Lesson 10 (Part 2): Civilization vs Machiavelli
Discord the Defendant adjusted his powdered wig before walking up to the towering podiums in which his students looked down from.
“Milords and Ladies, with your permission, I’d like to present some witnesses for the Defendant.”
Ocellus raised a hoof. “Are you going to be transporting us like your other self-did?”
“Indeed Justice,” he nodded, “it wouldn’t be fun if we all stayed in the same location.”
“Go ahead,” Spike said, “let’s hear what you have to say.”
With a bow, he turned around. “Since I can’t help but notice the Prosecution has made the argument that those in power read my client’s book have been shown how to rule ruthlessly or aren’t that good to begin with, I shall provide for the court my counter-argument. Therefore, I call to the stand: Pharynx of the Changeling Kingdom.”
The courtroom rumbled before the floor and walls burst into green flames. This emerald fire quickly spread as it ate away the wood until the room itself was completely consumed until it revealed a new space. Back into the sunlight, they looked around the landscape of an overgrown ruin with a wooden throne. All around, Changelings from a variety of strange color combinations turned towards them.
Among them was the tallest of the group. Similar to Thorax’s form in purple, forest green and dark red antlers, approached them. “Hey! What gi... Thorax? Ocellus? What are you guys doing back here?”
Discord the bailiff walked up to him, stick in claw. “Are you Pharynx?”
“Yeah,” he raised an eyebrow, “You’re Discord, right?” He craned his head over, “And why are there three of you?”
The bailiff didn’t answer as he tapped his stick on the ground, illuminating a ring around him. To this, the violet changeling unfolded his wings in surprise.
“What are you doing?” He demanded before a rulebook was presented to him.
“Put your hoof on the book.”
Pharynx cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
“We’re having a court case, and we’re swearing you in to be our witness.” Confused, he did so. “Right, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing except the truth or endure reading slash fiction about you and your brother?”
He blinked. “That exists?”
Discord the bailiff shrugged. “Apparently. So aren’t you going to tell the truth?”
“I… guess so?”
With a nod, the bailiff walked away as the Defendant approached him. After getting him to state his name and occupation, he began asking. “Mr. Pharynx, have you ever heard of Machiavelli?”
“Uh… not really? Is it some type of pasta?”
“I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ Have you heard of a book called ‘The Prince?’”
“I don’t even know what that is.”
“Ah object ta this witness,” Discord the Prosecutor said, “he doesn’t know anythin’ about Machiavelli nor his book.”
“There’s a point to be made, Milords,” the Defendant replied, “and I wouldn’t have called him to the stand if I didn’t have a good reason to do so.”
Spike hummed in thought. “Then make your point. If he doesn’t bring up something that relates to anything, then we’ll have to dismiss him. So objection overruled… for now.”
The powdered wig chaotic attorney returned his attention to Pharynx. “Since you are the Captain of the Guard for King Thorax, who is supposed to be in charge if Thorax were to leave the hive?”
“That would be me. It’s something my brother agreed on a while ago as there has to be someling to watch over the hive at all times.”
“Your brother you say? Wouldn’t that make you a Prince as he is King?”
He shrugged. “Technically yes… But I only take over as a… what do you call them? A regent if he’s not around.”
“So, you have some experiences in leadership?”
“Well yeah, even during Chrysalis’s reign I was an officer in the hive’s military. Now with my brother, I’m more like his second in command whenever he isn’t around to protect and maintain the hive.”
“I see…” the Defendant hummed in thought. “How would you describe your leadership skills whenever Thorax is away?”
“Not to brag,” he lifted his forehoof to his withers. “I’m effective in getting our Changelings to shape. Keeping them on the tips of their hooves when necessary to make sure they don’t get out of line. You know?
“You mean trying to scare them?”
“I didn’t say that. More like letting them know who’s boss around here.”
“I see…” Discord the defendant mused as he conjured up a book in his paw. “Now then, I’m going to read you a short passage from this, ‘The Prince’ while changing the language just a little and I want to hear your thoughts on what it says.”
“Uh… okay?”
After clearing his throat, the Defendant read: “‘This raises the question of whether it is better to be loved than feared. My reply: is that one would like to be both, but as it is difficult to combine love and fear, it is far safer to be feared. Because it can be said of Changelings, that they’re ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers. They shun danger and are greedy for profit. Therefor it is necessary for a ruler who wishes to maintain his position to learn how to be able not to be good…’” He turns a page and continues. “‘The bond of love is one that Changelings break when it is to their advantage to do so. But fear is strengthened by the dread of punishment, which is always effective.’ Now Mr. Pharynx, what is your thoughts on that?”
He shrugged. “On the one hoof, it sounds something like what Chrysalis would say. But on the other… it’s pretty true.”
“How so?”
“I mean, I already came to that conclusion a long time ago. In fact, it’s something that I’ve been trying to tell my brother over here.” He pointed at Thorax. “That he’s got to let up being too sensitive as I know there will be Changelings that will take advantage of him. Grant it, him learning how to be assertive has helped, but I’m worried that he’s being too nice.”
“Excuse me?” Thorax interjected from the levitating witness box, “I’m too nice?”
“Bro, we’ve already talked about this.” Pharynx folded his forelegs. “You can’t always be this nice and loving, it’s just going to bite you on the flank. Sure, you’re beloved by the hive, but how do you know there’s no rebel renegade that is plotting to overthrow you because you’re a pushover? Do you know the reason why you’ve managed to stay on the throne for so long? It’s because they know that I’m there to rip off their heads if they so much as get near you.”
“But it’s cruel!”
“It’s effective! Even if you weren’t my brother, you’re also the king. I cannot show them that you’d be easily be overthrown. Sure, I maybe a jerk, but at least I let the hive know that there are consequences for plotting against the throne!”
“Changeling knows how power works.” Prince Rutherford agreed. “Even Yaks don’t get too nice. Yaks smash whatever gets in Yaks way.”
“Well, of course, you would say something so barbaric.” Spring Tide harrumphed.
“Look here Miss,” General Seaspray pointed out, “that’s going too far out of left field.”
An argument sprang out of the witness box in a increasing shouting match.
Before Twilight or Starlight could do anything, Discord the bailiff pounded the ground with his stick, unleashing thunder with every strike. “ORDER! ORDER! ORDER! SHUT UP! PIPE DOWN! BE QUIET! This is a trial proceeding, not a Hearth’s Warming dinner! If any of you do one more outburst like that I will hold all of you in contempt! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!”
There was a solid minute of stunned silence from everyone. Eventually, Smolder raised a claw. “Mr. Discord, remind me to never make you angry. Ever.”
Sighing, the bailiff told the Defendant to continue.
“Anyway, Mr. Pharynx, are you suggesting that your brother, the King, is not a good leader?”
