Machiavelli

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 14. 05. 2024
  • You can find Machiavelli's work here amzn.to/3Pp1Hnt
    This is the official CZcams channel of Dr. Michael Sugrue.
    Please consider subscribing to be notified of future videos, as we upload Dr. Sugrue's vast archive of lectures.
    Dr. Michael Sugrue earned his BA at the University of Chicago and PhD at Columbia University.

Komentáře • 1,2K

  • @TunaTheMiner
    @TunaTheMiner Před 2 lety +3417

    Fun fact: This lecture was entirely improvised. The person who was supposed to give the lecture had an episode moments before going on stage and Dr. Sugrue filled in for him at the last second. He brought a blank piece of paper with him on stage to make the audience think he wasn't just making it up. This story was told on the Idea Store podcast Q&A part 3.

    • @michaelpattiani7230
      @michaelpattiani7230 Před 2 lety +96

      That’s amazing, good for all is listening 😮❤. I smile every time a new episode comes out.

    • @tomasroque3338
      @tomasroque3338 Před 2 lety +23

      Improvised*

    • @robinsarchiz
      @robinsarchiz Před 2 lety +10

      An episode?

    • @tomasroque3338
      @tomasroque3338 Před 2 lety +94

      @@robinsarchiz
      Episode
      noun: episode; plural noun: episodes
      1 - an event or a group of events occurring as part of a sequence; an incident or period considered in isolation.
      "the whole episode has been a major embarrassment"
      2 - a finite period in which someone is affected by a specified illness.
      "acute psychotic episodes"

    • @stevemartinez1360
      @stevemartinez1360 Před 2 lety +108

      @@tomasroque3338 sir, I encourage you to rethink your purpose.

  • @ashfaquehossain8592
    @ashfaquehossain8592 Před 5 měsíci +20

    Dr. Michael Sugrue is Professor of History at Ave Maria University. A graduate of the Great Books Program, he earned his B.A. in History from the University of Chicago and his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in History from Columbia University.
    Prior to taking his position at Ave Maria University, Professor Sugrue taught at Princeton University, the City College of New York, Columbia University, Manhattan College, New York University, Hampton University, and Touro College. He served as the Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University from 1992 to 1994.
    Professor Sugrue was awarded the Chamberlain Fellowship, the President's Fellowship, the John Jay Fellowship, and the Meyer Padva Prize.

  • @timangar9771
    @timangar9771 Před 2 lety +160

    Nothing more badass than lecturing for 42 minutes 50 seconds on how to be a villain, calling it "Machiavelli" and dropping it on youtube without further comment.

    • @Supermoneygang12
      @Supermoneygang12 Před rokem +5

      You know this is like 40 years old right

    • @YABUKIJOE2077
      @YABUKIJOE2077 Před rokem +2

      @@Supermoneygang12 it’s an old video. Good observation

    • @user-hu3iy9gz5j
      @user-hu3iy9gz5j Před 11 měsíci +3

      Can’t be a villain if you wield power

    • @eman85mph
      @eman85mph Před 3 měsíci

      Tell that to the cosmic spectrum 🎚 ​@@user-hu3iy9gz5j

    • @mike_theskinny8646
      @mike_theskinny8646 Před 28 dny

      re eee eeeeeeeee eeeeeee ee I eee eee ree eeeee ee eeerte I ereeee I ee I can r pd e e e eee r pd e e e ee eeerte eereeteee I eee reee e eeee er ee I ee eee ree rebeee I e e eg hatch and e ee eeerte I e s t eee eeer I e r ee eeeeeee eereeerre I can e ererreeee eeereeee eeeeeeee r eee reee the rreeee I e e eg r ee ge I ee eee e eg eee ree e eg reee g eeg er r ee I er proud ee e eg eeee eeeee the other e eeer e re e r r r pd rr e eg e rr the eeeeee to the e e r re r r erre❤ ere e e e e er rere re r pd rr r ee eeeeeee ee eeerte eereeteee rererr e ee I er e eg ​

  • @nomankhan2337
    @nomankhan2337 Před 2 lety +905

    Hands down the best philosophy content on whole CZcams.

    • @sirliridon.4419
      @sirliridon.4419 Před 2 lety +7

      Rick Roderick too

    • @ethansadberry6069
      @ethansadberry6069 Před rokem

      Yes fr

    • @dr.bilalnazir
      @dr.bilalnazir Před rokem +1

      Check the lectures of Dr. Arthur Holmes

    • @Ybby999
      @Ybby999 Před rokem +4

      @@huzi46 not really philosophy, he talks about MMA a lot and also he's against homosexuals.

