Quote:
Originally Posted by patrickt
Most of the folks around here would no doubt confuse him with the Marquis de Sade.  |
Though that is a bit difficult, Machiavelli was Italian, not French. However it looks like they both were out spoken about their political beliefs. Machiavelli however did not end up becoming the basis for the word Sadistic though.
Rodney, the adjective Machiavellian became a pejorative term describing someone who aims to deceive and manipulate others for personal advantage. To understand this, read The Prince by Machiavelli. It is one of the best works ever written to describe power, how to gain power, how to wield power, and how you'll die if you abuse power. It goes into depth about manipulation of the masses. I'd have to say personally if someone were to call me Machiavellian, it would be like saying I speak like Hitler. He is a man I'd call Machiavellian. The term isn't exactly a bad thing, though. It's like saying your cunning and conniving.