Thread by @ThyConsigliori

26 March #MAGAanalysis

The Prince

Before we discuss The Prince itself, and why you MUST read it, we have to talk about translations, translating, and the translators who do such things. We must make the translators visible.

2) The greatest translator I've ever read is a philosopher named Walter Kaufmann. I can't cover all his influence on me, but I can tell you that he built a theory of translation, and you should know a little bit about it.

3) Kaufmann's theory can be reduced as such. Reading, in the language the author wrote in, is an act of listening. The translator must hear. He must capture not just the words but the very intentions of the author. Why? In order to express those intentions in another language.

4) The great key that Kaufmann's theory (and practice that he masterfully performed) gives us is this. To translate a work is, in fact, a task of psychological research. The translator researches the very mind of the author, through the author's published words.

5) Whereas I've read some 40 or 50 translations of Master Sun Tzu, I've only read about 9 or so translations of my beloved Master Machiavelli. When I read Machiavelli, I pretend that I'm a Don and that he is my trusted counselor, my beloved Consigliori.

6) Please know that I am ALWAYS his student. I am obviously never his boss, or his Don, in reality. The thing is, I have many Dons I serve, and I have to be able to enter into their minds and think and they do. It's a complex job, I chose so long ago.

7) When you read The Prince, you have to read it kind of like that. You, yourself, you have to BE The Prince. You're reading Machiavelli's advice since you DESPERATELY need it. This is a principle:

BE THE PRINCE

8) We haven't talked about Nietzsche. He is one of my many masters. It hurt my heart to NOT place anything of his on my required reading list above. Funny thing? Kaufmann's greatest work was both translating Nietzsche's work and resurrecting his reputation.

9) Why does Nietzsche come up now, not even being on the list? For this reason. Nietzsche created a concept everyone should know. He called it: The Sovereign Man. It might be expressed also like so: Every Man A Prince. Allow this further defense of my hero Nietzsche.

10) Nietzsche's work has been stolen, and even aborted by the exact same evil souls who have stolen America's Declaration and Constitution. It has been distorted and misconstrued. Nietzsche's Superman, his Ubermensch, is nothing other than Thomas Jefferson's free American.

11) If, like me, you were a student of Nietzsche's, then you would know precisely, Sovereign Man that you are, how to read The Prince. You read Machiavelli as the sovereign over your own life. This is why Machiavelli follows Bastiat on our list.

12) Bastiat gives us The Law itself. Machiavelli gives us the lawmaker himself. And in America, we, each of us, We The People, we are the makers of law. Let's discuss that.

13) We are a Democratic, Constitutional, Republic. Why? Democracy is the opposite of an inherited Monarchy. We don't have no kings here. We chose our leaders. And our leaders are actually our servants. Democracy is the ONLY answer in history to overcome monarchs.

14) But then there's The DC Swamp. What is it? It is an oligarchy. And, it knows it must hide itself. In law, it is a Star Chamber. Our current SCOTUS has NO interest in American freedom. It is a public Star Chamber. Who remembers FISA? It is a Star Chamber.

15) How are you a Prince? The vote. You have one vote. Your one vote is sacred. Alas. Your vote has been stolen. You are a Prince who's voice has been silenced. America once was a nation of individual princes. No more. Our oligarchy has silenced us.

16) One day I will. That is, I will have the time to take Machiavelli at his every point. I will write a Machiavelli commentary. As I have not completed my Sun Tzu commentary, I can't start Nicolo's yet.

17) What I can do is tell you this. If you choose to read Sun Tzu, you will soon require Machiavelli. And with that, I will close out by turning to what Nicolo actually gives us. Leadership. That's right. Leadership.

18) Whoops! I forget to return to translators. Here are the two I recommend. They are N.H. Thompson and Tim Parks. Select either one and you'll be fine. Or be like me and buy both!

19) Of the two, Tim is the greater. If you're only going to buy one copy of The Prince, Tim's is the one to choose. Tim is a great writer, himself. He writes about Italy. Obviously, I love him. But his The Prince is the best translation ever done.

20) Why should you buy both (and you should!)? Thompson's version is more magisterial. Composed in 1905, it has the tone - in English - of the king and his court. It's a wonderful tone.

21) Ths single reason, though, recommending both above all others is the use of the word "virtue." In all the other translations I've read, there is no mention of the term, at all.

22) Parks addresses this term, so many others, and his philosophy of translation in his introduction. I won't attempt to either quote him, or reiterate his philosophy. I will state Parks is clearly in the Kaufmann camp, whether he knows it or not.

I just got an email from a client, and a call will be coming in, shortly. I'll be back and finish up today's thread soon as I'm able. In the meantime, buy both Thompson and Parks. It is worth having each!

Talk about a day getting away with itself. But, here at a great little Mexican joint, I took these shots of Parks on my kindle. They’re awesome!