No Half Measures - Lions, Foxes & Wolves
Why you need the Lions, should guard against the Foxes and always try and kill the Wolves.
I originally saw this subject discussed in an excellent post, from
last August, discussing the ongoing decline of the U.K. It expounded on an article by the same author, on a site called Unheard. I’d encourage all to read both pieces, as they provide much deeper analysis and insightful commentary.The work by Machiavelli entitled “The Prince”, discusses attributes embodied by the archetypes of Lions and Foxes, as they relate to leaders - be they civic, political or business - and the population they’re charged to serve.
His premises ring just as true today, as when he originally proposed them, but even more so after the meeting between President Trump and the Ukrainian leader yesterday.
The excerpts below are from an article on The Ruler’s Playbook website. There was no author noted or credited. I’ll also reference the previously mentioned post, of N.S. Lyons, from Aug 2024.
From The Ruler’s Playbook:
Machiavelli proposes a radical idea: a successful prince must embody the traits of both a lion to frighten away wolves and a fox to recognize traps. It’s a powerful metaphor that has captivated leaders and thinkers for centuries.
This premise would seem to be obvious and self evident, however Western countries over the last 80 years, have clearly shown this is not the case.
Finding this combination and balance in a “Prince”, has not only been problematic, but very, very rare.
Note: References to “kingdom”, “realm” and “monarchy” metaphors, used by Machiavelli, are obviously reflective of his time. For continuity’s sake I’ve maintain them, without implying a reference to a modern monarchy or dictatorship, or a requirement for such.
Now, lets look at how Machiavelli defined each of these “animal archetypes”.
Exploring Machiavelli’s Concept of the Lion
The lion, in Machiavellian thought, symbolizes the pinnacle of strength and authority. It’s a creature that commands respect, both through its physical might and its status as the king of beasts. For a prince, embodying the lion means possessing the power to protect the realm and to assert dominance when necessary. It’s about demonstrating unwavering strength that deters enemies and ensures the stability of the prince’s rule.
This concept extends beyond mere physical power. It encompasses the psychological impact of strength on both allies and adversaries. A prince who embodies the lion’s traits instills confidence in his supporters and fear in those who might oppose him. This dual effect solidifies his position, making it difficult for rivals to challenge his authority.
An apt quote from N.S. Lyons’ post:
“The security and stability they establish is what allows the nation to grow into prosperity.”
This archetype and the associated characteristics are undoubtedly embodied today, by Donald Trump.
While his stated goals & policies are predicated on an “America First” ethos, the benefits of those efforts reach much further out, to the far corners of the larger realm that is the free Western World.
As the leader of the free world - a title that held little to no meaning, during the past four years of rampant globalism - his actions, policies and strategies intend to push back the manipulative Foxes and kill the opportunistic wolves. This will have the overall effect of bringing peace and stability, to the larger realm.
In the U.S., the last four years clearly illustrated two things:
The perils and destruction caused by not having a Lion, but an addled fox, overseeing the Western world.
The damage and ruin that can happen when Foxes invite Wolves, into the palaces and courts.
Lastly, the Lion architype (strong leader) doesn’t always imply a dictator, tyrant or despot, though President Trump has been label these things and worse.
Instead, the alternative is a strong, powerful leader, who uses all the tools and resources at his disposal to protect the realm, overcome enemies (external and internal), expand the realm and most importantly maintain the peace.
Understanding the Fox in Machiavellian Terms
The fox, as envisioned by Niccolò Machiavelli, stands for the cunning and strategic acumen necessary in governance. It’s about being astute, able to navigate the complexities of political intrigue without falling prey to deception or traps. For a prince, adopting the fox’s traits means mastering the art of subtlety and deception when they serve the greater good.
This aspect of leadership emphasizes the importance of intelligence and adaptability. A prince must be vigilant, always on the lookout for potential threats and opportunities. Like the fox, he must be capable of devising intricate strategies, outmaneuvering opponents, and sometimes bending the rules to safeguard his position and ensure the prosperity of his realm.
