Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513. Dedicated to Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, a member of the ruling Florentine Medici family, it was written shortly after Machiavelli’s arrest and torture by the Medici regime. Erasmus wrote The Education of a Christian Prince (1518) partly in response to Machiavelli, partly as an instruction manual for King Charles X of Sweden. Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathin  almost 140 years later (1651) after he saw the grass-roots revolution of the English Civil War replace a monarch with societal chaos.

So who had the most insight about political realities and human nature? One wrote about power, the other about morality, the third about social contacts. They all introduced ideas that have resounded in the world of philosophy – but which one gave us the template for a good society?

Join us tonight (10/25/12, 7:00, the Good Work Collective) as we take a thoughtful look at the power and presence of government and its leaders. Going into the election,it’s worth asking some key questions:

• To what degree does a leader need to answer to the people, if at all?
• What motivates (or should motivate) the best leaders? And does motivation even matter if implementation is effective?
• Given the nature of politics, can someone who is genuinely good rise to the top and lead effectively? Or does politics by its nature weed out the good and leave us with the capable?
• Can (and should) morality be separated from capability when it comes to political leadership?

About Anthony Weber

Anthony is one of the founders of Etcetera. For more info, look for his bio and links under the 'About' tab.

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