    • @huzi46
      @huzi46 Před rokem +3

      @@Ybby999 you Clearly haven’t watched most of his content lmao, and no he doesn’t hate on Homosexuals. Only says to leave the kids out of it.

  • @jacuzzistyles5997
    @jacuzzistyles5997 Před 6 měsíci +158

    Michael, I started watching your lectures 3yrs ago… I’m 34 and entered college last spring. your lectures hatched something in my soul. Now I’m majoring in political science, and minoring in philosophy.

    • @-Magnetized
      @-Magnetized Před 2 měsíci +2

      How’s it going?

    • @iwanttodie7199
      @iwanttodie7199 Před měsícem

      college at 34? wow

    • @-Magnetized
      @-Magnetized Před měsícem +2

      @@iwanttodie7199 ^imagine being this guy. It’s not his fault you gave up on yourself

    • @iwanttodie7199
      @iwanttodie7199 Před měsícem

      @@-Magnetized we clear college at 18, unis at 22 so yeah nah bud.

    • @-Magnetized
      @-Magnetized Před měsícem

      @@iwanttodie7199 your YT profile name is “iwanttod!e”.
      Like I said before, it’s not his fault your life sucks and you gave up on yourself.

  • @dompishen
    @dompishen Před 2 lety +308

    These lectures are honestly the best philosophy content on youtube.

    • @Bear-ow9gy
      @Bear-ow9gy Před rokem +2

      "like anybody could even know that - Kip Dynamite

    • @dompishen
      @dompishen Před rokem

      @@Bear-ow9gy You´ll come around.

  • @MRSXIV
    @MRSXIV Před 3 měsíci +34

    RIP Dr. Sugrue…. You provided us with hours upon hours of fascinating lectures & made our lives much more interesting…. A great man.

    • @clubx1000
      @clubx1000 Před 24 dny

      Sad to hear sad to hear sad to hear

  • @ryanv2324
    @ryanv2324 Před 3 měsíci +16

    Strangely, it was the news of this mans passing that made me click on one of his lectures just out of curiosity and ive been non stop listening since. So a post-mortem thank you sir

  • @robertfrancisburnier6032
    @robertfrancisburnier6032 Před rokem +77

    I am in awe of the detail, richness, context, clarity, urgency and relevance conveyed by this lecturer from his own memory apparently impromptu. An inspiring introductory lecture to Machiavelli. Regardless of his ultimate personal views, this professor really knows his subject matter.

  • @m.mahdi_BRN
    @m.mahdi_BRN Před 11 měsíci +33

    Teaching is an art. What a brilliant teacher. 👏

  • @alecunkel1613
    @alecunkel1613 Před rokem +107

    Wooow, the most fascinating talk I’ve ever heard. This guy is absolutely brilliant to give this off the top of his head

    • @iceswallow7717
      @iceswallow7717 Před rokem +2

      0:47 to understand American mentality

    • @LordVader1094
      @LordVader1094 Před 10 měsíci +2

      ​@@iceswallow7717That's people in any country

  • @TheDeputyDC
    @TheDeputyDC Před rokem +37

    I was waiting for him to say "Mr. Anderson" the whole time. Gave me matrix vibes. Absolutely loved this lecture/talk whatever you wanna call it. Pure awesomeness

    • @nobodynobody4389
      @nobodynobody4389 Před rokem +1

      Good observation made me chuckle

    • @jool5941
      @jool5941 Před 11 měsíci +1

      Agent Smith would’ve been a huge fan of Machiavelli.

  • @kunalgupta339
    @kunalgupta339 Před rokem +140

    Great teacher..he explains the philosophy with so much interest and in simple terms that it is never boring...really a genius.

  • @Luke_Stoltenberg
    @Luke_Stoltenberg Před rokem +120

    The Prince must be one of the oldest books I've read. I read it for no other reason than because I'd heard the author mentioned a great deal and I thought it was worth looking at. It seemed like pretty straightforward and fairly accurate description of power and its consequences. I've come to think that many people think of it as some kind of instruction manual, and I guess it is in a way, whether it is descriptive or prescriptive is one's own choice.
    Knowledge will only accentuate your existing character. It is only dangerous to a dangerous person, either in their hands or in the hands of those who haven't caught on to them

    • @Bear-ow9gy
      @Bear-ow9gy Před rokem +3

      Boring!

