimate of those you see around me?' "These," he made answer, "are worthy companions of yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and leaders of armies." The Ape and all his court, gratified with the lie, commanded that a handsome present be given to the flatterer. On this the truthful Traveler thought to himself, "If so great a reward be given for a lie, with what gift may not I be rewarded, if, according to my custom, I tell the truth?' The Ape quickly turned to him. "And pray how do I and these my friends around me seem to you?' "Thou art," he said, "a most excellent Ape, and all these thy companions after thy example are excellent Apes too." The King of the Apes, enraged at hearing these truths, gave him over to the teeth and claws of his companions.

Any book reviewer who says this book will turn you into a power mad sociopath should be whacked over the head with a rolled up newspaper.

Any book reviewer who says Robert Greene is a genius who has "cracked the code" to accumulating power should be similarly chastised.

This is indeed an entertaining book that I would recommend to fans political intrigue, but it's neither as dastardly nor as profound as it pretends to be. Essentially, Robert Greene has selected 48 old sayings and adages, collated several stories from history that show figures succeeding or failing based on whether they follow the advice of these sayings, then does what publishers like by phrasing everything in the most provocative choice of words.

Part of the fun of reading the book is picking out the real adage that Greene twisted to sound sinister. Rule #2 "Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use enemies" is the old saying, "Never go into business with friends." Rule #8 "Make other people come to you-use bait if necessary" is the old adage, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Even the worst-sounding of the bunch, Rule #15 "Crush your Enemy Totally" turns out to be "don't start a fight you can't finish." Sadly, Greene gets a little lazy toward the end of the book. Can you guess the old saying Rule #40 "Despise the free lunch" comes from?

As I said, the book is great entertainment for fans of Dune or Game of Thrones. Is it educational? I'd say yes, certainly the morals of the many Aesop fables that gave birth to this book stick in the mind more strongly when paired with babylonian kings being murdered by their childhood friends and having their head marched throughout the city on a pike than a parable about a fox conning a magpie.

But for me the most fascinating thing about this book is its very existence. In ancient times, if scribes wanted to record lessons about realpolitik, they would have to write it in the form of a parable involving animals fucking each other over. Telling the truth about the king seizing the throne through fratricide was a one-way ticket to the executioner's block. Come the renaissance, Niccolo Machiavelli dared to suggest that animals weren't the only ones to partake in realpolitik, but that actual human kings and princes did it all the time. For sharing this truth with the world, Machiavelli's own life was ruined and his name has been unfairly maligned for centuries since. Come modern day and Robert Greene writes a book about realpolitik that not only points fingers and names names, but intentionally twists the language to make himself and his subjects sound even worse. His punishment? He becomes a bestselling author multiple times and gets to hang with celebrities like 50 cent. For all the people throwing the word "tyranny" around nowadays, Robert Greene's success is just a reminder that maybe things have gotten a teensy bit better since "the good old days."

"The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene by Mischief Maker 02/12/2013, 9:43pm PST NEW

The only people who need or read these books are ones who would never benefit by skip 02/15/2013, 3:18am PST NEW

Re: "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Greene by WITTGENSTEIN 02/15/2013, 7:47pm PST NEW