After a deep sigh, he replied. “Look, don’t get me wrong. I know he’s trying his best and, to be fair, he didn’t really ask for this. That, and I know that he has good intentions for us Changelings, admittingly, they’re far more productive than what Chrysalis had. However, I’m worried.”
“Over what?”
“That according to him, to be a good leader, one just simply acts well. Not just to have good ends, but to have good means too. To go from hunters to tree huggers overnight. Sure, it may sound splendid, but from my experience of power up-close, I can’t help but notice one little flaw that has gotten me so worried over my brother.”
The Defendant tilted his head. “And that being?”
“It doesn’t work. Within the hive, anyone that tries to be nice always come unstuck. My brother needs to know how not to finish last, especially when it comes to the Changeling Kingdom. Look, Thorax can be as nice as he wants, but he should never be overly devoted to just acting nicely all the time. He should learn how to be effective – not just good. These Changelings will judge him what he achieves, not what he intends.”
With a satisfied nod, the Defendant turned around. “No further questions.”
Discord the Prosecutor hummed in thought before snapping his talons as he got an idea. “Mr. Pharynx, do ya consider yerself as playin’ an important role within this here hive?”
“Well… yeah?”
“But ya consider yer brother a weak ruler?”
Pharynx narrowed his eyes. “What are you implying?”
“It’s just a simple question of opinion. Or how about I put it to ya like this: Do ya think that King Thorax is a good leader overall?”
“I guess he’s just okay. Could have been better.”
“What do ya mean by that? Are you sayin’ there are some faults with his-”
“Objection,” Discord the Defendant called out, “the Prosecution is trying to lead the witness.”
“Am not!”
Spike cleared his throat. “Actually, you kinda were. Those last few were more like set up questions. So I don’t know about you guys, but I say objection sustain.”
“Oh very well yer Honor,” Discord the Prosecutor sighed as he returned his attention towards Pharynx. “How about we change the subject, shall we? How long have ya been taken care of the Hive since yer brother went to Ponyville?”
“A few days? Why?”
“And how are things here?”
“Quiet as usual.”
The Prosecutor hummed. “Ah see… So Ah reckon you’ve done a good job in yer brother’s absence?”
“Well of course, like I said I’m in charge of taking care of the Hive when my brother’s away.”
“Has the Hive always been this peaceful?”
“Mmm… Sometimes.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like… we have some Changelings renegades that were going rogue or there were some problems with maulwurfs. That, and there was something about we almost got involved with a war.”
The Prosecutor folded his arms behind his back. “So who was in charge when these things were goin’ down?”
“My… brother.”
“And were these sorts of problems ever occurred when you had to temporarily take over the Hive?”
“No.”
“Mr. Pharynx, could it be possible that the Changelings might consider you to be the better leader? After all, with all these things happening after Chrysalis, and you’ve said so yerself that yer brother is too soft.”
“Wait a minute,” Pharynx raised an accusing hoof at him, “I see what you’re trying to do.”
“Oh? Pray tell, what do ya think Ah’m tryin’ ta do?”
“You’re trying to make me say that I’d make a better King than Thorax. But look here buddy, that’s not gonna work. For one, I only run things for a few days at a time when nothing major really happens. Secondly, all those things I’ve mentioned are practically rare, so it has nothing to do with me being the better ruler. And third, I may be able to take care of a few things for a short amount of time, but even I know that I would make a terrible king! Thorax has one major advantage over me in that he’s at least well liked while I know the Changelings are more suspicious of me.”
“It doesn’t matter if yer liked or not. The real question here is do ya think ya can run a more efficient job. Well, do ya?”
With a deadpan stare, Pharynx only said one word: “No.”
A frustrated sigh later, Discord the Prosecutor said, “No further questions. Call up the next witness.”
“Certainly.” Discord the Defendant agreed. “I call to the stand: the Flim Flam Brothers.”
An unexpected strong wind blew through the Changeling Hive, and a storm of cards that came with it. Almost like a magic trick gone wrong, the flocks of blue back cards circled around them in a tight ring. Just as soon as they appeared did they collapse, in which they now found themselves in a rotunda of an office. Before them was a desk that shared two chairs of very surprised looking twins.
The unicorn stallions were nearly identical from their yellow coats to their red manes, and even wore the same blue and white striped shirts with straw hats. The only thing that set them apart was one of them has a handlebar mustache.
“Huh?” The clean-shaven unicorn lifted one of the clipboards on the desk. “We’re not expecting any magicians for another hour.”
“Are you Flim and Flam?” Discord the bailiff asked as he walked towards the desk.
They nodded. But the one with the mustache leaned over to the side of his swivel chair.
“Princess Twilight? Well, this is quite the surprise. I see you’ve brought some fine-looking friends with you.”
“Very rich looking friends indeed.” The other twin added. “Our apologies, we didn’t know that you were coming. Have you been hel-” He was cut off as Discord the bailiff trusted the rule book in front of them.
“Place your hoof on the book,” he instructed. Although clearly puzzled, they did so. “Now then, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing except the truth, otherwise your plans on monopolizing Las Pegasus will be exposed to the general public?”
Both twin brothers paled. “How did-” one was about to ask but was interrupted.
“Do you both promise, yes or no?”
They looked at one another before nodding.
Thus, Discord the Defendant stepped forward. “State your names and occupations.”
“I’m Flim.” The clean-shaven pony answered.
“And I’m Flam.” The mustache brother replied. “And we’re currently the proud owners of this here casino.”
“New and, if I may add, much better owners than the previous one.” Flim added.
“Now than…” the Defendant folded his arms behind his back as he began to pace back and forth from their desk. “If you would state for the court, have either of you ever heard of Machiavelli?”
Both brothers looked at one another. Flam stroked his facial hair in thought. “Machiavelli… Machiavelli… I’m afraid that doesn’t ring any bells for me. You Flim?”
“Not familiar with the name myself, Flam. Is it the name of an Istallion salad?”
“I will take that as a ‘no.’” The Defendant commented before asking. “And I take it that you probably never heard of a book called ‘The Prince,’ either, have you?”
“It’s not something that is in our little library.” Flam said.
After adjusting his powdery wig and dusting off the shoulders of his black robe, the Defendant than asked. “Mr. Flim and Flam, did either of you have any other work experience outside of this casino?”
“We were traveling salesponies,” Flim started, “going here and there around Equestria selling our products.”
Twilight huffed in her seat. But this got the attention from the students. “Headmare Twilight?” Sandbar asked, “Do you know them?”
“Know them? These two had conned Ponyville twice.”
The Defendant raised an eyebrow. “Is that true Mr. Flim and Flam?”
“Now hold on here,” Flam raised a hoof, “it was only one time.”
