Machiavelli’s Rulebook for Leaders

Who was Niccolo Machiavelli and what does he have to offer us for consideration in the upcoming 2024 elections?

Some background might be useful. Machiavelli lived over 500 years ago. He was an Italian philosopher and consul from Florence who wrote his famous book, “The Prince,” dedicating it to the wealthy Florentine ruler Lorenzo de Medici.

Machiavelli is best known for his perceptions regarding the nature of “man,” and given that nature, what rulers need to know, and do, to maintain power.

Machiavellian is a word that is used both as a noun and an adjective. The Britannica Encyclopedia defines it this way: “The term Machiavellianism is used generally to characterize the view that politics is amoral, and that ordinarily unscrupulous actions involving deceit, treachery, and violence are thus permissible as effective means of acquiring and maintaining political power.”

Psychologists Richard Christie and Florence Geis (Columbia University) summarize Machiavellian attributes this way: “Machiavellians are sly, deceptive, distrusting, and manipulative. They are characterized by cynical and misanthropic beliefs, callousness, a striving for … money, power, and status, and the use of cunning influence tactics.”

So in summary, Machiavellianism presents as an indifference to morality, a lack of empathy, and driven mostly by self-interest; and that any means, however unscrupulous the action, can be justifiable in achieving or maintaining political power.

For anybody who took philosophy in school or college, you may remember that Machiavellianism is associated with what’s known as “The Dark Triad.” Think of a shaded equilateral triangle with three-sided coordinates defined as narcissism, psychopathy, and the third as Machiavellianism. It’s a psychological theory that describes a set of three personality traits that are considered undesirable.

In consideration of the upcoming election, the questions we need to ask Niccolo Machiavelli in our imaginary, present-day, town hall interview with him are these: “When it comes to leadership and our election for president of the United States, do you believe that morals matter?”

The next question might be: “Do you believe that any and all means are justifiable in order to achieve and keep power?”

Another: “You’ve argued in your book, “The Prince,” that ‘It’s better to be feared than loved because love is fickle and fear is constant.’ “Do you think this advice strengthens nationhood and love of country or just the preservation of power?”

Another: In your book, you say that “Rulers should sometimes bend morality or even be cruel to accomplish their goals… that rulers who wish to maintain their power must be prepared to act immorally when necessary.” Since we magically have you in this 21st-century town hall meeting, in retrospect, does this sound like the leadership manner of authoritarians like Syria’s Basher al-Assad, Russia’s Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Putin and Germany’s Adoph Hitler? And if so, is it fair to say that these associations don’t bother you?

To be clear, his answers to these questions respectively would emphatically be: “No,” for ‘Do morals matter?’ “Yes,” for ‘All means are justifiable to achieve and keep power.’ “Yes,” for ‘Better to be feared than loved.’ “Yes,” for ‘It’s all right to bend morality and be cruel to accomplish goals.’ And “Yes,” ‘These individuals do rule by the guidelines I’ve identified and no, these associations don’t bother me.’

Interestingly enough questions like these have permeated historical millennia. In ancient Chinese history many Confucian scholars believed that man was inherently evil. It was the starting point for Christianity as well, but in both cases, the improvement of man comes through moral, spiritual and societal teachings with the goal of brotherhood, human rights, and a humanity characterized by mutual respect, honesty, dignity, and the absence of hate.

I’m not a Biblical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, Lord only knows. But in Romans Chapter 16 verses 17 and 18 (NIV) the Apostle Paul says, “I urge you brothers and sisters to watch out for those who create dissension and obstacles, in opposition to the teaching that you learn. Keep away from them.”

Then: “For such people do not serve our Lord Christ but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery, they deceive the minds of naïve (innocent) people.

Rosina Pierotti, professor of French and Italian at Stanford University, in her translations of “The Prince” put it this way. “In sum, human beings are wretched creatures, governed only by the law of their own self-interest. It is better for a prince to be feared than loved, because love is fickle, while fear is constant.”

Another thing I think about related to the 2024 campaigns and election in today’s world (500 years after Machiavelli), is our contemporary digital world of social media and its influencers. It’s not all bad, with some successful entrepreneurs, but misinformation, disinformation (euphemisms for what we used to call lies), hate speech, antisemitism, racism, extremism and authoritarian talk are not just the undermining tactics of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-Un. Domestically, toxic language and disinformation are not only proliferating, but they undermine our democratic institutions and seemingly give permission for people to do what heretofore was considered to be inappropriate, extremest, injudicious, immoral, unethical, and even undemocratic.

There was a time when politics was considered to be an offshoot of what was simply considered to be civic duty. This notion certainly preceded Niccolo Machiavelli, without the cynical overtones of today’s politics.

My caution is simply this. As we consider who and what we vote for on our ballots, Machiavelli’s rulebook for leadership has always been a failed playbook. The premise that “means justify ends,” is a failed leadership concept. Over the millennia, the greatest of historical teachers and spiritual leaders of civilized societies have taught us, and proven, that morals and ethics matter.

Lest we forget.

Bill Sims is a Hillsboro resident, retired president of the Denver Council on Foreign Relations, an author and runs a small farm in Berrysville with his wife. He is a former educator, executive and foundation president.