Political Philosophers Battle to the Death: Machiavelli vs. Engels

My dear friend and fellow student of politics Mark has recently called me "lame" because my blog is about, well, nothing. In honour of Mark I am going to write just a little about two of our favourite politicos, Nicolo Machiavelli and Friedrich Engles.

Mark is a staunch follower of Machiavelli, although I cannot determine why. I see very few similarities between a theorist who advocates violence, force, absolutism, oppression of the citizenry, and propaganda and my friend. Yet, there is one possibility: logic. Machiavelli proposes the most logical, most expedient, and most direct route to power. He is a proponent of the swiftest possible means to an end. And although I do not agree that destroying a population is the most morally sound way to commandeer their lands, or that allowing the population to legally and publicly kill the ambitious is an ethical way to prevent murder and crime, both work. Both work quickly. Both work well. At work today I was reading an article equating the logic and ethical principles portrayed in The Sopranos to the principles and theories listed in Machiavelli's The Prince. No one says that the Mafia is a good institution but hey, they get the job done, they get it done right, and they get it done fast; it's worked for centuries. Machiavelli must be on to something. So, Mark, although I do not believe that you are morally reprehensible, or even the slightest bit Machiavellian, I understand and appreciate your respect.

My love for Friedrich Engles exists on another plane entirely. I root for the underdog. I have a tendency to see those who have been ignored and try to give them some recognition - My favourite holiday is Groundhog Day. I feel that Engels has existed in the shadow of Karl Marx for long enough. This is not to say that I do not respect his politics. While I am not technically a socialist, I understand the principles behind the theory and do believe that they hold great potential for improving the state of the world's populations. However, strict socialism goes against most of the instincts of humankind and while it works in theory history shows that it rarely succeeds in practice