“But that is not the nature of what I’m asking. Were either of you ever conned anyone?”
This time, both twin brothers started to look nervous as they avoided all eye contact. “We can’t exactly confirm or deny that.” Flim answered, “For now, let’s just say that there were examples in the past in which we’d had to… exaggerate our products a little.”
“So you have misled your customers before?”
“Not as much as you think.” Flam pointed out. “I mean sure, sometimes we had to embellish what our fine merchandises can be capable of doing.”
Discord the Defendant hummed in thought. “Only telling these white lies when necessary?”
“Hey, if it sells,” Flim shrugged, “it sells.”
Taking a book out from his robe, the Defendant turned towards his students. “If it pleases you, Milords and Ladies, I’d like to borrow a sentence from a statement that was made from the Prosecutor.”
“Where from?” Silverstream inquired.
“From my client’s book.” When told to go ahead, he returned his attention towards the brothers. “I’m going to read this one sentence and I want to know your thoughts on this. ‘A deceiver will always find someone willing to be deceived.’ Gentlecolts, what do you think of that, honestly?”
Flam stroked his mustache. “That’s common sense. I mean, back when my brother and I were thrust out into the world, dropping out of high school, we entered into jobs in which we slowly learned the reality of how it works. That sometimes in order to sell, you’ve got to embellish the truth a little to keep things going.”
“And that’s before we became independent sellsponies,” Flim added with a nod. “For a while, until friends of Princess Twilight helped us, we had to do things by trial and error. And what we found that works may not be morally sounded, but it did help put food on the table.”
“He’s quite right.” Flam agreed. “Of course, we may have told little white lies here and there. But I dare say that our case isn’t an isolated one.”
“What do you mean?” Gallus asked.
“Well kid. The real truth is that behind every great, successful business, there’s a great scam. Why, take the previous owner of this casino for example, who was our previous boss. He’d built an empire in Las Pegasus by lying to his staff while cunningly pretended to be their best friend to keep the business going.”
“Nearly broken trust in my brother completely too.” Flim said. “However, as manipulative as it was, even we knew that he’s no more different than either of us. Because in order to stay at the top of the heap, you must be prepared to do whatever you can to keep afloat.”
“So you do agree with the statement?” the Defendant questioned.
“Only if absolutely necessary,” the twin brothers said in unison.
Closing the book and putting it back in his robe, Discord the Defendant said: “No further questions.”
Now it was the Prosecutor that went up to bat as he approached the brothers. “Mr. Flim and Flam, while y’all were talkin’, Ah was wonderin’ if ya can settle a little quarrel that’s goin’ on in mah head.”
“That being?” Flim questioned.
“You’d say that before ya became sellsponies, that you’d had different jobs, correct?” They told him that was true. “Mind tellin’ us what sort of jobs you’d had previous?”
Flam chuckled, “Boy, what job haven’t we done?”
“There were dishcolts at Hay Barrel’s.” His twin pointed out.
“Or that disaster with the candy shop.”
“Yes, brother of mine. But who could forget being cashiers at Barnyard Bargains?”
This got the Prosecutor’s attention. “What’s that now?”
“Barnyard Bargains?” Flim inquired.
“Yes. How long did ya fellas work there?”
Flam thought for a moment. “Must have been a month at most.”
“That sounds about right.” Flim agreed.
“Jus’ out of curiosity, do either of Y'all recall yer boss there at the time?”
“Wasn’t it Filthy Rich?” the clean-shaven unicorn asked his brother.
“I think it probably was.”
The Prosecutor grinned. “Do ya recall him bein’ a good boss?”
“Tartarus no.” The twin said in unison.
“The only good to come out of that job was learning a hard lesson,” Flim said.
Discord the Prosecutor asked what lesson that was.
“That you don’t have to be an honest pony to make an honest living,” Flam answered.
With a smug smile, he turned around from the brothers. He took a moment to admire his work as the students now look on with suspicion. “No further questions.” He said as he went up to his copy. “Call up yer next witness.”
“Indeed, I will.” Discord the Defendant adjusted his robe. “I will be needing my surprise witness for this one. I call to the stand: Princess Celestia.”
“What!” Before anything could be done, the bailiff had thumped his stick on the ground in which cracks spread on the floor, crawled up the walls and meeting on the ceiling. Then like a shattered mirror, the office shattered. Twilight, thinking quickly, shot a shielding spell over the court as shards stopped mere inches away from the said shield. The fragments of the office fell right through the floor as they noticed that they’ve changed location again.
This time, it was in the Canterlot Castle’s Throne Room, with its twin thrones and towering stain glass windows. Although they were surrounded by lines of aristocrats, advisers, secretaries, and guards, not one of them moved or twitched an eye. In fact, the only one that was indeed moving was the white alicorn on her respectable throne. Her wings were flared up as she looked in surprise at the frozen throne room.
“What? Why…” then she looked down at who had appeared. “Oh, hello Discord. What do you want this time?”
Discord the bailiff walked up towards her. “Hey Celie, we’re having a trial and one of my copies called you up to be the next witness.”
Celestia blinked. “Trial? What trial?” Her eye glanced down at the newly appeared crowded in which she spotted a pony that seemed out of place. “Is that Machiavelli?”
The bailiff produced Twilight’s rule book in front of her in which she tells her to place a hoof on it. She does so. “Do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing except the truth or relive the whole cake scandal once more on an industrial scale?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”
“No. That would imply that it has something to do with the post office. This is a solid, real reassurance that you wouldn’t commit perjury. You’d be surprised how effective it is.”
She grunted. “If I say yes, would you let my court move again?”
“Only after we’re done.”
“Fine, I promise.”
After the bailiff stepped down from the throne, it was the Defendant’s turn as he asked her to state her name and occupation. After saying that she’s Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, he asks, “I take it that you are familiar with Machiavelli?”
“Well, not during his lifetime. I haven’t heard of the name until ten or so years after he died that I was given a copy of ‘The Prince’ from an ambassador.”
“So, you have read the book?”
“Yes, but I found it a little too cynical for my tastes. Eh, sorry.” Her apology was towards Machiavelli.
“Are you also aware that in that same book, he had cited history to serve some examples in his book?”
Celestia nodded. “Yes, I remember that he used a few, both from ancient and his time too.”
“Ah.” the Defendant said as he took out his copy from his robes. “Then, I suppose, you must also be aware that among those examples he’s written, he also cited you too, correct?”
“What?” Twilight asked in a harsh whisper.
