Monday, June 15, 2009

The Means is the End of Machiavelli

Machiavelli argued that the end justifies the means, but what if there is no end and in the end the means is all there is? Then the means would have to justify the means and that would put an end to Machiavelli.

2 comments:

Peter Cook said...

Heh, Heh, the rock band REM said 'It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)' yet they still perform the song...

The Who wisely spotted the permanency of dysfucntional human behaviours in their 1968 hit 'Won't get fooled again':

'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss'

So, its possible that a new ere will usher in some more ethical / less manipulative behaviours in teh corporate world (heaven knows we need it), but, in the long term, I think Machiavelli was probably (sadly) right.

all the best

Peter Cook

Author 'Sex, Leadership and Rock'n'Roll - Leadership Lessons from the Academy of Rock'

www.academy-of-rock.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Nice one!
But if the end is the means, then the means is the end and therefore are any means justified.
Machiavelli is probably smiling in his heaven.