    • @WesleyNiman
      @WesleyNiman Před 10 měsíci +2

      Character is defined by one's own thoughts and habits. I believe you are referring to personality. Which still doesn't define one's destiny. You must not exclude the impact of personal choice.. for it shapes your destiny.

    • @harrireyes1459
      @harrireyes1459 Před 10 měsíci

      This bozo is a liberal idiot.

    • @MaxwellJWhite
      @MaxwellJWhite Před 10 měsíci +9

      machiavelli was not evil at all... he simply studied those in power and noted which tactics worked or didnt work

    • @Eisenwulf666
      @Eisenwulf666 Před 9 měsíci +5

      ​@@MaxwellJWhiteThis. People nowadays can't differentiate between an author and his works apparently. He was an experienced politician and a passionate reader of history books. He analyzed the situation in Italy at the time and wrote an instruction manual of sorts, meant for the young Medici. He recognized that Italy was divided in many little states, sometimes even city states, that had little armies or even employed mercenaries. He knew that they wouldn't stand a chance against France, the HRE or even the Ottomans, which were great nations with many resources and a state army. Diplomacy and morals are all nice and cute, but the wolves are at the gates waiting.

  • @AndrewShingange
    @AndrewShingange Před 7 měsíci +32

    This man's handle on the English language is intimidating. He speaks so effortlessly, it's aaaaaaaMAZING

    • @eman85mph
      @eman85mph Před 3 měsíci

      Easier to listen to and grasp than even Alan Watts 👂 ❤

  • @yatingour2595
    @yatingour2595 Před 2 lety +41

    Had really wanted a lecture on Machiavelli for so long. Thank you for this!

  • @hamslammula6182
    @hamslammula6182 Před 2 lety +14

    Just from the title and thumbnail alone I can already tell that this is going to be the lecture of all lectures

  • @yellowquantum4240
    @yellowquantum4240 Před rokem +160

    I read the Prince as a teenager, really cool as a mature man to hear this again.
    Human nature is like a bag of snakes , not all are poisonous most are!!

    • @SamServ-ht4re
      @SamServ-ht4re Před rokem +5

      This is a great quote ima use “human nature is like a bag of snakes not all are poisonous most are “

    • @TheOceanBearer
      @TheOceanBearer Před rokem

      I think human nature is more like a magic box in which you never know what will come out when you open it. Sometimes poisonous snakes, sometimes apes in heat, sometimes parents arguing fervently and stubbornly, sometimes someone giving their life to save a complete stranger's, sometimes unnameable and alien yet closer and more familiar than home. Human nature is a kind of bestial magic. Once you think you have made sense of it, it will throw you for another loop.

    • @Bear-ow9gy
      @Bear-ow9gy Před rokem +6

      ​@@SamServ-ht4re this is a great quote I'ma use "this is a great quote I'ma use human nature is like a bag"

    • @erikdegby4652
      @erikdegby4652 Před rokem +7

      It's really No such thing as Human nature, everything is learned behavior.

    • @yellowquantum4240
      @yellowquantum4240 Před rokem +5

      @@erikdegby4652 betrayal, hate, abandonment human nature.
      Love , and love again no matter what ...human.

  • @bingolittle8725
    @bingolittle8725 Před 2 lety +2

    I've been looking forward to this. Thanks Dr Sugrue.

  • @AwokenEntertainment
    @AwokenEntertainment Před rokem +27

    have always been curious about Machiavelli's work, this was an incredible dive into these ideas

  • @jmhaugen4757
    @jmhaugen4757 Před 2 lety +209

    I normally enjoy Dr. Sugrue's lectures, but this one was clearly a surface-level examination of Machiavelli. While "The Prince" is everything Sugrue said it is, the author was anything BUT a "prince" as he depicted it. Machiavelli wrote poetry and screenplays. The height of his political career was a foreign emissary-type post that let Machiavelli travel across Italy and Europe. He also didn't retire; he was exiled after being tortured by the faction that ousted the Medici for a time. And most damning to the lecture's assertion is the fact that Machiavelli was a great fan of the republican form of government. Even in "The Prince", Machiavelli says that tyranny is only a stepping stone to a better system.
    And nowhere in "The Prince" does Machiavelli assert that EVERYONE should act like a tyrant.

    • @OmnomnomPancake
      @OmnomnomPancake Před 2 lety +16

      Exile is forced retirement, no?

