Machiavellians
Ends-justify-means believers
Machiavellians are people who pursue power through cunning, manipulation, and moral flexibility—named for Niccolò Machiavelli, the Renaissance political theorist who argued that rulers must sometimes act ruthlessly to maintain control.
The term usually carries disapproval: The office Machiavellians will smile while plotting your downfall.
In psychology, Machiavellianism is one of the "dark triad" personality traits alongside narcissism and psychopathy.
Crafty plot makers
- manipulatorsPeople who influence deceitfully
- strategistsDesigners of careful plans
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
- ruthlessnessLack of compassion or mercy
autocrats · despots · tyrants · opportunists · plotters · tacticians · realpolitik · statecraft
Self-absorbed individuals
- sociopathsPeople without conscience
- manipulativeSkilled at controlling others
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
- charmingPleasantly attractive in manner
deceptive · calculating · cold · detached · strategic · self-serving · cunning · superficial
Senior corporate officers
- CEOsHighest corporate officers
- climbersThose who scale heights
- ruthlessLacking any compassion
- cutthroatViciously competitive or murderous
backstabbers · networkers · careerists · sharks · wheeler-dealers · boardroom · politics · sycophants
Those accepting things as-is
- cynicsDoubters of sincerity
- pragmatistsThose valuing practical results
- amoralWithout ethical concern
- consequentialistsEthics judges by results
Florentine · Renaissance · treatise · human-nature · expediency · skeptics · utilitarians · materialists
schemers
Crafty plot makers
- manipulatorsPeople who influence deceitfully
- strategistsDesigners of careful plans
- cunningSly, scheming cleverness
ruthlessness · autocrats · despots · tyrants · opportunists · plotters · tacticians · realpolitik · statecraft · courtiers
narcissists
Self-absorbed individuals
- sociopathsPeople without conscience
- manipulativeSkilled at controlling others
- exploitativeUnfairly using others' vulnerabilities
charming · deceptive · calculating · cold · detached · strategic · self-serving · cunning · superficial · unemotional
executives
Senior corporate officers
cutthroat · backstabbers · networkers · careerists · sharks · wheeler-dealers · boardroom · politics · sycophants · yes-men
realists
Those accepting things as-is
- cynicsDoubters of sincerity
- pragmatistsThose valuing practical results
- amoralWithout ethical concern
consequentialists · Florentine · Renaissance · treatise · human-nature · expediency · skeptics · utilitarians · materialists · secularists
Machiavelliansidealists
Pursuers of perfect visions
moralists · straight shooters · honest brokers · Kantians · utopians
Machiavelliansaltruists
People motivated by others' welfare
straight shooters · humanitarians · philanthropists · saints · Good Samaritans
- Machiavellian tacticsCunning, amoral political strategy