SIGNAL//SYNTH
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Ada Palmer – Machiavelli is the most misunderstood thinker of all time

aired Jun 16, 2026 · 128.0m
Signal
67.9/ 100
Solid
confidence 0.99
Orig45.0
Actn100.0
Dens100.0
Dpth100.0
Clty64.4
Summary

Okay, I'm back with Ada Palmer, who is a science fiction author, composer, historian at the University of Chicago. Ada, this time I want to talk to you about Machiavelli.

Why listen

It goes beyond the title with direct discussion of like, because, machiavelli, including: Ada, this time I want to talk to you about Machiavelli.

Key takeaways
  1. 01What is the historical context in which she's writing The Prince?
  2. 02Which means if we assume that the average length of a papacy is 10 years in this period, every 10 years you suddenly have a completely unpredictable new monarch who's almost guaran
  3. 03Let's lay down a little more historical context
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