    • @Nikkola.369
      @Nikkola.369 Před 2 lety +32

      From what I've learned the book wasn't even popular until after Machiavelli's death. Dr. Sugrue's analysis on this book does seem 101 for people who don't know anything about the book, nonetheless he's an excellent speaker!!

    • @opiliones4202
      @opiliones4202 Před 2 lety +1

      @@OmnomnomPancake machiavelli continued to write and create after his exile tho

    • @dwl3006
      @dwl3006 Před 2 lety +6

      I am pretty sure that Machiavelli was tortured by the Medicis not the Florentines.

    • @evgeniptolemy5570
      @evgeniptolemy5570 Před 2 lety +45

      The surface level analysis of this subject is due to the fact the scheduled speaker had an episode of some sort and Dr. Sugrue filled in last minute. Still enjoyable.

  • @ryza2859
    @ryza2859 Před 2 lety +4

    I love these lectures, thank you

  • @sazi2451
    @sazi2451 Před rokem +8

    This lecturer is so bright and so thorough. 😮

  • @stevemartinez1360
    @stevemartinez1360 Před 2 lety +8

    If this was anyone else, the quality would be an issue. Sugrue… grabbing my popcorn.

  • @MurrayDsGuitarandBass
    @MurrayDsGuitarandBass Před 2 lety +51

    I’ve been waiting for this one! These lectures are always appreciated

  • @dunkman393
    @dunkman393 Před rokem +14

    Thank you so much for these videos Professor. You enrich our lives.

  • @raymondsamo9808
    @raymondsamo9808 Před 2 lety +76

    When you thought there were no more lectures

    • @chaosdweller
      @chaosdweller Před rokem

      🤔............ haha! (telling myself my own inside jokes again that I normally do on YT that I don't always explain I'm doing like here that may not have anything to do with u haha).

  • @adilchaudhry3272
    @adilchaudhry3272 Před 6 měsíci +2

    Thank you for your work and contributions

  • @Growmetheus
    @Growmetheus Před rokem +3

    I have learned so much from several of his talks, but this one is the one that just makes me giggle whenever I think of it. Evil genius.

  • @jasonavant7470
    @jasonavant7470 Před rokem +9

    The occasional sound of thunder in the background adds to the atmosphere of such a topic. As a somewhat bored office worker chained to my desk, these lectures are wonderful.

  • @zoomx4760
    @zoomx4760 Před 2 lety +4

    Just brilliant, thank you.

  • @guyvanburen
    @guyvanburen Před 2 lety +4

    thank you for uploading this

  • @kevconn441
    @kevconn441 Před rokem +21

    I loved reading The Prince at university. Much better than anything else on the reading list.

  • @EliteBuildingCompany
    @EliteBuildingCompany Před 2 lety +7

    Excellent thinker, telling it how it is not how it ought to be. Fantastic lecture, cheers.

  • @bosshog5335
    @bosshog5335 Před 2 lety +3

    i've been waiting for this!!!!!!!! I'm so excited!!!

  • @localvideos3668
    @localvideos3668 Před 5 měsíci +10

    This man makes Philosophy edible. Any time i sit to listen to his lectures, it's like mealtime. The appetite to eat the intellectual food he serves is so deep. Thanks for being a teacher.

  • @retribution999
    @retribution999 Před rokem +15

    I've read much of Machiavellis works. I didn't find the same man as you describe here. I found great wisdom and pragmatism, but not evil.

    • @tayk-47usa41
      @tayk-47usa41 Před rokem +3

      yeah having read the prince about a year ago i had to wonder if i’ve even read the book or if he read another one lol

    • @Khosann1
      @Khosann1 Před 7 měsíci +1

      This!

  • @neo1559
    @neo1559 Před 2 lety +4

    I love these lectures!

  • @HardWhiteChocalate
    @HardWhiteChocalate Před rokem +2

    incredible lecture, thank you for upload

  • @kirandeepkaur8082
    @kirandeepkaur8082 Před 20 dny

    RIP DR.
    Torn by this news . Thank you for your beautiful contributions . May you rest in paradise.

  • @cheri238
    @cheri238 Před rokem +8

    Thank you, sir. always

  • @frankbongio
    @frankbongio Před 2 lety +5

    Dr. Sugrue is spoiling us

  • @ivanpb1983
    @ivanpb1983 Před 2 lety +1

    This was so good, that I had to rewinded to watch it again.

