Is it Ever Good to be Evil? | Ep. 34 The TAC Podcast
The TAC Podcast
In this episode of The TAC Podcast, we dive into Niccolò Machiavelli's classic and controversial political treatise, The Prince. Specifically, we unpack his famous assertion in Chapter 15 that a prince must "learn to be able not to be good" when necessity demands it. Is Machiavelli endorsing moral evil as an end, or is he laying out a cold, pragmatic toolbox for political survival? We explore his concept of the "effectual truth," examine historical examples like Cesare Borgia and Remirro de Orco, and contrast Machiavelli's realism with the classical ideals of Plato and St. Thomas Aquinas. Along the way, we ask: Can a Machiavellian ruler ever have genuine friends, and why does this ruthless philosophy continue to fascinate us today? Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: Reading Machiavelli's The Prince 01:37 – Necessary Evils: Maintaining Political Power 02:50 – The Godfather Analogy & Suspending Morality 05:01 – Cesare Borgia & The Calculated Use of Cruelty 09:14 – The Machiavellian Prince vs. Plato's Tyrant 12:40 – "The Effectual Truth" vs. Imagined Republics 18:50 – Keeping Faith: The Fox, the Lion, and Entering Evil 24:48 – Machiavelli's Critique of Christian Morality 29:18 – Machiavelli vs. St. Thomas Aquinas on Kingship 31:13 – Good Arms vs. Good Laws 33:51 – What Makes Machiavelli Unique? The Science of Politics 38:58 – Can a Machiavellian Leader Have Real Friends? 40:17 – The Enduring Appeal of Machiavellian Cunning 44:52 – Conclusion & Wrap-Up
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Each week, senior members of the teaching faculty open a window into the intellectual life of the College through conversations rooted in the Great Books and the pursuit of first principles. Together, they explore the foundational questions that have shaped Western civilization.
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