"48 Laws of Power" is a practical, readable guide for anyone who wants power, watches power, or want to arm himself against power. Written by Robert Greene and produced and designed by Joost Elffers, the renowned packager of "The Secret Language of Birthdays," "The 48 Laws of Power" will be known as the essential--and controversial--guide to modern manipulation. In a bold and elegant two-color package, "The 48 Laws of Power" synthesizes the philosophies of Machiavelli, Suntzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz, with the historical legacies of statesmen, warriors, seducers, and con men throughout the ages. Using the stories of such figures as Queen Elizabeth I, Henry Kissinger, and P. T. Barnum, the Laws are illustrated through the tactics, triumphs, and failures of those who have wielded-- and those who have been victimized by--Power. At work, in relationships, on the street, or on the five o'clock news, these Laws are exerted everywhere. Whether your interest is conquest, self-defense, or simply being an educated spectator, "The 48 Laws of Power" will be the most important book you buy this year.
Why our belief in government by the people is unrealistic--and what we can do about it
Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens. Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels deploy a wealth of social-scientific evidence, including ingenious original analyses of topics ranging from abortion politics and budget deficits to the Great Depression and shark attacks, to show that the familiar ideal of thoughtful citizens steering the ship of state from the voting booth is fundamentally misguided. They demonstrate that voters--even those who are well informed and politically engaged--mostly choose parties and candidates on the basis of social identities and partisan loyalties, not political issues. They also show that voters adjust their policy views and even their perceptions of basic matters of fact to match those loyalties. When parties are roughly evenly matched, elections often turn on irrelevant or misleading considerations such as economic spurts or downturns beyond the incumbents' control; the outcomes are essentially random. Thus, voters do not control the course of public policy, even indirectly. Achen and Bartels argue that democratic theory needs to be founded on identity groups and political parties, not on the preferences of individual voters. Now with new analysis of the 2016 elections, Democracy for Realists provides a powerful challenge to conventional thinking, pointing the way toward a fundamentally different understanding of the realities and potential of democratic government.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A brilliant exploration of freedom--what it is, how it's been misunderstood, and why it's our only chance for survival--by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Tyranny "A rigorous and visionary argument . . . Buy or borrow this book, read it, take it to heart."--The Guardian Timothy Snyder has been called "the leading interpreter of our dark times." As a historian, he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and mass killing. As a public intellectual, he has turned that knowledge toward counsel and prediction, working against authoritarianism here and abroad. His book On Tyranny has inspired millions around the world to fight for freedom. Now, in this tour de force of political philosophy, he helps us see exactly what we're fighting for. Freedom is the great American commitment, but as Snyder argues, we have lost sight of what it means--and this is leading us into crisis. Too many of us look at freedom as the absence of state power: We think we're free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn't so much freedom from as freedom to--the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible. On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers, and his own experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes--the habits of mind--that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet ambitious, this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity, and grace.