  • @lbits
    @lbits Před rokem

    Thank you for sharing. This was so digestible.

  • @clovers-zi5fe
    @clovers-zi5fe Před 2 lety +6

    I've been salivating waiting for this lecture.

  • @grantshearer5615
    @grantshearer5615 Před rokem +307

    I owe Machiavelli alot. I read the Prince when I was 19 and it woke me up to all the political corruption and manipulation of our modern world. It changed me from a leninist socialist to a free thinking human being

    • @adriansamsonhiluf7653
      @adriansamsonhiluf7653 Před rokem +34

      Just leave it at ''political corruption and manipulation.'' There nothing old or modern about it. watch enough geopolitical documentaries enough and the patterns emerge. its 3:13 am over here and i cant help but wonder what Machiavelli was doing 500yrs ago on this day.

    • @khalilfuller4939
      @khalilfuller4939 Před rokem +3

      Haha, I believe I was 20 when my eyes awaken as well 🤞🏽 (how does it feel to join the grey side)

    • @mr.mintman7545
      @mr.mintman7545 Před rokem +1

      Capitalist corruption and manipulation lol... socialist parties have no power in the west

    • @vaughncollins1386
      @vaughncollins1386 Před rokem +16

      I’m 20 and just read it! Yes I totally agree, idealism unfortunately can be easily corrupted by pragmatic and utilitarian people, after reading it I realized no ideology is immune from Machiavellian types. Unfortunately corruption will be a perpetual political problem and the importance doesn’t lie on a political spectrum but in taming corruption.

    • @grantshearer5615
      @grantshearer5615 Před rokem +4

      @@vaughncollins1386 another tip is that the Bible holds the true religion. While there is plenty of evidence, the 1260 year reign of the popes is one of the biggest pieces imo.

  • @user-qk8tm5xx4d
    @user-qk8tm5xx4d Před rokem +1

    Discovered Dr Michael Sugrue's content way too late.
    Incredible.

  • @thedjruiner
    @thedjruiner Před 6 dny

    I would have loved school if there was a teacher lke this. Captivating start to finish.

  • @mercedes932
    @mercedes932 Před 2 lety +12

    Ahh the famous lecture - Sugrue ad-libbed it on the spot when the prof who was supposed to present suffered from stage fright.

  • @KenshoBeats
    @KenshoBeats Před 2 lety +10

    Another new (old) one! Saved in my playlist. On Saturday morning I will take a coffee and sit in the garden to listen to Sugrue, looking forward, thank you!

  • @maxrubio4246
    @maxrubio4246 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you Dr Sugrue

  • @yourchildhooddog
    @yourchildhooddog Před 7 měsíci +6

    Michael, if you’re reading this I just want you to know that your presentation here and this video have impacted me so much and helped me grow out of a lot of bad habits that were instilled in me when I was young . You’ve been a great role model in my adult life and I think about your words, your invaluable insights and your lectures almost every day ❤ Thank you again

  • @Ionic457
    @Ionic457 Před rokem +52

    Ugh. These lectures are changing my life. Can’t thank you enough for sharing your knowledge with the world.

  • @wafaanoureddine2542
    @wafaanoureddine2542 Před 2 lety +1

    Unbelievably great thanks 🙏

  • @crypticTV
    @crypticTV Před rokem +144

    8:50 worked for medeci family
    1:40 Attainment of political power
    4:20 Justice is from coercion.
    6:24 Donald Trump - Art of the Deal
    7:00 Religious morality
    7:50 Joseph Stalin's favourite book
    9:30
    10:20 Medici prince flattery
    11:10 Love is nice but fear is predictable
    13:20 Wolf
    17:30 The Lion and the fox
    18:50 Military head over town
    29:00 Freud
    33:00 Rulers and people like sheep herders and sheep
    33:30 Odysseus
    35:30 Plato's cave
    36:45 Those who have not sinned cast first stone

  • @innatecharisma
    @innatecharisma Před 2 lety +3

    More gems and knowledge. Thank you sir.

  • @ok-kk3ic
    @ok-kk3ic Před 2 lety +4

    Ive been waiting for this one

  • @jDaniel5721
    @jDaniel5721 Před 5 dny +1

    That was an amazing lecture 👏

  • @othmanehdidou5640
    @othmanehdidou5640 Před 5 měsíci +5

    كمية كبيرة من المعلومات حصلت عليها بعد إنتهائي من مشاهدة هذه المحاضرة شكرا أستاذ 👏👏

  • @AmethysTuesday
    @AmethysTuesday Před rokem +4

    What a great speaker 🙏

  • @sagarpatel6841
    @sagarpatel6841 Před 2 lety +34

    Thank you , seriously he teaches so well.

