The only one of Machiavelli's major works to be published in his lifetime, The Art of War is a survey of Machiavelli's opinions on the composition, employment, and leadership of an army.I found the introduction to this book by Neal Wood to be illuminating as it connected Machiavelli's views in this book to his other famous political works ( Discourses and The Prince ). It also discussed Machiavelli's sources (most of his examples are from Greek and Roman history, as befitting a Renaissance...

In case of war, I feel totally prepare to raise an army and wreck havoc. I now posses minute details on how to recruit, train, equip, organize, move, feed and bed a whole army. Let me just give you some insights: ensure the proper soundtrack, put the cavalry in the back and tell them to kill any soldiers who are running away from the battlefield to inspire the soldiers to be courageous, never get up early when the enemy is expecting you on the battle field (let them sweat in the sun), when you s...

An entertaining reading. In some cases you can think that over past years nothing has changed- most people tend to think that it was easoer to live and to fight in previous centuries.

Machiavelli thinks that Italy had fallen far behind the rest of Europe in military science and has become the "shame of the world." Italy must rediscover the methods of their ancestors to retain any dignity or even remain free from Spanish, French, or German domination. If "The Prince" could be boiled down to the question "What would Cesare Borgia do?", this book can be boiled down to "What would the ancient Romans do?" Machiavelli has a few fairly interesting sections discussing the economics o...

Haven't read this in a while. It's still a great read. There are so many nuances and strategies that can be applied to all aspects of life, not just war, that can make your actions and decisions mutually beneficial for yourself and everyone involved. :)

This is a grind. I have read Art of War by Sun Tzu and On War (abridged) by Clausewitz. Both of those were philosophical, and got boring when they got into specific tactics. This book is incredibly boring, as it is almost entirely (obviously antiquated) tactics. It is also rather poorly written (or perhaps it's just a bad translation?). It is a completely flat writing style, put in the form of a dialogue about war tactics. There is none of the charm, aphorism, or wit seen in his infamous The Pri...

- "Good orders without military help are disordered"- "A wise questioner makes one considermany things and recognize many others that one would never have recognized without being asked."- War makes thieves and peace hangs them.- Aquire fame as able not as good.- I am esteemed not so much because I understand war as because I also know how to counsel in peace.- DOn't keep beside you either too great lovers of peace or too great lovers of war.- A battle that you win cancels any other bad action o...

Nothing like Sun Tzu's timeless treatise of the same name. Disappointing.

And if in other things some errors are made, in the things of war all are made.Like ancient Greek philosophers, Machiavelli presents a dialogue regarding his theories on a properly created and ordered land army based on learnings from ancient Rome. He presumably positions himself as a fictional character named Fabrizio who lectures and responds to young students, addressing topics such as: the origins of a virtuous soldier, the orders and armaments of an effective army in battle, encamped and du...

Not what you would expectThis book has a giant shadow problem. Meaning it dwells in the shadow of Machiavellis other book The Prince. Whereas that book is a masterpiece that will be passed down for the rest of human existence this book is a fart. It's very boring. Its poorly edited with sentences and paragraphs that go on for pages. All to say something that makes no sense unless you have a battlefield map with figures to display what is being said. All the way to, I don't know who is talking in...

His writings are considered immoral, he teaches you to be appear to be meek as a lamb but deadly as a lion. How to conquer, how to placate, the importance of perception and how it is better to be feared than loved.

When most people hear the name Machiavelli, they probably consider him a one trick pony for, "The Prince." In reality, Machiavelli was a prolific writer, but his political treatise overpowers anything else."The Art of War" is an interesting discussion of how armies should be armed and organized. The treatise is organized into several "books" and is shown as a discussion between three characters, one of which is Machiavelli. Based on his knowledge of Roman organization, combined with the technolo...

This was a great read. I quite enjoyed it. Learned some really important strategies. Would recommend. 3.8/5

Machiavelli is, in my view, among the most misunderstood of thinkers. In this series of discourses, he provides some insights into the nature of war and the military that were as profound when he wrote them as they are commonplace today: militias vs. standing armies, preparing for veterans, tying military goals to those of the general welfare.He also warned of weak “princes” who failed to understand the interconnectivity between the civil and political life and “need only know how to dream up wi...

The tedious parts of this book (pages upon pages of describing military formations) were balanced by some of the thought-provoking sections regarding human nature. Machiavelli uses a dialog between a general and some highborn individuals as a vehicle to express his views. It's a thin ruse: they all speak in exactly the same formal manner.

A socratic dialogue set in the Orti Oricellari, a garden in Florence where humanists gathered to discuss philosophy and politics. The principal speaker is Fabrizio Colonna, a professional condottiere and Machiavelli’s authority on the art of war. He urges, contrary to the literary humanists, that the ancients be imitated in “strong and harsh things, not delicate and soft”—i.e., in war. Fabrizio, though a mercenary himself, inveighs against the use of mercenaries in modern times and presents the

As a celebration and explanation of masculine virtues which are still highly applicable today, this book like most of Machiavelli's works is glorious and worthy of reading and re-reading. However, the old time strategy of pike and shot and crappy artillery is obviously tiresome and not very practical, only the description of the officers and the constant focus on the need for efficient teamwork and discipline between units is worth reading. Also the constant insults against the mediocrity of tho...

Real rating: 8/10It is a book on military strategy, not a philosophical tome. Though most works only become philosophical thanks to the retroactive nature of the scholars that come centuries later. One should not fault the work simply because you assumed that the author wrote only in one genre. Would one lambaste Beatrix Potter's early work because they thought her book on mushrooms would be about anthropomorphic ones rather than the scientific nature that it was. That fault lies with the reader...

Much like The Art of War by Sun Tzu, this book also presents useful lessons on strategy that one can widely apply in all areas of life. The wisdom behind it is made clear to the reader, and its most valuable lessons are in how to treat different people.

Perspective is everything with this book because the language is a little outdated. Obviously nobodies running around in mobs with pitchforks and swords trying to divide and conquer a nation, while also establishing a new foundational framework for how to sustain peace within said newly conquered land, allocating economic resources and police forces appropriately to the uniquely... blah blah^Im just trying to sound intelligent. In all truth after reading this book I felt like I could take the wo...