The examples used to illustrate the book’s laws take place among a social class most cannot relate to in an era alien to all who live today. Combine these texts with Machiavelli’s “The Prince”, and one has both the psychological tools and philosophical understanding to develop a masterful competency in cunning. As such, neither is a comprehensive education in power, but together they form a complete and unassailable treatise. Whilst the 33 Strategies of War will arm a man with the understanding necessary to engage in corporate warfare, it will do little to assist him interpersonally. To expound on what I mean by this, The 48 Laws of Power will make you shrewder with people, but it won’t help you formulate effective business strategies. Only once an individual has studied both texts will they possess a complete understanding of the Machiavellian world that Greene elucidates, neither book is sufficient in and of itself. The 33 Strategies is The 48 Law’s complementary sister text, because where the 48 Laws focuses on the micro, The 33 Strategies focuses on the macro. Realising The 48 Laws of Power was an incomplete treatise, Greene released The 33 Strategies of War. It focuses on the optimisation of personal affects to enhance social power, but does not offer strategic models or blueprints. Although a detailed set of in-depth maxims, it focuses predominantly on the micro and omits near all mention of the macro. The 48 Laws of Power is not a complete treatise on power. Some of the things left unsaid in the text will be outlined within the confines of this essay, whilst others will require further reading. It’s important for the aspiring Machiavellian to know what The 48 Laws of Power lacks in order to compensate for the gap in understanding they will be left with.
In some prisons the book is even banned, as such one is almost certain that if the text had been released in an earlier era, it would have ended up on the Vatican’s list of forbidden texts in the same way Machiavelli’s “The Prince” did. The 48 Laws of Power is so thoroughly potent in its capacity to teach cunning, that it is not only a bestseller, but likewise the most loaned book in U.S prison libraries. He explores power by dissecting its elements, explaining each element’s uses, and exemplifying its manifestation through regaling historic tales of Europe’s elite. The 48 Laws of Power is the modern man’s Machiavellian bible based on the incisive strategic thought of prominent classical thinkers Niccolo Machiavelli and Baltasar Gracian, Robert Greene sets out to elucidate the reader on the nature of power. “Do not leave your reputation to chance or gossip it is your life’s artwork, and you must craft it, hone it, and display it with the care of an artist.” – Robert Greene
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