"The Prince" is one of the most influential books published in Western literature, and people have been getting it wrong for five hundred years. British philosopher Bertrand Russell, for example, dismissed Machiavelli's canonical work as "a handbook for gangsters."

A typical misconception, according to Giuliano Amato, a former prime minister of Italy, who this week opened an exhibition at the Italian Embassy entitled "Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince and its Era, 1513-2013." In reality, according to Mr. Amato, "like him or not, Machiavelli was the creator of political science" and "The Prince" a seminal political essay that remains relevant today.

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Source: http://www.washingtontimes.com