"Controversial. Read it with an open mind to understand the dark side of human psychology"
Author: Robert Greene
Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-help
Standalone or Series : Standalone
Publication Year :- 1998
Pages :- 480 pages
Review : 📕📕📕📕
"Amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive, this multi-million-copy New York Times bestseller is the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control – from the author of The Laws of Human Nature. Drawn from 3,000 years of the history of power, distilled three thousand years of the history of power into 48 essential laws by drawing from the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and also from the lives of figures ranging from Henry Kissinger to P.T. Barnum"
“When you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. you cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others”
“Everyone is embroiled in subtle power plays whether we like it or not. Some people believe they can opt out of the game by behaving in ways that have nothing to do with power”
Plotline
The book talks about rules citing stories from 3000 years of history of human civilisation and gives you 48 principles to attain and remain in power with the help of stories from that history.
Summary
I picked up 48 Laws of Power with no prior knowledge about it at all. Given my habit of reading reviews before starting any book, I learned it is popular with “prison inmates and celebrities” and some further research revealed how controversial the book is due to the themes of deceit, seduction and manipulation.
A random search threw some weird reviews.
"If you want to be known as a psychopath, let this be your bible."
"Manual for Soulless and Sociopaths"
"Repellent. Utterly amoral. Reprehensible. "
"A handbook on how to fuck over everyone you come in contact with "
The book states 48 laws along with their observance and transgression citing historical events concerning to power from various cultures and eras. It deals with the principles that one should adhere to in order to acquire or hold onto power. While dealing primarily with the grey areas concerning morality and ethics, it offers a rich look into human psychology and the philosophies of many a brilliant minds from the past who have wielded or been victimised by power
The format of using historical examples to illustrate the points or laws being stated is executed brilliantly. Instead of spouting some personal philosophy, Greene has focussed on historical references and quotes from various rulers and philosophers to support his points , which makes it much more effective, logical, and convincing. It gives you a perspective of what reality is, which you can never get from your family , friends or other self help motivation books. Many times, the book goes against the normal social rules and values, more concerned about manipulation, deception and achieving power over other people, situations and circumstances.
In a 2012 article from The Guardian with Robert Greene’s , he mentions “I believe I described a reality that no other book tried to describe. I went to an extreme for literary purposes because I felt all the self-help books out there were so gooey and Pollyanna-ish and nauseating”
In the book , he mentions “We face a paradox. Everything must appear civilized, decent, democratic and fair. But if we play by these rules too strictly, if we take them too literally, we are crushed”
I agree that this book does seem like a how-to manual for sociopaths but what readers need to understand is that its meant to tell that People will do what they have to in order to achieve their goals in life and anyone that believes otherwise is a fool.
It takes us back to the roots of human instinct. Ugly, but real. The book helps educating the reader when you're being manipulated and more quickly identify the type of sociopaths around you and be more aware and prepared to navigate the real world.
The laws can be used to become 'evil' to manipulate and use people for your own gain or it can be used as a way to gain a better understanding of people in power around you. It really depends on how you use the information and your intentions.
Read or Skip : My Take
The book is worth reading within the right context, but without that, it's dangerous beyond words. You should pick up the ideas that will be helpful for you and try to see whether it is morally correct in your case before trying to implement. The choice remains with you as a reader.
If not for the laws, the book is worth a read just for the historical narrative, anecdotes, quotes and stories.
Hope you enjoy reading.
TheNerdLife ❤❤❤
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