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Title: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene ISBN: 0-14-028019-7 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.19 (302 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Advice for the insecure, the incompetent, and the coward.
Comment: This is a remarkably silly book, both in terms of its actual content and in its claim of generality. The author offers only anecdotal and meager historical evidence for his claims, never any scientific analysis supported by careful statistical sampling. Does the author seriously believe that if the advice in this book is followed that any individual will be able to become a "powerful" person? Has he studied the histories of individuals who have decided to follow his advice, in order to judge their "success" as compared to those who did not follow such advice?
I ran across this book in the psychology section of a local bookstore, and believed it to be a psychological study of "power-seekers". Curious as to answering the question as to whether the attainment of power is an objective requirement for the human psyche, or whether the lust for it is a symptom of a dysfunctional, maladjusted individual, I believed that a psychological study done with rigorous, painstaking scientific methods would shed light on this question. After a brief perusal of the book however, I concluded that the book must be a parody of the power-seeker, not to be taken seriously, serving only to amuse or poke fun of those whom are easily suckered by the ill-defined and transitory rewards of "power".
But if the book is read in its entirety, which I did, it seems as though the author really believes what he is putting in print. This is unfortunate, since better use could be made of time and resources. It takes energy to move a pen or move fingers on a keyboard, to produce the paper for this book, and to manufacture its ink. All of this energy is totally wasted on this book, including the energy needed to read it.
Only a fool, a coward, or the weak-minded would follow the advice in this book. It is written for the uncreative, the yellow-belly, the psychologically insecure. Individuals with these traits are always in a perpetual state of fear, for they know that their mind is impotent, that the slightest perturbation will knock them out of their unstable equilibrium of imagined security. Such people are easy to spot, for they never say anything of any consequence. If their mental competence is challenged, they will come apart at the seams. Then watch them flee, and laugh out loud when these petty scoundrels scurry away like scared ants. Any revenge they take is to be scoffed at, for when one stands up to them with the sword of mental competence, their schemes will dissolve into nothingness. Chuckle at their obsequious flatteries, and be entertained with the observations of their stupidity, as they try and pass themselves off as "powerful" people. They are better to watch than circus clowns, and their make-up is always smeared. The self-confident, mentally astute individual is their anathema, but their dependence on such an individual is overwhelming. They need the competent, but never the other way around. Such is the nature of their "power": it is in reality pure weakness and has enormous fragility.
The book has to rank as one of the worst ever written, for it is serious in its petty doctrines. It encourages the practice of evasion and theft. It attempts to circumvent the practical and the competent, not knowing that such an attempt is doomed to failure. It confuses realism with cynicism, and it equates the acquisition of wealth with its plundering. Wallowing in a vague cesspool of self-satisfaction, it peddles power as if it were a commodity, forgetting that its reality is tenuous, and its lifetime is fleeting.
Rating: 5
Summary: timeless lessons for power-brokers-to-be
Comment: This classic review of classic political manuals is as relevant today as it ever was. Those concerned by the applicability of the historical examples provided miss an essential point: the will to power is in human nature, and human nature hasn't changed, regardless of claims to the contrary by our enlightened rulers. After reading The 48 Laws of Power, I realized that it is in the interest of power brokers to keep us in this state of inocence.
These rules cannot be applied inflexibly in all situations. In fact, most of the chapters have a reversal of the law section, to remind us that context is crucial. This will not be a problem for power seekers who stay alert, looks both to the past and the future, have perfect self control and patience, as recommended by the author. Simplistic hard and fast rules have no place here.
The book is beautifully laid out and edited. Just a minor quip: Baltasar Gracian is the most quoted author yet his books don't make it to the recommended reading list.
Rating: 3
Summary: An eye-opener
Comment: Though not as practical as it purports to be, the book is certainly an eye-opener to the tactics of power-play evident in all avenues of life.
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Title: The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene ISBN: 0142001198 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 07 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Get Anyone to Do Anything : Never Feel Powerless Again--With Psychological Secrets to Control and Influence Every Situation by David J. Lieberman ISBN: 0312270178 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Pub. Date: 11 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Never Be Lied To Again : How to Get the Truth In 5 Minutes Or Less In Any Conversation Or Situation by David J. Lieberman ISBN: 0312204280 Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Pub. Date: 10 September, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Influence (rev) : The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini ISBN: 0688128165 Publisher: Quill Pub. Date: 07 October, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking by Kevin Hogan ISBN: 1565541464 Publisher: Pelican Pub Co Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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