[byrneseyeview]

Read it more carefully. It's satire.

Edit: I'm referring to "The Prince," not the list.

[pg]

I wonder how much it's really satire. You'd definitely be better off with their replacements than the original list.

[Alex3917]

I think it's meant to be snarky, not satirical.

[dood]

I'd go for 'tongue-in-cheek'.

(not sure if that's largely an English phrase, or if there is a similar American term) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek

edit: oh, the book

[davidw]

Which parts indicate that? BTW, the original is on line...cool!

http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_Principe

[yters]

Machiavelli seems to have gone through a lot of trouble just to write a satire.

[bharath]

I didnt dispute that. Its still true.

[byrneseyeview]

But if you're looking at satire for clues about what to expect, you're already screwed. Catch-22 doesn't really tell you what the military is like; Liar's Poker doesn't tell you what being a trader is like; and The Prince pokes fun at idiot Borgias and their revoltingly clumsy politics.