    • @tubthump
      @tubthump Před 10 měsíci

      He walks around too much

  • @ichbindoofhihi1
    @ichbindoofhihi1 Před 2 lety +6

    oh my god I was searching for lectures from Dr Sugrue about Machiavelli, this is great!

  • @cathairpatrick6341
    @cathairpatrick6341 Před rokem +22

    This fella doesn't get Italy in the middle ages. Machiavelli cast a cold, detached eye on human nature. Everything he describes informs out reality today. Machiavelli isn't evil, he's unapologetically analytical and honest.

    • @user-hu3iy9gz5j
      @user-hu3iy9gz5j Před 11 měsíci +2

      Yes, an honest work such as The Prince must be countered with relevant arguments on basis of power and realism, not run-of-the-mill moralism

    • @jool5941
      @jool5941 Před 11 měsíci +2

      Yes. He speaks like politicians used to be good when they had their religion to dictate morals but he fails to acknowledge all of the horrible atrocities committed in the name of religion.

    • @jool5941
      @jool5941 Před 11 měsíci

      I still admire his view point though. It was a very interesting lecture.

    • @user-hu3iy9gz5j
      @user-hu3iy9gz5j Před 11 měsíci +1

      It is fair if you want to criticize Machiavelli on a moral basis for his lack of moral considerations, but since the Prince is ultimately about realistically maintaining power you must extend your analysis further than that

  • @Ryan-fv5ve
    @Ryan-fv5ve Před 11 měsíci +7

    What a video, even more impressive when you learn that this was improvised. It takes a deep understanding to be able to coherently and informatively speak on a topic for near an hour.

  • @skyfathersound
    @skyfathersound Před 2 lety +5

    When those violins hit you better be ready to kneel. Sugrue on Machiavelli! This one is going to be glorious

  • @demonicark2687
    @demonicark2687 Před 9 měsíci +2

    Absolutely precise and easy to understand!
    This lecture has given much more wider perspective to my study.
    Thanks for the wonderful lecture🎉♥️

  • @CatMoonErickson
    @CatMoonErickson Před 5 měsíci

    FANTASTIC Lecture!

  • @chadklasens4927
    @chadklasens4927 Před rokem +10

    Half way into this, and wow! What an insightful and elucidating lecture so far. Bravo.

  • @LasArmas_
    @LasArmas_ Před 2 lety +4

    Thank you & Happy MayDay

  • @Levelupliv
    @Levelupliv Před rokem

    Awed by Dr surgrue's brilliance.

  • @interesting2491
    @interesting2491 Před rokem

    Great speaker - such an easy listen 👍

  • @templephantom6613
    @templephantom6613 Před 2 lety +4

    Amazing lectures!

  • @zigo9284
    @zigo9284 Před rokem +1409

    Great lecture about 2Pac, thanks❤️

  • @mahendarsoni2079
    @mahendarsoni2079 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Hands down the best form of articulation i have ever seen. Me who struggles to watch a 10min youtube video just watched this 40min video with full attention.
    Loved the way you just explained everything ❤

  • @Aeon490
    @Aeon490 Před 2 lety +2

    I think I heard in one of the Q&A's that this lecture was winged last minute. Pretty good for that.

  • @shyamalchowdhury7088
    @shyamalchowdhury7088 Před 5 měsíci +3

    I would like to hear more philosophy lectures like this from you, entirely from memory.

  • @andrewbowen2837
    @andrewbowen2837 Před 2 lety +55

    One of the more important points made in the book that was not commented on in the video lecture is the control of fortune. Fortune, meaning chance, is something known since the ancients as limiting on what the good citizen and the good regime are. By chance, you are either born in a time where you can be both a good citizen and a good person (by way of being born into the good regime), or not. For Machiavelli, he notes that by chance, he was not born into an opportunity where he could ascend to political power, nor would his ideas take root. Think of the messenger from Nietzsche's thought, who came preaching into the town square, only to be laughed at and realize that he had been sent by fortune too early. So Machiavelli instead proposes that fortune, as impactful as it is in politics, should be limited and controlled by man, beaten into submission. This way, every regime would be the "good" regime. This very notion was put into practice by Modernism, where the goal of establishing a utopia, a heaven on earth, and removing chance from the equation by lowering the basis of the regime away from metaphysics and the good, something high, became the project.
    For this reason, I would disagree ever so slightly with Dr. Sugrue about Machiavelli's view of nature. Regarding human nature, there is no disagreement; but nature writ large, Machiavelli wanted to control it. Thus, we have the Enlightenment, and science becomes the ultimate tool of controlling nature, and politics the satisfaction of the most basic of human desires

