The 48 Laws of Power- Robert Greene
Power. Something that many of us fight for in various aspects of our lives. Who determines those with power? How do individuals gain that power? And, how do people manage to keep this power? By drawing on historical applications of some of the most powerful yet immoral leaders in history, the 48 Laws of Power attempts to answer these questions.
Robert Greene structures the book in a chronological order, outlining the stories and justifications behind each of the laws. Starting from the first law of power to the last, he gives a historical example of the success of people when they followed the law, and another example of the consequences that followed when someone else failed to follow it.
While reading this piece, I noticed how most of the laws could be misinterpreted to encourage manipulation. I felt that although a lot of these principles may be true for the majority of humans, it’s also undeniable that when individuals read this book, they might treat others who have pure intentions with unnecessary manipulation techniques. For instance, if one tries to get others to do the work for them and take the credit as the 7th law implies, this would be unjust towards others’ efforts. I don’t particularly believe that in any world it could be justified to discredit others for the sake of power. Moreover, if individuals use these sorts of manipulation tactics in the wrong sectors of their lives, they can destroy their relationships. For instance, posing as a friend and working as a spy, from the 14th law, in the most literal sense, is a law built around inauthentic friendships.
Some laws like these raised a lot of questions in my mind regarding morality and the extent to which people are willing to lose their sense of morals to get what they want. This line of thinking reminded me of a dark point in history…
Injustices that followed colonization efforts– especially in the Americas.
In the classic American History class, we are taught the unforgettable 3 G’s: God, Gold, and Glory. These motives were all tied to accumulating more power. During this point in history, many lives were sacrificed for the sake of power, so I believe some of these applications of gaining power are dangerous in the modern day. Just because one yearns to tower over others, that doesn’t mean that they must disregard other lives.
Although I don’t believe in the application of the majority of these laws, it’s imperative to learn about the parts of history that were filled with betrayal to better understand the intentions of humans, especially in the professional world. One thing that I’ve learned from this book is not be surprised by anyone’s actions and not to hold anyone to a high standard of correctness. After all, the perfect human doesn’t exist, so it would be inhumane for anyone to never disappoint others.
Generally speaking, I found the historical examples in the book quite interesting, and kind of wished that the book didn’t call others to act that same way, but simply encouraged people to be aware of those with ill intentions. I believe that this book is what you make of it; when I read it, I learned not trust most people, but never to break trust myself. I do think that if the reader of this book doesn’t have a lot of moral ground and boundaries to begin with, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book. On the other hand, if you’re someone who has high moral grounds and a strong sense of character, I believe that it can be a good piece to learn about the unpleasant realities of the world.
By Doga Ozecik