The Auron MacIntyre Show Machiavelli on the Power of Wickedness | 3/9/26
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Mar 9, 2026 A lively dive into Machiavelli's most controversial claims about power and wickedness. Stories of Cesare Borgia, Agathocles, and brutal consolidation illustrate how violence, deception, and patronage secure rule. Modern parallels and a checklist for new rulers explore when cruelty helps or harms the chance to govern effectively.
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Secure Your Own Arms Not Others'
- Do secure independent military power rather than rely on others' arms when you take power.
- Auron Macintyre cites Machiavelli's warning that rulers installed by foreign powers lack loyal armies and fall if their patrons withdraw support, e.g., Zelensky.
Caesar Borgia's Near Success And Bad Timing
- Example Caesar Borgia shows how a ruler handed power can still build foundations to stand alone.
- Auron recounts Borgia winning over nobles, weakening rivals, and creating local control but losing due to his father's death and bad timing.
Coopt Nobility To Break Factional Power
- Insight: Convert rival elites by absorbing them into your patronage to break factional power bases.
- Auron details Borgia paying nobles, giving offices and commands to sever their ties to old factions and make them loyal.
