We consider modernity as a state of mind more than a marker of contemporary times - and locate a useful standpoint in understanding the "modern self" in our study of Machiavelli's Prince. This text proposes that one who would rule others must dispense with teleology. Even as one studies the habits and practices of others, the prince must remake the world in his own image. If Socrates would have argued that knowledge and virtue are intimately connected, Machiavelli would separate these notions and claim, instead, that knowledge is power. Communication no longer serves to understand the ideal world. From the modern perspective, communication is a tool to reshape the material world for human purposes.

Reading: Machiavelli's Prince (chapters 6, 15-17, and 25)

Notes: Machiavelli, Modernism, Fortune, and Will