THE WEEK’S RADIO Machiavelli—Realist Or Villain?

Press, Volume C, Issue 29514, 16 May 1961, Page 12

THE WEEK’S RADIO Machiavelli—Realist Or Villain?

“AH man,” says Niccoio Machiavelli in “The Prince,” “are ungrateful, fickle, dissimulating, cowardly in the face of danger, greedy for gain.” Machiavelli, a Florentine civil servant who lived from 1469 to 1527, never commanded an army or ruled a state, but all persons doing so since have ignored his advice at their peril. For Machiavelli was, as Francis Bacon said, a writer who openly declared what men do in fact and not what they ought to do .

Sometimes Machiavelli prevented humanity aS "weasels fighting in a hole": sometimes as ruthless monsters of cold Intellect. like Cesare Borgia, in whose headquarters, he once stayed as a diplomat. Machiavelli advocated. among other things, the breaking of treaties (“If all men were good, this precept would not be a good one: but since they are bad. and would not keep faith with you, you are not obliged to keep faith with them”) and the use of cruelty. Both were commonplace diplomatic techniques employed by religious bodies as well as laymen. It was Machiavelli's lack of hypocrisy that aroused hatred: one did these things but one did not analvse them so calmly. It is often forgotten that ultimately Machiavelli was on the side of law and order, believing they could only be established and maintained by the use of force. As a working hypothesis for statesmen it has stood the test of four centuries uncomfortably well; scarcely a day passes without some reports of typically Machiavellian political behaviour. The moderate and reasonable Florentine continues to arouse extremes of admiration and hatred; his political doctrines are always on trial. That is way, says Laurence Kitchin, the framework of an imaginary trial seemed the best way of presenting Machiavelli on radio As a convention it is no more artificial than the “straight” feature method with an omniscient narrator who may appear to be uncommitted but never is. It is better, he thinks, to consider this controversial figure from opposing viewpoints Accordingly, in “The Trial of Machiavelli” (YC’s, 8 p.m., Saturday), listeners, like a jury, can arrive at their own verdict after hearing the views of scholars on Machiavelli. It is a 8.8. C. programme.

Eastern Faiths As the world becomes more crowded and the increasing speed of travel shrinks vast distances to a mere few hours’ journey, it becomes more and more necessary fot us to understand the point of view of our neighbours. One of the most important things to know is the way in which their religious traditions influence their culture and their moral codes. A new series of B B C talks. “Four Ways of Life.” sets out to give a simple explanation of the basic tenets of four great Eastern religions whose members comprise a great part of the world’s population, and whose influence on world affairs is of incalculable importance—Hinduism. Buddhism. Judaism, and Islam Each talk, except that on Judaism, is given by a scholar who is not himself a member of the faith, but contributions are given by members of each religion. The first talk, from 3YC at 8.3 p.m. on Friday, is on Hinduism and the chief speaker is Dr. Morris Carstairs, a missionary and anthropologist who was brought up and works in India. Also taking part are a Hindu scholar and a Hindu student of psychiatry. “Queen’s English” Last night. Professor Arnold Wall gave the last regular broadcast in his long-running series. “The Queen’s English.” Next Monday, at 9.30 p.m. as a finale to the series, Professor Wall will make his 290th broadcast when he will be interviewed in a farewell programme by Airini Grenneli. Failing eyesight has caused Professor Wall, who is in his 92nd year, to give up the very popular session which has brought him more than 3500 letters since it began about six years ago. It has also resulted in Professor Wall being called to the telephone at all hours of day and night to settle arguments

about the language. “The Queen’s English” will be replaced on Mondays at 915 p.m. by “Maoritanga," in which the Rev. Kingi Ihaka answers questions about the Maori language. ? Thinking Machines “When you come to a full realisation* that your ability to learn can be outstripped by a machine . . . it becomes easier to get yourself in perspective. I do not fear that to copy the abilities of the greatest of all terrestrial creations, the brain, is impious—it may well turn out to be the step that cuts us down to size.” says Stafford Beer in one of tils BBC. talks. “Thinking About Machines That Think.” Stafford Beer is a cybernetician, one of the increasingly influential body of men who are part technicians and part philosophers and who practise the new science of Cybernetics in the service of modern industry by devising automatic systems. In the first of his two talks, from 3YC at 8.7 p.m. on Sunday, he points out that machines which can think are beginning to take shape as science fact. There exist thinking machines that can learn and that have some of the unpredictability of the human brain. Space Questions How does a rocket work? How is a missile steered? How are satellites tracked? How are their signals received and interpreted? What do we learn from their orbits and instruments they carry? These are some of the questions John Stobbs asks some eminent scientists and engineers in ‘‘Looking Into Space,” • a series of five 8.8. C. programmes beginning from 3YC at 9.31 tomorrow night. Shaw Comedy Gdorge Bernard Shaw’s entertaining comedy, ‘‘The Millionairess” (3YA, 7.30 to-

night) will be known to many listeners through the recent film version with Sophia Loreti and Peter Sellers. In. tonight's N.Z.B.S. production Dorothy McKegg and Peter Read are the principals. The play tells of Epifania. the millionairess whose main characteristics are selfishness, ruthlessness, rudeness and extreme tolerance. She decides to marry an Egyptian doctor, but first sets him the task imposed on all her suitors—he must turn £l5O into £50,000 in six months. His reply is to set a similar test for her—she must earn hep living for six months with a capital of 355. New Records

One of the most popular recordings made by the wellknown operatic bass, Fernando Corena, Is of Cimarosa’s jolly little intermezzo, ‘‘ll Maestro di Capella," which illustrates the trials of an amateur conductor. Now. six or seven years after his original recording. Corena has recorded the work again, this time with the Covent Garden Opera Orchestra, and the latest version may be heard in Owen Jensen’s ‘‘New Records” programme from the YCs at 8 o’clock tonight. The programme also includes the last two movements of Mozart’s String Quintet in G minor, played by the Pro Arte Quartet with Alfred Hobday (second viola); Concerto del Sur for Guitar and Orchestra by the Mexican composer, Manuel Ponce, in which the soloist will be the great guitarist, Andre Segovia; and a new electronic work oddly entitled “Vox Humana” by Alfred Welsohn’s Cinerama Voices.