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Comment by bharath | Hacker News Reader

This kind of stood out:

"Read this instead: 'The Prince' by Niccolo Machiavelli. Why: It will provide you with the precise moral foundation you'll need to be successful on the corporate ladder."

I dont recall PG ever bringing this up in his essays. But I think this is why a lot of hackers gravitate towards startups. They cant get themselves to follow the advice in that book.

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Read it more carefully. It's satire.

Edit: I'm referring to "The Prince," not the list.

I didnt dispute that. Its still true.

But if you're looking at satire for clues about what to expect, you're already screwed. Catch-22 doesn't really tell you what the military is like; Liar's Poker doesn't tell you what being a trader is like; and The Prince pokes fun at idiot Borgias and their revoltingly clumsy politics.

I wonder how much it's really satire. You'd definitely be better off with their replacements than the original list.

I think it's meant to be snarky, not satirical.

I'd go for 'tongue-in-cheek'.

(not sure if that's largely an English phrase, or if there is a similar American term) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek

edit: oh, the book

Machiavelli seems to have gone through a lot of trouble just to write a satire.

Which parts indicate that? BTW, the original is on line...cool!

http://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Il_Principe

Though I'd agree with his portrayal of 7 Habits. Reads kind of like those How To Get Rich books that are meant to get the author rich.

The Little Prince > The Prince. :)

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