Recent Niccolò Machiavelli Commentaries

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Mack’s Back
In 16th Century Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli was a nice enough guy until he discovered something. (Don’t let that smile fool you.) Political philosophers believed the most successful government required leaders to be moral, upstanding citizens. However, based on his experience in government, Machiavelli saw things differently. After he was booted out of authority, he wrote a little book entitled The...
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January 27, 2021
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Searching for Our Better Angels
I’ve read and re-read Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Today, its words and meaning echo more loudly than ever. “Both parties deprecated war; but one of...
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In every generation, there are a few public servants who stand as reminders of what political courage truly means. George W. Norris, the five-term Republican...
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When I first read Common Sense in college—admittedly, more out of assignment than interest—I understood its place in history but not its wisdom. I recognized...
Integrity and George Washington
How do we reconcile the integrity of a leader to whom service to the country was exemplary, but held slaves in service to him? Washington...
Rules of The Game
Well, boys and girls, it’s my favorite time of year: Baseball Postseason. It’s that magical time of year when my heart follows the teams and...
What Thoreau Still Asks of Us
“The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” – Henry David Thoreau I...