“If I may for the court,” he asked as he flipped towards the beginning of the book, “allow me to read said example from ‘The Prince’ to give some context.” He cleared his throat as he read aloud. “‘Chapter 3. It should be observed here that ponies should either be caressed or crushed. Because they can avenge slight injuries, but not those that are very severe. Nowhere has this rule been illustrated well, then that of Princess Celestia. During the time of her early reign in Equestria, her sister, Princess Luna had her heart become hardened to the point that she was willing to commit treason and overthrow her so that the world should be cast into eternal night. The prudent leader Celestia knew that in order to maintain peace and stability of the land that she must banish her immortal sister to the trapped on the moon. While some would see this is unnecessary, even cruel to leave her own sibling alone in the sky, it managed to bring centuries of peace and prosperity. Therefore, a prince must either cherish the ponies who are loyal to him, or cripple those who dare threaten.’” After closing the book, he asked, “Princess Celestia, is this example well-founded to the reality?”
Celestia inhaled sharply. “I understand where Machiavelli perceives that unfortunate event. One that shouldn’t have happened in the first place. However, when I first read that passage, I admit that for a while, I was upset what I read because… He told the truth.”
“How so?”
“Discord, do not misunderstand me when I say this. I do try to be a good Princess as much as I can. I have spent a thousand years without Luna’s help, and even though that Machiavelli was right that what I did was for the greater good of Equestria, that decision haunted me still. Yes, there might have been other ways, but at the time, I found that there was no other way to solve it than to strip her powers and put her away so that she could not hurt anyone.”
“Was this the only example that you had to crush someone for the sake of Equestria?” She tensed up as she glanced over at those that were in the witness box. Discord the Defendant caught onto what she was looking at. “Oh… Come to think of it, did the rule of ponies must either be caressed or crush also implied with the Changelings?”
“Objection!” the Prosecutor called out. “The Defense is tryin’ ta invent an argument away from the case at hoof.”
“Hold on,” Ocellus said as she raised a hoof. “I want to hear this too.”
Spike thought for a moment. “Overruled, but don’t turn it into an argument.”
Discord the Defendant nodded. “Of course, Milord.” He returned his attention to Celestia. “Allow me to rephrase my question. What was your involvement with the Changelings?”
“Okay, before I say anything,” Celestia said. “I want you to know first and foremost that I have learned quite a bit about Changelings from Thorax over here. I will give my credit to him of how much he has taught Equestria that they’re not all evil. To that, I thank him very much for giving us a new perspective.”
“But?”
She sighed, “But… Before him, and even before the invasion during my nieces wedding, hardly anypony had any idea that Changelings existed. Of course, thanks to Queen Chrysalis, we were given a bad first impression. I admit that there were a few witch hunts here and there because at the time, it was seen as an issue for national security. Even I did play a role in all of this in which I’m not proud of. Until Thorax came, I like many ponies had felt threatened and did what I could to keep my ponies safe.”
“By what cost?”
“Don’t play with me Discord.” Celestia said sternly. “I never once claimed I was an immaculate leader. Every decision I have made from day one when Luna and I were crowned, we make them for the benefit of the kingdom. Of course, even I haven’t always made the right decisions with the experience I have. I maybe a princess, but I’m also a servant to Equestria and I must do what is being asked of me for the creatures that live in its borders.”
The Defendant nodded. “No further questions.”
Discord the Prosecutor, surprisingly raised both his arms and said, “None from me either, yer honors. Ah couldn’t have her say it better mahself.”
“Does the Prosecutor have anyone else for say their testimonies?” the bailiff inquired.
“Indeed, I have saved my key witness for last.” The Defendant smiled as he says, “I call to the stand: Niccolo Machiavelli.”
The bailiff tapped his stick as the grand throne room dissolved into a small, but cozy library with very few books, a fireplace, and a desk with a pile of papers already written. Although cramped and only lit by candlelight, Machiavelli was plopped behind the desk of his study as Discord the bailiff placed Twilight’s rule book to swear him in. After doing so, the Defendant came up to him.
“Mr. Machiavelli, why did you decide to write the book?”
“I didn’t know I was writing one.”
“Would you clarify that?”
“I mean this,” he held up the scraps of paper, “was supposed to help me get back into politics. The new prince, one that I was writing this to, does not allow anyone in his court without some qualifications to do so.”
The Defendant raised a claw. “Are you telling me that this was a job application?”
“If you want to call it that. Truly, I had enough of my exile away from Florence and I want to send him something to prove that they need me still.”
“Is that the original manuscript?” Machiavelli nodded. “May I see that and show it to the judges and justices?” Discord the Defendant picked up the volume of pages and showed it to his students.
“Isn’t it a little thick to tell someone what experiences you had?” Silverstream asked. “I’ve heard of job applications and what they’re for, but I must say this seems like a lot.”
“I thought it was best to convince the prince of my usefulness by what I know would help.”
“Pony keep saying ‘new prince,’” Yona pointed out, “who is he?”
“Dov'è la Sella che Potrei Giurare di Aver Visto da Qualche Parte de Medici. Or Prince Sella de Medici for short.”
“Justice Silverstream does bring up a good point,” the Defendant continued, “why go through all this effort? Couldn’t you say what sort of work experiences you had?”
“In court, I often noticed that many come to appease royalty. When generally approaching princes with gifts that they believe will most delight him. Hence, we see them being offered arms, robes of gold and similar accessories. But I have found among my possessions, nothing I value higher than my knowledge of the deeds of great ponies gone by.”
“So in other words, you went through all this to really show this prince not only are you useful but have the wisdom to become an adviser, let say.”
“Yes, exactly. All of this was meant for his eyes, I didn’t account that somepony is going to publish it for the public to see. I did not write it for anyone but Prince Sella.”
“I see,” the Defendant nodded, “now why did you write such advice that says to do evil things when necessary? No doubt the Prosecution would like to know how come you didn’t write a book that had a moral base to rule from. Yet, what you wrote said only use morality as a sort of tool. Why is this?”
“It is something that I have noticed in politics in this region of the world.” Machiavelli answered. “I grew up in a world in which Istally is a divided land. Ruled by murderous families and city-states in which they could be enemies on Monday, friends on Tuesday and back to enemies on Wednesday. Equestria and the rest of the world may have civility, but here, whoever is in power are playing dangerous games. One has to know how to navigate these tides of shifting alliances in order to survive. Besides, I wrote what I did because I have studied history of Florence and other kingdoms of their leadership.”
“But how come you didn’t write a guide of how these princes should be acting?”
“Because I find it more fitting to seek the truth of the matter, rather than through imaginary concepts. Because how one lives, and how one ought to live are so far apart that any ruler who insists in doing what ought to be done will undermine his power. This is not a matter of opinion, for there have been genuinely good ponies that have tried to bring order. Who have practiced what they’ve preached that to be a good ruler, therefore you must have good morals to go with it. To be honest, just, even-tempered, tolerant, kind, charitable and full of mercy. I never denied that these are wonderful ideas, there is one little fact that I cannot overlook.”
