For the second season of Vital Remnants, Dr. Gary L. Gregg II will walk listeners through one of the most famous texts on political leadership, Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince. In this first episode, Dr. Gregg briefly details Machiavelli’s historical significance and his approach to reading The Prince. He then shares the first key lesson–to learn from contemporaries and the ancients–and ends by focusing on the second lesson from the selected readings, which emphasizes the importance of perspective when considering politics.

Target 1 Reading: Dedicatory Letter, Appendix “Niccolò Machiavelli to Francesco Vettori, Florence, Dec. 10, 1513” pp. 3-4, 107-111 of Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, Second Edition, Translated and with an Introduction by Harvey C. Mansfield (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998)

Download Dr. Gregg's Guide to The Prince here

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Intro: Natalie Smith, McConnell Center Civic Education Coordinator 

Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director

Producer: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator