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.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Puerile, so puerile Comment: Why would someone want to read this trash when the writings of Gracian are readily available? Mr. Greene's puerile commentary and interpretations serve no worthwhile purpose, given the fact that he over-exteriorises and banalises the matter (Gracian would say: "Leave some room for mystery..."). Furthermore, it should be noted that more than a half of his 48 'laws' are plagiarisations of Gracian's maxims. At the most Mr. Greene will only appeal to frustrated adolescents. But when these adolescents join the ranks of men, they will come to realise that workable stratagems require a great deal more sophistication - let alone the fact that circumstances hardly ever call for their implementation - than suggested by Mr. Greene. And one is led to suspect that your average door-to-door salesman has got far more cunning tricks up his sleeve than the so-called 'laws' promulgated by Mr. Greene. This juvenile and vulgar philosophy is in fact the American Dream in action, viz., pursue your aim without scruples, and crush anything that gets in your way. This law of the jungle is already in force. Books about it are strictly unnecessary.
Customer Rating: Summary: Superb Read! Comment: This book was splendid. Combines 48 excellent teachings with intriguing examples from history to back them up. If you enjoy history at like myself you'll find the read very enjoyable.
Most any of the low ratings this book received are from high ground moralists who look down upon some of what is discussed. A number of the Laws are somewhat amoral, but unfortanately so can the world we live in. While I still wish to believe in the common good of mankind, there are times that some of these applications will come in quite handy. With the handy tool that humans have called a brain, I can pick and choose which Law teachings I would want to use, and which might be too amoral for my taste. Customer Rating: Summary: Excellent! Comment: I liked this book as much as I liked Greene's "Art of Seduction". The author walks the same path of analyzing historical events and people delving deeply into their psychological nature and provides examples taken from life in order to make a point.
This is a great book even if the reader is not interested in gaining power over others. It is a very interesting and fascinating read, and as always with Greene's books I couldn't put it down. The author is clearly very well read and knows what he is talking about. Customer Rating: Summary: Machiavellianism at its worst Comment: The tragedy of Greene's simplistic authoritarian view of power is that it is addictive and those struggling with feelings of powerlessness will flock to it. It is practical in that it can succeed in medicating readers against the anxiety that comes with not being in control in life, but it is deceptive in that if you follow Greene's advice you will end up with a life that you have contructed for yourself that you won't want. There are other practical approaches to power that take into account the complexity of the subject (e.g., Janet Hagberg). The central complaint I have about this book is that Greene fails to recognize the relational nature of all human endeavors in his approach to power. Once his readers have climbed to the top of the ladder, will they really be glad they are sitting there all alone? Everyone interested in power reads Machiavelli (or Greene), but no one who follows them completely is ever happy.
A full understanding of power might be one of the most important tasks of our modern age. But Daniel Goleman (Social Intelligence) tell us that if we leave out the importance of the human element (empathy, compassion, emotions, etc.) then we are destined to fail in our current, more evolved society. Jim Collins (Good to Great) found that one of the most important characteristics of the leaders of the most successful companies in America is humility. Not just the appearance of humility as Greene suggests, but actual humility. Yes, deception and brutality can work. But that approach to power won't last. Machiavelli himself was never able to apply his own principles and he died a failure. If you want to learn about the kinds of power that really work then read James Hunter (The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle) or even Thich Nhat Hanh (The Art of Power), but I wouldn't make Greene your bible if you want your influence in the world to last. Customer Rating: Summary: Good prison reading Comment: I got this book for my boyfriend in prison. At first they confiscated it as contraband then returned it to him. He loved the book.