“Such as?”
“It doesn’t work. No kingdom in the world has risen because out of selfless means, nor has it stayed uncorrupted by the reality of power. This manuscript is to tell the Prince that if he has any hope of being effective, then he must take up my advice by learning from his enemies because it is they that have much to teach. To do what must be done for the good of the state he serves.”
“One last question, Mr. Machiavelli, do you speak of experience when writing a book about power? After all, you said you wrote this because you were trying to get back into politics.”
Machiavelli laughed melancholily, “Oh yes, I have plenty of experiences. I was trained to be a lawyer but ended up as a state secretary for a few years. But after that, I was a decent general, an important diplomat to being imprisoned for wrongfully being charged for treason and tortured for it.”
“You were tortured?” Silverstream asked.
He nodded. “Yes. And the reason I’m still alive was through pure luck. A new power came and freed those who were imprisoned from the previous regime. Unfortunately, I was exiled from both politics and Florence to reside here in the countryside. But hopefully, this manuscript might change that.”
“No further questions.” The Defendant said as he walked away from Machiavelli. But the Prosecutor took his place with a thoughtful look in his eyes.
“So, Mr. Machiavelli,” Discord the Prosecutor began, “do ya still stand by that conclusion you’ve made in that job application of yours – that bein’ good ta be a ruler is optional?”
“I do.”
“By that logic, yer sayin’ that there’s no such thin’ as a good and an effective leader?”
“That’s right.”
“Well… Ah see. So in yer eyes, there was never was a leader that was both at the same time?”
Machiavelli nodded.
“But what about Celestia?” The Prosecutor questioned. “Sure, there was the hiccup with Princess Luna, but Ah know that durin’ the time yer livin’ in, she is considered both a good and a very effective leader. Is she not?”
He tilted his head. “How do you know?”
“Huh?”
“How do you know?” Machiavelli repeated. “From what I know of her, she maybe beloved by her citizens, but how do you know she is a good pony and not pretending to be one?”
“He’s got you there.” Gallus pointed out.
“Oh come now, yer honor!” The Prosecutor objected. “This is Princess Celestia Ah’m talkin’ about. The one who yer Headmare practically worships the ground she walks on because she just happened ta be her teacher. The motherly figure that would rather let herself get hurt than let Equestria suffer.”
“That’s not fully true.” Ocellus said as she folded her forelegs, narrowing her eyes. “And you of all creatures know that.”
“Besides,” Smolder waved a claw at Machiavelli, “this guy does have a good point. How do you really know she’s the perfect ruler and the perfect pony?”
“Unless you have some other question,” Spike added, “I suggest we move on.”
After Discord the Prosecutor took in a deep breath he said as he turned to Machiavelli. “Yes, just one question fer you: are ya sure that yer whole work isn’t bias?”
He blinked. “What?”
“All this cynical view of how power works by being cruel, did this conclusion come about from historical points of view or by the experience from the torture chamber?”
“I only write from what I-”
“That’s not what Ah meant. Did ya write this solely from yer own biases, whereby ya came about to yer conclusion?”
“And I’m trying to tell you, I write from what knowledge and experiences I had.”
“So ya admit that this job application is not the fact of power, but yer opinion on it?”
“It is to show what sort of advice I can offer.”
“But it is kinda biased, isn’t it? Ya just admitted, out loud, that this manuscript here is based on what you think of how power works and maybe not how it actually does. So, is it just possible, that because the work is biased, that it might be wrong?”
Machiavelli hesitated as he looked between his manuscript and those that have been with him in this surreal court case. “I don’t know.” He confessed. “I only write from what I know.”
“No further questions.” The Prosecutor said as he walked away from him.
Discord the bailiff then asked the Defendant if there were any more witnesses. When told that there weren’t, he tapped on his staff once more back into that darken courtroom. “The Prosecutor will now give his closing arguments.”
The Prosecutor strode up to the towering podiums and looked up at his students. “Now yer honors, Ah maybe pretendin’ ta be a small-town lawyer, but Ah know a few things. Ah know what this trial has revealed is that Machiavelli wrote ‘The Prince’ from his own bias point of view in which inspired some of history’s worst. Don’t forget or set aside the fact that his ideas have inspired the deception of Starlight’s village, the cut-throat practices of Filthy Rich’s business, or even the underhoof policy of Prince Blueblood. Not only that, but Ah should remind our court that Machiavelli’s teachings have indirectly influenced the Flim Flam Brothers as well.
“Now the Defendant over here might say that such lessons are important for any given leader, but shall we cast a blind eye at not only the dictators, the business ponies and politicians that put a black mark on history, but also for future villains too. Yer honors are indeed students of Twilight’s School of Friendship, with the goal of improving those that enter its doors. But what do ya think, generations from now that Y'all had a chance ta change history fer the better? Machiavelli’s book has been used by tyrants as a guide book, gettin’ inspiration fer commitin’ one atrocity after another and justifyin’ it. Here, this is different, if by votin’ guilty, Y'all have that rare power ta prevent that. Sure, it might not prevent evil ponies to rise up, but cut him and his book out of history, then those like Starlight, or Filthy Rich, or even Blueblood wouldn’t be actin’ like this if they didn’t get their inspiration from ‘The Prince.’ Now, Ah rest mah case.”
After the Prosecutor walked back to his desk, getting glares from Starlight and Twilight, Discord the Defendant calmly walked up to his students.
“Milords and Ladies of the Court, what if you all were given the chance to go back in time during the reign of King Sombra? If you knew all the atrocities that he did to those Crystal Ponies in slavery, what would any of you have done to prevent that? Would you kill? Would you lie? Would you have to betray your own morals to save millions? Before any of you pass judgment on my client, remember that Machiavelli was the one who was dealing with these difficult questions. He is probably one of the first philosophers in history to recognize that to be a good leader, one has to make a deal with themselves when it comes to making difficult decisions.
“To Machiavelli and his book, he paints a new portrait of what a leader should realistically be: that a prince must learn how to defend his kingdom from inside and outside threats; that he must learn how to fight while keeping his reputation; where he must strike a balance in which his subjects shouldn’t think he is too soft and easy to disobey, nor cruel enough that they are disgusted by him. Where he should be strict but reasonable.”
After taking a moment to adjust his powdered wig, he continued. “The Prosecutor may say that Machiavelli should be held responsible for teaching those like Starlight, or Rich or Blueblood. But the reason why my client should be voted as not guilty is that not only his book is important in how power is really run, but it gives the good guys the tools and means to change the world for the better. ‘The Prince’ doesn’t teach you how to be evil but gives you how to do things effectively so that you may use their same methods against them.
