The Prince is a morally neutral treatise that accurately describes power politics.

Orwell opening FOR

The Prince offers a stark, unapologetic analysis of power that, far from being immoral, simply reveals how political actors must navigate reality, not ideals. Machiavelli’s work is a pragmatic handbook, not a moral endorsement.

Orwell opening FOR

The Prince offers a stark, unapologetic analysis of power acquisition and maintenance, but its moral neutrality dangerously legitimizes ruthless realpolitik, treating ethics as optional. In an age of technocratic governance, this separation of political efficacy from moral responsibility perpetuates the very hierarchies it describes, making it not a neutral guide but a manual for domination.