If Machiavelli had used his higher mind in writing The Prince, the advice he gave to Lorenzo de' Medici might have been quite different. However, the rationale behind political expediency exists independently of the man, and many other writers have argued just as passionately for pragmatism in politics. 

From the perspective of the higher mind, pragmatism is actually a good thing, for politics will always be the art of the possible. Determining what is possible, however, is highly subjective and the vision of a leader using the higher mind can be expansive. Moreover, the means to achieve a given political objective is never a simple equation: political acts nearly always have far-reaching consequences.

Matching means to ends are strategic choices linking available resources to objectives. The choice of means is heavily influenced by a leader's ability to conceptualize options and their likely results, and to integrate many factors into one plan of operations. The higher mind greatly enhances the ability of the leader to determine and choose between options. 

Hence, the higher mind can be used in politics, especially in difficult decision-making situations, to better grasp what is pragmatically possible and to more wisely select effective means to achieve the desired goal. The higher mind also enables the leader to determine a personal set of values to guide decisions -- the topic of our next essay.