N.S. Lyons makes an excellent observation here: (bolded text is mine for emphasis).
Security and prosperity produce a proliferation of foxes. Foxes are unsuited to and deeply uncomfortable with the employment of force; they prefer intellectual and rhetorical combat, because they’re nerds. They seek to overcome obstacles through clever persuasion or the manipulation of people, information, narratives, and formal processes. If they have to use physical force they will, but prefer to disguise its nature and are prone to use it ineptly. The brainy and cosmopolitan foxes have talents the lions don’t, however: they are good at managing complexity and scale, navigating the nuances of diplomatic alliances, or extracting profits from an extensive empire.
As long as peace prevails, civilizations come increasingly to morally prize the indirect and diplomatic methods of foxes and to avoid and indeed abhor the strength and violence of lions. And as states grow larger and more complex, establishing new layers of bureaucracy, law, and procedure, this quickly favors the byzantine organizing and scheming of foxes.
That last paragraph is currently being proven true, via D.O.G.E.’s exposure of the bureaucratic corruption and scheming of the Foxes, during the past eight decades at least.
I’ll suggest that Donald Trump has always had aspects of both Lion and Fox, throughout his adult business life. However, he was less successful applying the Fox archetype during his first presidency, than he has been in the last 30+ days of this term. It’d seem the first four years, ensuing stolen election and legal persecutions, sharpened his understanding and acumen, in using this the Fox attributes.
His failing was never about mastering and applying the Fox archetype, but understanding the unfamiliar political environment, he found himself in.
Today, his dominance and success in the first weeks of his administration clearly indicates he’s not only mastered the political landscape, but understand the importance of upending that landscape and the associated deep state status quo - via application of the Fox fundamentals.
The Caution Against Foxes
The discussion on Foxes wouldn’t be complete, without including Young’s mention of Vilfredo Pareto’s prophetic observation. It’s acutely relevant to the U.S., of the past 4 years. (bolded text is mine for emphasis).
But a curious thing then happens, Pareto observed: the instability of societies overly dominated by foxes begins to increase relentlessly. The foxes, reluctant to properly distinguish and identify real threats, or to openly employ force even when necessary, find themselves defenseless against wolves both internal and external. When faced with escalating challenges, the foxes tend to resort to doubling down on their preferred strategy of misdirection, manipulation, and attempting to bury or buy off threats rather than confront them directly. This does nothing to solve problems that require the firm use of force, or the threat of it, such as keeping packs of wolves on the other side of the borders. Eventually, when things get bad enough, foxes may desperately lash out with violence, but do so indecisively, ham-fistedly, or in entirely the wrong direction. The wolves, for their part, can instinctively smell weakness and just keep coming.
Indeed Machiavelli himself warned:
“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.”
He also understood the value of appearances:
“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”
Comparing the Traits of a Prince to Those of a Lion and Fox
(bolded text is mine for emphasis).
In Niccolò Machiavelli’s vision, “a prince” embodies the best traits of both the lion and the fox. This unique combination equips him with the comprehensive toolkit necessary for effective governance. The lion’s power ensures that the prince can command respect and maintain authority, while the fox’s cunning allows him to navigate the intricate web of politics and strategy.
The interplay between these traits is crucial. A prince must know when to assert his strength and when to rely on subtlety. This duality is at the heart of Machiavellian leadership, reflecting a deep understanding of human nature and the complexities of power dynamics. It’s about finding the right balance, knowing that too much reliance on one trait over the other can lead to vulnerability.
Thus, Niccolò Machiavelli presents a nuanced view of leadership, one that transcends the simplistic dichotomy of good versus evil. The ideal prince is neither merely a brute nor a trickster but a sophisticated blend of both. This blend enables him to adapt to changing circumstances, ensuring his survival and the prosperity of his state. In the end, Machiavelli’s prince stands as a testament to the multifaceted nature of power and the art of governance.