    • @camorinbatchelder6514
      @camorinbatchelder6514 Před 2 lety +6

      I would say Machiavelli is domain-specific. He wasn’t a philosopher of human nature writ large, but rather human behavior in the political, existential realm.

    • @andrewbowen2837
      @andrewbowen2837 Před 2 lety +2

      @@camorinbatchelder6514 I see what you mean, but back then, I don't think the two were differentiated. Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau all used human nature as their baseline to make political assessments

    • @camorinbatchelder6514
      @camorinbatchelder6514 Před 2 lety +3

      @@andrewbowen2837 I haven’t read “Leviathan”, the “Treaties”, etc. that closely, so I can’t comment on them. Machiavelli wasn’t as philosophical as Sugrue makes him out to be. He simply looked at political behavior as it was, not how it should be.

    • @andrewbowen2837
      @andrewbowen2837 Před 2 lety +2

      @@camorinbatchelder6514 Dr. Sugrue doesn't really get into the details of the book unfortunately. He pretty much claims that it is horrible and would have dire consequences if implemented. That being said, I think there is a good bit of both "is" and "ought" in politics being described. Machiavelli notes that Italy is in a bad place, and he thinks the most successful leader should model themselves after the actions of Cesare Borgia, and not like some of those who caved in to the church and moral sentiments. At the least he thought that Italy was in need of what he viewed to be a clever and unrelenting leader, with good examples from history (thus in some regard detailing how politics are/were), and he didn't think the younger Lorenzo Medici was capable

    • @camorinbatchelder6514
      @camorinbatchelder6514 Před 2 lety +1

      @@andrewbowen2837 Machiavelli certainly had a vision, I agree.

  • @EyeLean5280
    @EyeLean5280 Před 2 lety +2

    Thanks very much for this.

  • @jians.2464
    @jians.2464 Před 8 měsíci +1

    these retro lectures are better than anything on the internet today

  • @alloftheabove143
    @alloftheabove143 Před rokem +14

    in my youth i was interested in science
    2 decades later im exploring philosophy

  • @14nst3w4rt
    @14nst3w4rt Před 2 lety +3

    Michael Sugrue is a top top lecturer - knows the material without referring to notes. Top class! Chapeau!

    • @arjunabeuger
      @arjunabeuger Před rokem +1

      Unfortunately, his depiction of Machiavelli’s character isn’t accurate at all. Supposedly, Machiavelli wasn’t this bloodthirsty, powerhungry “wolf”, as he is characterized by Sugrue. Good lecturer with a poor understanding of Machiavelli. But since it was improvised, I’d cut him some slack.

  • @rhrh9128
    @rhrh9128 Před 6 měsíci +1

    He was FABULOUS. Wonderful thinker and speaker. Broad mind. Great listening.Time flew.

  • @gamer-cn5ho
    @gamer-cn5ho Před rokem +1

    Wow this was simple yet amazing

  • @adriansamsonhiluf7653
    @adriansamsonhiluf7653 Před rokem +7

    "Machiavelli was not really Machiavellian." Is the recurring pattern. He shortly wrote The prince after being released from where he underwent torture. That might explain his state of mind when he wrote that book. Its not that he was trying to suck up to the Medici while they were trying to avoid being seen as taking his advice but that the Florence court had already been practicing principles found in his book, whether conciously or unconsciously. Back then City states would create feeble alliances while at the same time plan on how to betray you six ways to Sunday. I see how his kind gesture to the Medici might have been seen as suspicious right after they came back to power.

  • @literature1621
    @literature1621 Před 2 lety +33

    He wins us all over. wish someone could find the lectures on Strauss and Moliere (1998 and 1993, respectively) by this wonderful man! ---and upload the two

  • @thomasjeffersonscott
    @thomasjeffersonscott Před 5 měsíci

    Dope lecture, thanks for uploading!

  • @shockbroker
    @shockbroker Před rokem +2

    Amazing content. Worth watching despite the sound/image quality!

