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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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Wiser Than Yesterday

Nico and Sam set out to read the world's best books, from philosophy to sci-fi, economics to who knows what.

Wiser Pod Website


Sam Webster Harris

👋 LinkedIn - Sam Harris

🧠 Psychology Pod - Growth Mindset Psychology

🚀 New Pod - How to Change the World


Nicolas Vereecke

👋 LinkedIn - Nico Vereecke

🤖 AI world domination - Evil Plan Inc


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How to Change the World: The History and Future of Innovation


Available on all podcast players:


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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



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