Underrated post.
Machiavellianism
Eli Smith
Justin Walker
Machiavellian types must be killed off. They hold no place in a Platonism sense.
William Martin
Like some other anons said, you can employ Mach behavior to find the ends you want, but then you'll find yourself empty, maybe even guilty about enjoying said ends because of the means.
Plus, he who lives by the sword dies by the sword, but don't take that literally. He who lies is the victim of lies, he who steals is the victim of stealing, etc.
With all that said, I'm a high Mach fuck who has srs problems with relationships because I use people, but I don't attribute that to deciding that I want to be 'more Machiavellian.' It just happens because I'm neurotic and clever. I see something shiny and I grab it.
Aaron Myers
I see two main problems with Machiavellianism:
1) it isn't a good way to attain power of you live in a developed country with representative democracy. People can sniff out when they're being back-stabbed and will realize you're just a selfish prick who acts out of a narrow self interest. You need to build some bonds of real trust and friendship if you want to network properly and actually build power. If you're in a gang area or a war zone - go for it though. Be as brutal as you want.
2) It's usually based on a weak philosophical premise like egoism or hedonism. Egoism is funny because the endsyou aim for are usually high social position and political honors which are conferred upon you by the people who are supposedly inferior to you. And hedonism is counter productive to discipline needed to acquire power - it makes you weak and vulnerable, and indicates that you lack mastery over the most important person in your world - yourself.
James Carter
Don't worry about it, user. The non-benevolent sociopaths will eventually be disposed of, but few:most will be spared
Isaiah Johnson
>T. One of the most manipulative assholes you'll ever meet in your life
Every time someone ever reacts like this to any overt display or discussion of a Machiavellian or dishonest traits, they are among the most manipulative people youll ever meet
Grayson Gonzalez
>I have no sense of community, empathy or conscience, so I can't comprehend other people having these things, (precisely because I have little capacity for empathy).
Most Machiavellians are teenage boys, because teenage boys brains have little capacity for empathy.
Leo Peterson
Exactly the type of slimy projecting moron I am talking about. I said nothing about myself and he presumes all these details about my personal life, including whether or not I condone machiavellianism.
Justin Johnson
>slimy projecting moron I am talking about. I said nothing about myself and he presumes all these details about my personal life,
Are you describing yourself and the way you responded to my post, by calling me manipulative, with nothing to base that on?
Why are you calling me a moron?
You jumped on the thing that I said about being pathologically honest etc and said I was a manipulative person because of it. Why?
It seems odd to me that you don't think such people exist. How can you not have encountered people like this? Do you think your family and friends lie to you? Do you think everyone is self serving? Do you think no one cares for anyone else?
If you don't think such people exist, then it seems like you don't have the capacity to empathise with people and why they might be like that.
>including whether or not I condone machiavellianism.
Nothing like this was presumed.
