Books

The Prince

It made Machiavelli a byword for ruthless cunning back in the 1500s. He was among the first to discuss politics through an “is” lens instead of an “ought” lens. As in, “this is how governance actually operates.”

But if you’re looking for a manual on how to become a bush league tyrant at work or for a 200 level course on manipulation, look elsewhere. It’s tame stuff by 2025 standards.

Oh, but you’re looking for a rewarding primary document from the early history of political philosophy? Again, you should move along.

I imagine that certain sheltered tweens in rural Utah, unexposed to premium cable and not yet jaded by the brutal realities of intrasectional youth group politics, would find that it lives up to its reputation. Maybe learn something.

The rest of us will be sorely underwhelmed. Another historically important work that pays modern readers little. Read the great quotes (there are many, admittedly), skim a summary, and save your reading hours for a richer experience.

The Return of the King

The forces of good win against the forces of evil and the ring melts in mount doom. 

But it’s not quite that simple. 

The forces of good are on the brink of losing, in the middle of a suicidal assault that’s meant only to avert Sauron’s attention. Frodo’s standing on the brink of mount doom. And you know what that little rascal does? HE FLAKES OUT!

Turns out even Frodo can’t resist its power, and he decides not to destroy it after all. Luckily for the west, Gollum bites off his ring finger and stumbles into the fires of mount doom, ring and all. 

And even once the battle is won, there’s still a lot of work to do. Restoring order to the Shire is one of my favorite parts of the book, even though it doesn’t really belong there and the movies were right to omit it. 

In a lot of ways, this is the weakest and messiest of the trilogy. But it comes with so much payoff that it’s hard to gripe about the stilted story arcs, etc. 

It’s gone. It’s done. It’s over now.

Gollum seems like a small token of symbolic recognition to the importance of both light and dark

(paɪəˈnɪərɪŋ ˈspɪrɪt) a willingness to endure hardship in order to explore new places or try out new the new
|| PioneeringSpirit.xyz || bit.ly/patwater

I think that’s probably true on a generous reading, though a less generous reading might come to the conclusion that he’s a device for adding character vs character conflict to a dry story arc and for magically advancing the plot here and there