3 ms·
This kind of stood out: "Read this instead: 'The Prince' by Niccolo Machiavelli. Why: It will provide you with the precise moral foundation you'll need to be
by bharath 19y ago
This kind of stood out:
"Read this instead: 'The Prince' by Niccolo Machiavelli.
Why: It will provide you with the precise moral foundation you'll need to be successful on the corporate ladder."
I dont recall PG ever bringing this up in his essays. But I think this is why a lot of hackers gravitate towards startups. They cant get themselves to follow the advice in that book.
- byrneseyeview 19y agoRead it more carefully. It's satire. Edit: I'm referring to "The Prince," not the list.
- bharath 19y agoI didnt dispute that. Its still true.
- byrneseyeview 19y agoBut if you're looking at satire for clues about what to expect, you're already screwed. Catch-22 doesn't really tell you what the military is like; Liar's Poker doesn't tell you what being a trader is like; and The Prince pokes fun at idiot Borgias and their revoltingly clumsy politics.
- pg 19y agoI wonder how much it's really satire. You'd definitely be better off with their replacements than the original list.
- Alex3917 19y agoI think it's meant to be snarky, not satirical.
- dood 19y agoI'd go for 'tongue-in-cheek'. (not sure if that's largely an English phrase, or if there is a similar American term) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek edit: oh, the book
- deleted 19y ago[deleted]
- yters 19y agoMachiavelli seems to have gone through a lot of trouble just to write a satire.
- davidw 19y agoWhich parts indicate that? BTW, the original is on line...cool! http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_Principe http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_Principe
- whacked_new 19y agoThe Little Prince > The Prince. :)
- yters 19y agoThough I'd agree with his portrayal of 7 Habits. Reads kind of like those How To Get Rich books that are meant to get the author rich.