The Prince, by Machiavelli

        The Prince is a fascinating book to read! Although written in 1513 this book is still widely consulted for its political wisdom; and after reading it for the first time I can see why, it is still applicable today. The first segment that stood out to me is on page 10. "So any injury a prince does a man should be of such a kind that there is no fear of revenge." This statement struck a cord with me because it suggests to me that with leadership comes the burden of punishment; and punishment must be carried out in a way suggesting moderation. Too much or too cruel a punishment can lead to retribution and my thoughts have turned to Guantanamo Bay and our prison we have there for those the US government classifies as terrorists. Its not that I disagree with the concept of taking prisoners in an attempt to seek justice, its the idea that there are some who have been taken there with no regard to any personal rights or justice. Fyodor Dostoevsky said "You can judge a society by how well it treats its prisoners." I think there is truth to this statement and my concern is that what is happening in Guantanamo could lead to greater retribution from terrorists, much like fueling their fire or hatred for our way of life.

        The next compelling segment of reading I came across was on page 16. "... That whoever is responsible for another's becoming powerful ruins himself, because this power is brought into being either by ingenuity or by force, and both of these are suspect to the one who has become powerful." I found this to be fascinating because of the role the US has played since WWII in arming, strengthening many countries which regularly seem to become our adversaries later on. I could be stretching the meaning here a bit but I believe it is something most people consider an issue with our foreign policy. At one point Saddam Hussein and Manuel Noriega were considered allies of the United States and some worry that the foreign aid we give to nations like Pakistan and in the future, Syria could lead to future confrontations involving a change in status with the US. Possibly one other nation that the US has favored greatly is China with trade and debt, I believe this could be an issue especially considering this quote from Machiavelli.
        It isn't that we are helping nations become strong or more stable etc. its the nations we seem to be choosing that is more of a cause for concern. Perhaps even the type of aid we give nations needs to be re-evaluated but either way, if we build up nations or provide too much strength we could be contributing to our own difficulties. Just an example but if we provide weapons and other military aid, what would stop Syria after stabilizing itself from using these weapons on Israel? We know Syria has had very rough relations with Israel and has long desired the Golan Heights which Syria lost in 1967. No matter how you feel about the Israeli- Arab conflict it is a possible scenario to consider if we choose to aid the Syrians in this manner.

       The third segment I found to be very applicable and not just interesting to consider is on page 24. "There is nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes in a state's constitution." I think sometimes we Americans think our political life is so complicated and sophisticated and that our burden of liberty is somehow unique. This proves that making changes to a constitution has been difficult for a long time and maybe US citizens should be more patient and understanding towards the process of liberty and how it unfolds in a nation, and that forcing change on a population can maybe complicate things more than they need to be. People change over time and perhaps persuasion is a concept that needs to be applied in a more gentle way when we face some of the big changes we contend with.

       The Fourth little gem I found in this reading is less political and more social or personal and is found on page 34. "Men do you harm either because they fear you or because they hate you." This makes me think of all the stories I hear as a teacher about bullying or the violence that exists in society and I feel (just based on my own thoughts) that more often than not, people do harm towards one another out of fear; whether its fear of the individual, the unknown or fearing what they do not understand this seems to be at the heart of so much violence. Growing up, when I was guilty of mistreatment I could honestly say now, much of it was based on fear. I can also look back to times when I was a victim of mistreatment that it was probably based on fear. If people were more aware of what they fear, perhaps they might change how they act concerning those fears... Just a thought.

      The final clip I want to talk about is on page 71. "Any prince who has come to depend entirely on promises and has taken no other precautions ensures his own ruin; friendship which is bought with money and not with greatness and nobility of mind is paid for, but it does not last and it yields nothing." This is an excellent quote that makes me think of many modern politicians (Congressman, Senators etc) who seem to be great talkers but do little with their actions in office. This statement also is a grim reminder that yes we may have a wonderful Republic-Democratic system in place but politics is still politics, and when you talk but cannot walk the walk or meet the promises you have campaigned on, you expose yourself just the same today as it was 500 years ago. The sad part is, in our modern era we can vote these characters out of office and 500 years ago, a lousy prince was still a prince...

      So, I do not think there is any preferred format for this so go ahead and post your comments, feel free to respond or elaborate on these and if you have new thoughts or segments you really liked go ahead and post them as new comments and mark them as such I suppose... I think I am the only author for the blog right now so I think I am the only one who can put new posts but anyone can make comments. I really hope this works and that we can start sharing good insight into these works!!

Welcome!! This book club is very informal! We are all on different levels and come from different backgrounds so hopefully we can all appreciate what it is we are trying to do and participate. The reading list provided is not exclusive, we can add or pass any of them, although I feel strongly that we should begin with Machiavelli's The Prince. It would also be good to have our early selections consist of the works done by those who contributed to concept of the modern Republic and Democracy so that we can better appreciate the literature written or inspired by the events of American History. Having said all that I am going to toss out the recommendation that we read these books following the Prince, and our commentary on the Prince... 1. The Prince by Machiavelli
                                                          2. Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
                                                          3. Social Contract by Jean Jaques Rousseau
                                                          4. The Second Treatise of Government by John Locke
                                                          5. Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the US

I would imagine that a month, give or take will be needed to work through each book and to think about what it means and to create some kind of response, whether its about what you liked, did not like, how you hated the book etc or key highlights that really stood out to you. The point is, to create discussion and friendly debate so that we can become sharper in political thought and appreciate the system we have in America and be more educated about how or why our government does what it does.

The nice thing about having this all as a blog is that the discussion does not have to end! It can keep going as long as you wish it while also allowing others to continue. As a bonus, if friends choose to join up even several months after we get going, they can participate in prior discussions as they see fit. Also, its all electronic so if we have a thousand comments, well who cares, its pretty cool as long as we participate. Participation is the next bonus to this type of club, because its a book club via blog on the net, you can do your reading and responses at 2 am and no one cares! In your PJ's? No one cares!!!

Sticking to one text at a time is a good idea because this allows people to acquire the book or find it on the net (many of the them will be on the net in one form or another) a library card might help if your not willing to add to your own personal library. If you want to suggest a book that is awesome, just let us all know!! We just need to make sure we are all reading the same book during the same month so we can comment during a specific window, but like I said, its on the net so if you need more time its cool, your not being graded!