“One last point I’d like to make. I hope that you see from my evidences and witnesses that those like Pharynx, the Flim Flam Brothers and Princess Celestia have showed that these methods they used were something they came to their own conclusion and not from my client. Even if Machiavelli were erased, I would argue that history would still carry on the exact same way, with or without him. Of course, the schemes and campaigns might have been different, but if the witnesses prove anything, is that those same tyrants, business ponies and politicians would still carry out the same dishonesty and cruelty. For the truth is, Machiavelli didn’t create these baddies – those like Pharynx, the Flim Flam Brothers or Princess Celestia, created him. And all he did, was learn from them to teach the good, not how to be evil, but to bring real progress to those who wanted to change things for the better. Milords and Ladies of justice, I rest my case.”
After a bow and returned to his desk where his client was, Discord the bailiff went up to his students. “Class,” he said, “you have heard all the evidence. Now comes the most important part of all, deciding your verdict. As this is a Supreme Court, and in an odd number, whatever you decide must either be a majority vote, or unanimous. You will exit into the hallway to be given privacy to talk with one another. Take as long as you need to discuss this monumental decision. Remember, if found innocent, Machiavelli will return to his own time and history will continue like nothing happened. But if found guilty, he and his original manuscript shall be erased from existence. Now I give this time for all of you to choose. But remember: choose wisely.”
With a soft tap of his stick, the classroom door behind them swing open, and the six students plus Spike got up to walk out, closing the door behind them.
There was the unmistakable sound of someone clearing their throat, all three Discords turned around to the Witness Gallery. Every single adult sitting there were glaring at him. Discord the bailiff walked right up to them. “If there’s ever a chance to yell at me, now is your time.”
“Do you have any idea what you're risking here?” Headmare Twilight asked coldly. “Putting a historical figure on the chopping block?”
“Two things,” Discord held up a claw, “have faith in these students. They are more clever and wiser than any of you give them credit for. And second, did any of you learn anything about today’s lesson?”
“Yeah,” Spring Tide answered, “that nearly all royals, business ponies and politicians are bad.”
“Not without purpose.” Prince Rutherford pointed out. “Everything Draconequus said was truth. Good and bad, that is how power works in Yakyakistan too.”
“As much as I absolutely hate to admit this…” General Seaspray groaned. “He’s right. All of it. Even in the Queen’s Navy it’s brutal. And I know because I had to earn my way up to this point.”
“It’s all common sense to me.” Grampa Gruff finally spoke. “I mean, I never read Machiavelli’s book and he makes perfect sense to me.”
“As educational as that was,” Starlight pointed out, “you do realize Discord that you’re playing with fire here. Trust me, Twilight and I have experienced time travel and trying to change a single moment slightly where it has catastrophic apocalyptic consequences. Sure, ours was over Rainbow Dash making the first Sonic Rainboom, but to remove ‘The Prince’ from history? One of the most widely translated and influential books of all time – do you know what kind of damage that might cause?”
“I do.” Discord said. “And again, O ye of little faith, have some more for my students. If anything, they are some of the smartest, wisest and insightful kids I know. In fact, they are the ones that made me take the big leap to teaching full time is because of them. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be bothering teaching them. Realize all of you, that I’m taking these risks, repeatedly putting my own neck on the butcher’s block because of them. They take the subject of philosophy seriously. They help me give the lessons, not of what they want, but what they needed. For the first time, I’m being taken seriously from strangers that don’t know me and they’re putting their trust in me of how to deal with their problems in life. Even now, I am risking myself to get fired again because I want to show you that I’m teaching them things they can understand and use. How many philosopher teachers could do that? I never believe for one second that these kids are stupid. If anything, I’d keep an eye on them because they will one day give the world something to talk about.”
For a long, solid minute, none of the adults responded. That was until Thorax nodded. “Discord, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Now the entire Witness Gallery snapped their attention to the Changeling King. “Really?” Twilight asked.
He nodded. “All I wanted to know is if Ocellus was in good hooves. Yes, you could tone down with the danger that you put them through. But… I see why now. You believe in them that they can do more than succeed. Just from this alone, I can see that you’re teaching them valuable skills in critical thinking. I think,” he turned to the Headmare, “it was Twilight that said that a thought is more grand and monumental than any artifact or stone building, as it will never fade as long as there are those that are willing to think. While I personally don’t fully approve some of your methods, I do however, approve of what you’re trying to teach.”
Ember nodded. “Yeah… I think the world could always use more of that.”
Ten minutes later, and the classroom door finally opened. The students plus Spike returned to their high bench seats. As soon as they sat down, Spike said, “Machiavelli, would you come here?”
Although clearly terrified and on edge, with a little help from Discord the Defendant, he stood up and walked towards a spotlight that was placed right in front of their towering podiums. His legs shook and had a pitiful look as he glanced up at them. Even his eyes were pleading for mercy.
Spike leaned forward. “Machiavelli, we have thought this long and hard, and even debated over what we’ve heard about you and your book. While both sides did make some very good points, we have come to a decision. By a vote of seven to none, we have found you, Niccolo Machiavelli and your book, ‘The Prince’…” For a tense moment, those in the Witness Gallery leaned forward, as did both of the lawyers while the client held his breath. “Not guilty.”
It was as if the entire room unleashed a huge sigh of relief. Then, all three Discords, simultaneously applauded at the exact same time. Each one had a look of pride satisfaction, even each clap got faster as the darkness of the courtroom dissolved back to a normal looking classroom. Machiavelli faded away too as the light from the windows came in, as did the tall podiums and the black robes the students had on. Even Discord, as all three walked forward, came together. Even the witness box freed the adults as their hooves and claws touched the tiled floor.
Discord walked to all seven of them with a prideful smile on his face. “Students,” he said as he drew all of them into a hug, “I’m so proud of all of you. You all passed.”
“What!” the students cried at once.
“Discord,” he turned around as Twilight flew up to him, “where’s Machiavelli?”
“Since they found him innocent, he’s gone back to the same and time as he left it. Don’t worry, history is still the same but… Oh, I’m so happy!”
“Mr. Discord,” Smolder said as she got out of her teacher’s group hug, “what they hey did you mean by we passed? Passed what?”
“Students,” he announced, “you are the very first class to not only save my job once again, but you have graduated from it as well! I never thought you’d all get through it so quickly.”
“Wait! Wait! Wait!” Ocellus said as she too got out from her teacher’s hug. “Graduated?! But… But you’ve been teaching us for about two weeks!”
“Yes. But I can see here that your kids have learned more in those two weeks than a college student would have had in years. I mean, tell me what I’ve taught you?”
They all looked at each other. “Well...” Ocellus began. “You did teach us the steps of how to critically think, and why there’s evil in the world because of perspective of it.”
Silverstream raised a claw. “You taught me that it’s not how much information I learn, but what to do with the knowledge I have.”