  • @dredcaulfield9028
    @dredcaulfield9028 Před 2 lety +8

    Been wishing he'd do machiavelli! Sweet.

  • @raymondcoronarubalcabaiii5975
    @raymondcoronarubalcabaiii5975 Před 10 měsíci +6

    I'm very proud of you. Hopefully that means something. 😘

  • @tigerstriker
    @tigerstriker Před rokem

    Brilliant lecture..thank you

  • @DarrellJamal
    @DarrellJamal Před rokem

    We love you Mr. Sugrue.

  • @TroyJamesMonger
    @TroyJamesMonger Před 2 lety +3

    Excellent, thank you Dr. Sugrue for sharing this dissection of the Machiavellian world view :]

  • @philosoraptorautistic
    @philosoraptorautistic Před rokem +4

    His reference to Trump is such a synchronicity, not because of his rise to power but because how old the tropes around him have existed long before the presidency.

  • @OneOneThree-wl7ml
    @OneOneThree-wl7ml Před 10 měsíci

    Beautifully said

  • @ryans3001
    @ryans3001 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank You!

  • @deforeestwright2469
    @deforeestwright2469 Před rokem +24

    This is a somewhat cartoonish description of Machiavelli. Even on a lone reading of the Prince, Machiavelli comes off as a witty proto-utilitarian and moderate nationalist, not as an amoral political climber. I am not quite in the camp that interprets The Prince as entirely sarcastic, but Machiavelli definitely has a dry and occasionally hyperbolic sense of humor. I have read all of Machi’s Art of War, the Prince, and about a third of the Discourses on Livy, and he was more concerned with the common good even in The Prince than most give him credit for. Painting this caricature of him is a mild to moderate disservice to The Prince, and a major disservice Machiavelli himself.

    • @user-hu3iy9gz5j
      @user-hu3iy9gz5j Před 11 měsíci +3

      The role of The Prince and the expanded Machiavellian worldview is in outlining a realist view of power and pragmatism in regards to political governance. The important insight is that the powerful are guardians of their own authority, and directly responsible in case of their downfall

  • @TopShelfTheology
    @TopShelfTheology Před 7 měsíci +3

    If you're interested in Machiavelli, you need to read James Burnham's "The Machiavellians." Very interesting, more recent historical significance. Burnham spends the first half of the book on a history lesson of the time of Machiavelli here, Sugrue mentions a lot of it in passing, but it's more significant than he lets on. The Holy Roman Empire first and foremost, among other rivals like France and the Ottoman Empire, was growing very powerful. And while these rivals were organizing, Italy's city states were indeed frail and floundering, mostly making metaphysical and classical arguments for why the aristocracy should rule, and flattering each other, and going to wars over petty things, and their people generally growing to resent their aristocracy. The Prince was really written to these people to say, quit fucking around, one of you has to rise up and be serious, or else the we'll all be speaking German. Here's the brass tacks practical manual for collecting power, and defending Italy from her neighbors.
    The second half of Burnham's book explains that that is an accurate and useful manual in a world of monarchist governments. In the late 1800s, as democracies had become popular, and the Industrial Revolution was causing lots of upheaval in the way societies looked at the nature of work, labor, relations to capital and corporations, relations to government, and toying with the ideas of Marxism, there were four Italian political philosophers, who all tried to take Machiavelli's spirit, and apply it to democratic environments. They asked, what is necessary to gather power in a democratic environment? Not, how do you game your royal rivals, but, how do your game your populace writ large and convince them to vote for you? How do you maintain long term democratic power? These were the people who laid the groundwork for Mussolini to pick up and form fascism. They were read by the early Soviets to establish Communism in Russia. In the 1940s, Burnham was writing to an American audience to understand the roots of totalitarianism, and how it was achieved through democracy, specifically by the use of mass media messaging, control of information, and corruption of journalism.
    Burnham was sounding the alarm on fake news in the 1940s and his book is still very relevant today.

  • @alilutfi2588
    @alilutfi2588 Před 2 lety +2

    Thank you !

  • @eyobzewdie9305
    @eyobzewdie9305 Před rokem

    Incredible mind. Pls keep Up the good job.

  • @templephantom6613
    @templephantom6613 Před 2 lety +4

    I hope there are more of Dr Sugrue's lectures in depth. Its amazing to listen to him. Wish my lecturers were as good and able to capture attention like him..