The 48 Laws of Power.

[Osage Bluestem]

I saw this on CNN and it smells satanic to me. Has anyone read it? Do you think it's evil?

Link: How to master 'The 48 Laws of Power' - CNN.com

Link: Amazon.com: The 48 Laws of Power (9780140280197): Robert Greene: Books

 

[ericfromcowtown]

I read it several years ago, before becomming a Christian, and happened to glance through it just a few days ago while I was moving my home office downstairs. It's just a collection of "laws" that the author has gleaned from people like Machiavelli or Tsun Tsu. Some of them are harmless, or are common sense, while others are amoral and deceptive. So, I think that "satanic" is a bit of a stretch, but "worldly" is definitely a good description, since the object of the book is what you can do to get ahead in life and prosper by the world's standards.

 

[Theoretical]

I saw this on CNN and it smells satanic to me. Has anyone read it? Do you think it's evil?

Link: How to master 'The 48 Laws of Power' - CNN.com

Link: Amazon.com: The 48 Laws of Power (9780140280197): Robert Greene: Books

I think this is the most telling one of how worldly these laws are:

Ishaeik's favorite law: Law 10: "Avoid the unhappy and unlucky." That law says that one should avoid people who always attract misfortune. They can "infect" others with their pathology.
The law's solution for dealing with a master of misfortune: Don't help or argue with an "infector" or you will become "enmeshed" in their problems. Flee them. Don't return the call.

 

[bouletheou]

Yeah, read it a few years ago alongside Machiavelli and Sun Tzu. Not useless, but close to it. I found more profit in Sun Tzu than anything else.

It might help one become wise as a serpent. Of course, the innocent as a dove part is a little harder.

 

[Osage Bluestem]

It might help one become wise as a serpent. Of course, the innocent as a dove part is a little harder.

That's an interesting way to look at it. From what I can see this book directs and encourages sinful behavior with the goal of personal gain. It looks like something the devil would write. I suppose it would be a good idea to know what he's up to though in order to be wise as a serpent.

 

[R Harris]

Isn't getting what you want, at or not at the expense of others, pretty much the objective of all of the so-called "self help" books? Most aren't worth the paper they are written on, but they do make the authors wealthy.

Anyone recall the "Prayer of Jabez" nonsense 7 or 8 years ago? Bruce Wilkinson's attempt at demonstrating how "right prayer" can get you what you want. Wilkinson always denied it was a "prosperity gospel" type of book, but it sure read that way to me.