The title of Machiavelli`s THE PRINCE refers, in Machiavelli`s time, not so much to an hereditary prince, but instead, most commonly, to a military victor who would annoint himself "prince" [recall how, for example, Charlemagne annointed himself "Emperor"] over certain conquered territories. Machiavelli`s treatise focusesd on issues of how to maintain power, that is, what sort of ruler a "prince" (or any other leader of people) should be. Some questions to guide your discussion postings: 1. What is "liberality", according to Machiavelli? 2. What is "parsimony", according to Machiavelli? 3. Is it BETTER for a prince to be liberal or to be parsimonious? Why? 4. Does Machiavelli give what might be considered something like a recipe for how to maintain power? If so, what "ingredients" does it consist of? also, could you put some comment to this book review?