korrents

What Ada Palmer thinks about government

@ada-palmer · 37 positions · 0 changes of mind

Historian of the Renaissance and of the history of ideas, professor at the University of Chicago, author of Inventing the Renaissance and the Terra Ignota novels, and writer of the blog Ex Urbe.

Ada Palmer did not write this page.

We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.

4 dated positions, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what Ada Palmer has said — not written or endorsed by them.

4 positions so far — this page is not yet offered to search engines.

  1. Our readingA government only has legitimacy through long continuity, and once that thread is cut one regime change reliably becomes five.

    Their wordsWhen you break that, when you overthrow the ruler, when you dissolve the republic, when you put in a new thing, it doesn't have that same staying power. And so, it's very common when there's one regime change for there to then be five regime changes rapid-fire over and over.

    ↗Machiavelli is the most misunderstood thinker of all time – Ada Palmeryoutube.com 1st of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  3. Our readingThe papacy made Italy uniquely unstable in Europe, because each new pope inherited a precedent that he could overthrow any government he liked.

    Their wordsAnd soon we have a precedent that every new pope feels he has the authority to knock down every pawn upon the chessboard if he feels like it. Once that is the norm, even a fairly nice pope still inherits the idea that the pope is going to overthrow and replace governments. And this creates a unique instability within Italy that no other part of Europe is subject to

    ↗Machiavelli is the most misunderstood thinker of all time – Ada Palmeryoutube.com 2nd of 26 in this recording

    Europe

    Interesting

  5. Our readingThe Inquisition's image as one centralised power is its own propaganda: it was scattered isolated men who could act only as far as a local government would fund them.

    Their wordsThe Inquisition, the Vatican, it controls everything, which is completely untrue and is propagandistic. The Inquisition is overseen by a whole bunch of isolated guys who are in isolated towns and it takes weeks or months to even communicate with the Vatican and they're making their own decisions.

    ↗Machiavelli is the most misunderstood thinker of all time – Ada Palmeryoutube.com 25th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting

  7. Our readingThe Prince is not a manual for getting ahead: it is a manual for how a government keeps power and protects the lives of its people.

    Their wordsIt shouldn't It shouldn't be shelved next to How to Win Friends and Influence People because it's a manual not of how to gain power, but of how to keep power.

    ↗Machiavelli is the most misunderstood thinker of all time – Ada Palmeryoutube.com 26th of 26 in this recording

    Interesting