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Or, try "don't be evil" Edit: Yes, I am suggesting that the 48 Laws of Power are inherently evil.

abrown28 17y ago
That's not an option.
dsplittgerber 17y ago
An argument can be made that adamantly stating "don't be evil" is in itself a grab for power by imposing your moral standards on others. If you were inherently not evil, why the need to declare that to the world? This argument is actually in the book, Preface, XVIII.
- thetrumanshow 17y ago
  Are you saying that calling out evil is in itself evil?
anigbrowl 17y ago
I strongly disagree that they're evil. I have had the book for about a decade, and while I consider myself a low-power individual - that is, unaggressive in pursuit of my goals - I've found it a great aid in understanding the dynamics of many situations, as well as knowing when someone is exercising a power play against me or trying to manipulate me in some fashion. Sure, it's not '48 laws of harmony and cooperation'; I think it's a legitimate authorial technique to challenge the reader and push them out of their comfort zone - and yet the book is abundant with examples of how greed and hubris can lead to a sticky end. The book seems to generate strong reactions in a lot of people, both those like yourself who say it's evil and from others who say it's too wishy-washy (one hard-charging person I mentioned it to derided it as '48 laws of brown-nosing'). I wonder if you have read the whole thing? If not, why not borrow it from the library, saving yourself the emotional conflict over whether to enrich the author, and give it a full read. The fact is that it's a competitive world, and attempts to improve upon human nature often turn out to have serious negative consequences; apparently benign beliefs such as christianity can become vehicles of horrid repression. Better, then, to improve the world by securing for yourself the freedom to do so in peace than by wishing away the facts of life.
- skorgu 17y ago
  Well said. Most problems are actually people problems. Like other problems having awareness of their nature can help you sort them out when you're in them and occasionally avoid them before they happen. The biggest lesson I got from this type of thinking is that people are surprisingly predictable. I don't know where to draw the line between recognizing behavioral cues and patterns and manipulating people but at the least being aware of the potential should help you avoid being manipulated yourself.
WinterAyars 17y ago
I think they're more closely aligned with psychopathy/sociopathy (the actual disorders) than outright "evil". (Of course, psychopathy/sociopathy is probably the closest thing to a medical description of "evil" that there is...)

That's not an option.

An argument can be made that adamantly stating "don't be evil" is in itself a grab for power by imposing your moral standards on others. If you were inherently not evil, why the need to declare that to the world? This argument is actually in the book, Preface, XVIII.

thetrumanshow 17y ago
Are you saying that calling out evil is in itself evil?

anigbrowl 17y ago

I strongly disagree that they're evil. I have had the book for about a decade, and while I consider myself a low-power individual - that is, unaggressive in pursuit of my goals - I've found it a great aid in understanding the dynamics of many situations, as well as knowing when someone is exercising a power play against me or trying to manipulate me in some fashion. Sure, it's not '48 laws of harmony and cooperation'; I think it's a legitimate authorial technique to challenge the reader and push them out of their comfort zone - and yet the book is abundant with examples of how greed and hubris can lead to a sticky end. The book seems to generate strong reactions in a lot of people, both those like yourself who say it's evil and from others who say it's too wishy-washy (one hard-charging person I mentioned it to derided it as '48 laws of brown-nosing'). I wonder if you have read the whole thing? If not, why not borrow it from the library, saving yourself the emotional conflict over whether to enrich the author, and give it a full read. The fact is that it's a competitive world, and attempts to improve upon human nature often turn out to have serious negative consequences; apparently benign beliefs such as christianity can become vehicles of horrid repression. Better, then, to improve the world by securing for yourself the freedom to do so in peace than by wishing away the facts of life.

skorgu 17y ago
Well said. Most problems are actually people problems. Like other problems having awareness of their nature can help you sort them out when you're in them and occasionally avoid them before they happen. The biggest lesson I got from this type of thinking is that people are surprisingly predictable. I don't know where to draw the line between recognizing behavioral cues and patterns and manipulating people but at the least being aware of the potential should help you avoid being manipulated yourself.

WinterAyars 17y ago

I think they're more closely aligned with psychopathy/sociopathy (the actual disorders) than outright "evil". (Of course, psychopathy/sociopathy is probably the closest thing to a medical description of "evil" that there is...)