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Aug 2023
39m 15s

The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene

Book geeks Sam Harris & Nicolas Vereecke
About this episode

The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene are described as amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive. This multi-million-copy New York Times bestselling book brands itself as the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.


50 Cent loved the book so much that he reached out to the author to work with him.


But what can we learn from this book about power, society, and morality and what are its limits?


Hosts Sam Webster Harris and Nicolas Vereecke provide a summary of the 48 laws of power, and discuss the book that launched Robert Greene's career.


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Contact the hosts


Nico's projects


Sam's projects


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Chapters

  • 00:00 Overview of the 48 laws of power
  • 03:04 Favorite laws of power
  • 03:12 Law 4 - Say less than necessary
  • 07:24 How the book is structured
  • 10:43 Law 5 - So much depends on reputation. Guard it with your life
  • 11:47 Law 47 - Don't go past the mark. You aim for in victory, learn when to stop
  • 13:30 Law 46 - Never appear too perfect
  • 15:39 Laws that didn't stick well
  • 23:19 Law 26 - Keep your hands clean 
  • 23:37 Law 27 - create a cult-like following
  • 24:40 Law 32 Play into people's fantasies
  • 25:23 Have the top 10 influential people used these laws?
  • 29:21 Law 33 - Discover each man's thumbscrew
  • 30:17 Law 39 - Stir up waters to catch fish
  • 31:25 Law 10 - Infection: Avoid the unhappy or the unlucky
  • 33:52 General take on the book and rating
  • 34:30 Sam - rating 6/10
  • 35:43 Nico - rating 4/10
  • 36:36 Correlation between power and happiness


Topics

Power and manipulation

Trust and respect

Creating a cult

Attacking weakness

Laws of history

Happiness and control

Guarding reputation

The real source of true power

Never be greedy

Avoid perfection

The problems with the 48 laws of power

Common book mistakes


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