“You taught me that perfection doesn’t exist and that’s okay.” Sandbar said.
“You taught me how to find meaning when times get tough,” Gallus added.
“Don’t forget that even when things get miserable,” Smolder spoke “you should never be afraid to charge it head on. Because happiness must be earned.”
“Teacher taught Yona that big problem can be solved from simple things. Simple and small things are best teachers.”
“Even I learned something today,” Spike added, “that to be a leader, you sometimes have to be cruel to be kind if it means for the greater good of everyone.”
“Which is why,” Discord snapped his paw in which all of them, including Spike, had on a graduation hat, “that today is when all of you pass my class as graduates.”
“But they’ve been in your class for two weeks.” Twilight pointed out. “How exactly did they suddenly pass your class?”
“Oh ye of little mind,” Discord patted her head, “practical wisdom doesn’t require for every student to study a book for years, but to train one’s mind of how to use what they know and experience. That trial is their test, and I must say, they all pass with flying colors.”
“Um… Mr. Discord,” all of them turned to Sandbar, who took off his hat. “The thing is… I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Or any of us.” Ocellus said as she and her friends took off their hats. “You have still so much to teach us.”
“That’s the thing,” Discord folded his arms behind his back. “I don’t think I can teach you anymore beyond this point.”
“Why not?” Yona questioned.
“Because I don’t know if there’s any more to teach you. You’ve already learned more lessons than my other classes to last for a lifetime. All the useful knowledge that I have given you was what you needed. So, I’m afraid that I don’t have anything to teach you.” However, as he looked back at his students, he saw the devastation on their faces. “Now, with that being said,” he continued, “if there is some other problems that you just don’t know where to turn to for guidance, go to Starlight. If it’s wisdom that you seek, you are still welcome in my class.”
“So…” Gallus raised a claw. “Does this mean that we don’t have to go to your classes anymore or…?”
After thinking for a bit, Discord replied, “How about this: I will come to any of you only when you need my wisdom. Like when you are feeling lost or having a bad day that you just don’t know what to do, come knock on that door, and I’ll be willing to give another lesson.”
Starlight giggled. “I believe that’s my job.”
Discord smirked. “If students are in need of comfort, they’ll go to you. But if they need wisdom, they’ll know where to find me.” The Draconequus said as he glided over to one of the classroom’s windows. “Oh, Spike,” he said as he paused in mid-air. “Are we still up for Guy’s Night next week?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah of course. Where are you going?”
“If you don’t mind me.” He said as he floated past the glass of the window. “I’m going to visit a friend.”
“It’s good to hear that they’re still letting you teach,” Fluttershy commented.
Discord smiled after he put his tea cup down. “I’m still proud of my students. They have exceeded my expectations.”
“I know, Twilight told me how impressed she was when you showed the representatives how much they’ve learned from you.” She picked up a flying cucumber sandwich and took a bite. “Although, I do have to agree that you let them pass your class too soon.”
“That’s the funny thing I’ve noticed, being a teacher and all.” Discord replied. “Is that once you do start teaching, you’ll just know when your students have truly learned. After all, you taught me what it means to be friends in one day if I recall.”
“Well, you got me there. Still, I’m so proud of how much you’ve developed in these past few weeks. Who would have guessed you’d be teaching full time?”
“What can I say?” Discord let go of his tea cup as it drifted away. “Once I had an audience that was willing to listen, it became addictive.”
“I know certainly what you mean.” Fluttershy nodded. Before she could pick up her tea cup, Discord heard a knock. He knew instantly that it wasn’t coming from Fluttershy’s cottage door. Instantly, he snapped his talons in which time stopped. Getting out from the floating couch, he drifted to the front door in which he opened it. Behind it was the school’s hallway with Gallus standing there.
“Hey Mr. Discord,” the young gryphon waved, “how’ve you been?”
“It’s been a slow day. Do you need something?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I just need some guidance for a bit. I was hoping that maybe you could help me out a little.”
Discord stepped aside. “Come on in, what lesson are you in need of, my student?”
It's... It's done. It's finally done. Grant it, this took longer than I expected to but man was this a lot of fun! And I do feel so honored of not only how well the previous story did, but to have you all discuss philosophy in the comments. So in a way, hopefully, I have succeeded my goal of teaching philosophy in plain English.
So now that the story is over, what do you think?
P.S. If there is anyone who is willing to voulenteer to edit this story. Just PM me to discuss further details.
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Well done! I quite enjoyed it, you did a fine job of explaining the various philosophies and their meanings. True, I didn't agree with all of them, but that's philosophy! I hope to see more from you, you've a talent for this.
I think this story is going into my favorites.
East.
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Fixed.
It was a fun ride. I loved every second of it!
The Prince is a classic, but I wish more people were familiar with the Discourses on Livy.
Alongside Cicero's de re Publica and de Legibus, it's a foundational cornerstone of what would become modern law and Constitutionalism. Much more realistic and practical than Plato's idealistic social theories.
https://www.overthinkingit.com/2012/11/08/my-little-pony-plato/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RudE2XCC484&list=PLTve54sz-eh_bDHo7N3PCNNyhCDHBy9kR
(Very long audiobook-like playlist)
This was amazing! And I'm so sad to see it leaving. XD
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Ditto to all these fine folks!
good thing this ended on a good note.
btw i got a idea why not do history with them like this show would be funny if you remove the E rateing on the story
8978848
me too but given how good he is at being a teacher would be awesome to teach other things with his choas magic
now I'm wondering if we'll get one- shot sequels?
this is fimfiction story of 2018 right here
i hope someone write more discord teacher fics down the road
This was a VERY interesting story. Theoretically, it could have been done in almost any millieu, with almost any characters in the various roles. Except... not really. This story, and the opportunity for educating readers through it, could have only come about as a fanfic for a work of fiction that a ) Had a nigh omnipotent reality warper, capable of at LEAST teleportation and time travel of nearly unlimited range; b ) A school setting in place of sufficent "grade level" that a class on philosophy was acceptable, so late High School or later; c ) Either an Earthlike history, or one where an earthlike history could be explained away; and d ) The aforementioned reality warper must be trusted enough to be allowed to tech youngun's.
Condition a gets rid of most fiction.
Condition b and d gets rid of Star Trek / "Q".
Condition c gets rid of most fantasy worlds.
So pretty much only MLP, and maybe a very tiny handful of Anime.
Either way - excellent ways to summarize the core lessons of some highly celebrated philosophers!
I enjoyed this!
I learned so much about philosophy from this fic. I recognized a few of the more familiar names, but then there were some that I didn't even know existed. Like, I didn't even know about The Prince book.