Rise and Fall
Even though the articles sited, don’t specify if Machiavelli believed these archetypes were cyclical - rose to and fell from dominance, in predictable timelines - history shows that neither held obligatory permanency. Instead, the people’s tolerance levels for either, often determined their rise and fall.
Lyons observes something similar:
“…again and again in history the oligarchic rule of foxes tends to come to an end when the people finally get fed up enough to turn to a lion to save them from wolves.”
Many would say, this explained the result of the election on November 5, 2024. And they would be correct, in my opinion.
The American people spent the last four years watching the Foxes manipulate and demoralize them, to abysmal depths. However, the Foxes went a step further and willingly invited the Wolves in, to feed on the masses, at will.
What’s not been obvious to the American people - but is becoming abundantly clear - is the Lion they voted in, now understands the political environment and is expertly using the Fox archetype, with devastating effect.
Track Record
IMHO, it could be argued, that the last half century of America history (1974 - 2024), produced 24 years of Lions, sitting in the White House.
Of those 24 years, only 8 of them had the rare Lion/Fox leader - which was Reagan.
That should illustrate how rare this type of leader really is. In the last 50 years there was only one, which comprised only 16% of that time span.
America has again entered a time, where the White House is occupied by a President with the rare Lion/Fox combination, the understanding of how to apply those archetypes and a stated mission to not only remove the Foxes, but kill the Wolves as well.
No Half Measures
So, now that you understand why this next 4 years is so pivotal, I’ll issue my standard, cautionary statement.
Leaders like Reagan and Trump, cannot push back the Foxes and eliminate the Wolves, unless they have a supporting army of citizens, behind them.
It’s always been the citizens responsibility, to do the fighting, by engaging and controlling their government. As I’ve previously said, the masses have shirked these responsibilities for decades and the results have been devastatingly.
If we are to benefit from President Trump’s second and more informed term in office, at least 76 million of us need to show-up every day to learn, inform and then engage the Foxes in congress, who up till now, have had no Lions to fear.
We must now show them, they have 76 million to worry about. Of course that only happens if we all show-up.
Do not sit back.
Do not go back to sleep.
Do not stop fighting.
No Half Measures!!
Hm. I'd classify Clinton as a Horny Toad, Obama as a Hyena, and Biden as a houseplant that needs watering 2-3 times per week.
Seriously tho, the difference between Trump 45 and Trump 47 is very stark. I think the person most surprised by Trumps first election success was Trump himself. Back then, he seemed to have announced his run for the Presidency as a bit of a lark and then didn't quite know what to do when he won. The political machine schooled him harshly over the last 9ish years but, to their dawning and complete chagrin, they completely underestimated how much he would learn from what they were teaching. And now they are the ones caught by surprise and are floundering around like a beached fish. They will soon begin to smell like a dead fish and hopefully, we'll be done with them for a little while.
Winston Churchill proved to be the absolute embodiment of a Lion when Britain needed one. But you cannot ignore how quickly he was discarded after his services were deemed to be no longer required. The personal pronoun rapist immigrant cesspool Britain is currently swimming in a mere 80 years later is indicative how far and how fast the fall from the heights can be.
This is the most important part:
"The wolves, for their part, can instinctively smell weakness and just keep coming."
If that isn't accepted as true, then it matters not if the rulers are foxes or lions.
Also, consider that Machiavelli has been thoroughly downplayed, along with many others (Pareto f.e.) at universities, especially in pol-sci and political economy (the latter is what economics used to be called, since all economic policy is political and vice versa) ever since higher education was made available to the public.
Meanwhile, the elite's private instituti0ons of learning retain the classical curriculum, including logic and ethics and rhetorics.
Now, why would one want to remove certain subjects from educational canon, just because it is made public?
PS: To extend the Machiavellian metaphor, we now live under a court of Fools (media and entertaintment) who believes that a Wolf can be made vegan.