President and Prince

Will somebody please ask President Carter (preferably at his next press conference) whether he has read Machiavelli’s The Prince? It used to be taken for granted that all politicians, but especially those with aspirations to supreme power, had read The Prince, even if they kept the fact to themselves. But can the same assumption be made in Jimmy Carter’s case?

The question is less flippant than it sounds. There are several good reasons for reading, and re-reading, The Prince. One is Machiavelli’s marvelously clear and robust prose. Another is to be able to express moral shock and indignation, having read it. But the most important reason—the reason Jimmy Carter should read it—is instruction in the meaning and exercise of power.

BC

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Brian Crozier

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Will somebody please ask President Carter (preferably at his next press conference) whether he has read Machiavelli’s The Prince? It used to be taken for granted that all politicians, but especially those with aspirations to supreme power, had read The Prince, even if they kept the fact to themselves. But can the same assumption be made in Jimmy Carter’s case?

The question is less flippant than it sounds. There are several good reasons for reading, and re-reading, The Prince. One is Machiavelli’s marvelously clear and robust prose. Another is to be able to express moral shock and indignation, having read it. But the most important reason—the reason Jimmy Carter should read it—is instruction in the meaning and exercise of power.