Modern Machiavellianism

Old Nick

Within decades of the publication of 'The Prince,' Machiavelli had become a byword for political evil. The Elizabethan English called the Devil 'Old Nick,' a reference to Niccolo. Shakespeare's villains — Richard III, Iago, Edmund — are Machiavellian archetypes: cunning, amoral manipulators.

The term 'Machiavellian' entered common usage as a synonym for deceitful, manipulative, and amoral. In psychology, 'Machiavellianism' is one of the 'Dark Triad' personality traits alongside narcissism and psychopathy.

This popular image captures something real about Machiavelli's willingness to describe amoral political tactics. But it misses the broader picture: Machiavelli was a committed republican who wanted to understand how power works in order to build and defend free societies, not to celebrate tyranny.

Where Machiavelli Is Actually Useful

Stripped of the villainous caricature, Machiavelli's insights appear in many modern fields:

• Business strategy: The emphasis on reading situations accurately, adapting to circumstances, and judging by results rather than intentions.
• International relations: The realist tradition that treats states as self-interested actors and power as the fundamental variable.
• Organizational leadership: The understanding that authority requires both competence and the management of perceptions.
• Political campaigning: The recognition that appearing to have certain qualities can be as important as actually having them.

The common thread is analytical honesty about how humans and institutions actually behave, rather than how we wish they would.