This is one of the few times where I learned something from a fic I read, and I genuinely found it all interesting. The story was entertaining and engaging. It was told in a way I could understand. In addition to Discord growing comfortable in the role as a teacher, you also gave some character depth to the Young Six. I'm still really curious about Sandbar and his family issues that were brought up a couple times throughout the story.
Great job overall! I was quite surprised that Discord considered the curriculum for his class complete even thought it's only been a couple weeks. Maybe if he spread out his lessons a bit more, they'd have lasted through the whole semester. Still good to see good ol' Discord as an official faculty member of Twilight's school. Not every school can say they have a draconequs for a teacher.
This was one hell of a way to finish the story!
It was quite awesome!
This is amazing!
Thank you very much for sharing this. It was a delightful, and thought provoking piece.
Honestly, it shocked me a few times that there were ideas from Nietzsche, Aurelius, and Kierkegaard that I'd picked up from unrelated movies and books in the past.
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Oh, like what?
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Off the top of my head...
Nietzsche: "Life is pain, Princess. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something." --The Princess Bride
This quote struck me when I first heard it. I was young, and was fortunate to be raised in a stable home without serious want, but I felt that this was a true statement. It took years, but I came to realize that my comfort came as a result of the hard work of my parents, grandparents, and so on. When given chores to do, I didn't complain (much), and found a small satisfaction in contributing to my home. Much later in life, a couple years ago actually, after having resigned from a rather unpleasant job and moving on to a much better one, I refined that original inspiration with a bit of parental advice I often heard in my youth, "Nothing worth doing is easy." Which lead to a slogan I'm rather proud of. After all, if life is pain, and happiness is rare, then it follows that happiness is worth achieving, which then leads to it being difficult to grasp.
"Every ounce of happiness is bought with a gallon each of blood, sweat, and tears."
Kierkegaard: "Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes.This may offer you a way to make him a friend. If not, then you can kill him quickly, and without hate." --The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, Robert A. Heinlein
I read this not long after 9/11. Needless to the say the amount of hate flying around after that was thick enough to cut out of the air and sell as cheap building material. Reading this quote made me stop and ask the question, "What are Al-Qaida expecting to achieve?" I was told more answers than I knew what to do with, and many of them were blatantly biased. I was too ignorant to draw my own conclusions, and resolved at least to not outright hate just to fit in. This helped later in life when I worked a job where I was the only American on the staff, and several of my coworkers were Muslims. I learned a lot at that job.
Sorry to disappoint, but I can't think of anything related to stoicism at the moment.
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Oops! Just thought of one!
Marcus Aurelius: "I'm wise enough to know how ignorant I am, and the Universe does not have to abide my preconceptions!" Dominar Rygel XVI, Farscape
Hoo boy. Remember what I said in my previous post about my being ignorant? I won't claim wisdom, but golly am I ignorant. I ran across this gem while in college. Good thing, too. It helped put my troubles into perspective.
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Very interesting.
This is one of the only stories on here that I'll continue reading, simply because I love philosophy, no matter if I'm a brony or not. It's also great anyway.
Given how his works have always been misremembered, the rest of his works are all pure democracy while The Prince is likely a massive satire dripping with sarcasm as he was tortured around the time he wrote it. Everyone remembers to be feared over being loved but the very next line that tells you not to go to far to be hated is forgotten.
What was meant to be a guide in pragmatism became the Evil Overlord guidebook instead.
Also, faved and liked!!
Hey. If you're still looking for an editor, my PM box and Scheduled are open.
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That sounds like nothing but bias. It's possible he's wrong, but using tools to make a point isn't why, and by doing that we see evidence that Discord is just lazy.
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There were quite a few examples like this that shocked me when I was reading this (or when I was in a good philosophy class in college). Some were from experiences in my life, and others were even direct lessons from my parents, who I'm pretty sure weren't trying to teach things from specific people in history.
An impressive piece. Especially given how much background research must have been required.
Man I read the whole story in one day (+2 night) and it teached me more than any philosophy classes which I took. Definitely will be my favorite
I really enjoyed this story and learnt some things along the way
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They used variations of the chart joke in both episodes.
Noooooo! It can't be over! This was really fun, and really intuitive! I've studied philosophy before, and new a small amount of what you covered, and have always been a fan of things like philosophy tube, to learn about different ways of thinking, but this was a really fun, story driven way to approach alot of facinating topics, it's such a shame it's drawn to an end. I'd love to read some more, with other branches of philosophy, more continued lessons, even if it's more one on one as discord suggested at the end.
I would definitely continue reading.
All the best.
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The irony is his name reflecting the emotion he causes, not the complex relationship between "logical" and "right" that is present.
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The reason I made mine so over-the-top is that there is always a discovery bias, where something is way more enjoyable when I read it for the first time.
Making the bar super high means that those stories are almost always re-readable many times in the future.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. I absolutely loved how you managed this story. I'm also extremely impressed on how you got me and others to really take the time to think-critically think- about certain morals and philosophies. You did a great job in condensing, yet, expanding on all sorts of ideas & in very creative ways too. This is definitely one of my favorite fanfics of all time, I even saved some quotes from this fic. Thank you for such an amazing experience. Great job!
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Thank you kindly. I often believe that there are areas in Philosophy that can be beneficial for everyone to teach what was originally intended: to learn how to live and die well. And that there's no need for highly complicated words and phrases that only a microscopic portion of the population could understand. With ideas like these this important, using big long fancy words are the last thing one should do. If these ideas are so important that everyone should know, what's wrong using them in laymen's terms?
Plus, recently I decided to do some more with this philosophy stuff with the sequel told from Discord's perspective. I just got started and I'm looking forward to what's coming next.
So this story taught me more about Philosophy than an entire semester of University. Thank you for that.
I have always enjoyed philosophy, I enjoyed its lessons. But i hated how it was taught, this story illustrates how I wished the class would be like.
Adding story elements such as the young six's problems and discord's methods being questioned just made it even more enjoyable.
Huh, you taught lessons without having to go to too dark a period, yet you didn't sugarcoat anything.
Consider me impressed!
Bravo, bravo indeed. I love the use and addition of Princess Celestia as well.
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Thank you, I hope you look at the other Discord Teaching Philosophy stories too.
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Read the first one, going to be going through the sequel tomorrow, its past Midnight here.
Interesting choice in switching to First Person for it.
He should added one thing to the Machiavelli book don't ever forget the magic of friendship. It can lead you places you never expect. History would have a hard time figuring that out. But if the magic of friendship hadn't shown spike and starlight and discord a better way than History would have very different ideas on cutie marks changlings and even the good discord can do.
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So true
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oh,.......... look at klugetown and come back to me on that
I keep seeing you say "Grant it". For future reference, the actual term is "Granted," as in "I'll grant you this point."
There are many other mistakes in this series, but that one is consistent enough that I figured I ought to point it out. X3