The End of Machiavellianism

"Men can't study when women are around." That's the assessment of Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock - but he's not kidding around here. In his early 20th century essay "On the Need for a Quiet College" he details his ideal educational setting. He had me cheering throughout his entire description - until he reached the above-quoted point. Since he makes it his last point, it even comes across as his main point. He argues that the distracting influence would not stop with the students, but that even his professors, who might otherwise devote decades of research to Machiavelli, would inevitably fall under the spell of womanly enchantment, "and good-bye to Machiavelli."

Hey - if the presence of women is that much more compelling than Machiavelli, then the hell with Machiavelli, I say.