The Machiavellians
I never knew much about Machiavelli, except that he was a dick. But I didn’t really know that either, that was just the impression I was led to believe by my teachers, media, and popular culture. Instead, Machiavelli and the philosophers who expanded on his findings were great men with keen insights. So much of political thinking is based on the way things “ought to be,” but the Machiavellians were much more practical, focusing on the way “things are.” This book frequently caused me to question my existing beliefs and I think I’m going to have to listen to it one or two more times.