Context - Machiavellianism

Machiavellianism is "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct".

'In modern psychology, Machiavellianism is one of the dark triad personalities, characterised by a duplicitous interpersonal style, a cynical disregard for morality, and a focus on self-interest and personal gain.' - Wikipedia 

This idea is essentially the contextual reference that spurred on the reptlilian theory 

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli 

• 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527
• Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer of the Renaissance period.
• often called the father of modern political science. 
• He was for many years a senior official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. 
• wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. 
• His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. 
• He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. 
• He wrote his most renowned work The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513.
• "Machiavellianism" is a widely used negative term to characterise unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described most famously in The Prince.
• Machiavelli described immoral behaviour, such as dishonesty and killing innocents, as being normal and effective in politics, and even seemed to endorse it in some situations. 
• The book itself gained notoriety when some readers claimed that the author was teaching evil, and providing "evil recommendations to tyrants to help them maintain their power."
• The term "Machiavellian" is often associated with political deceit, deviousness, and realpolitik.
• On the other hand, many commentators, such as Baruch Spinoza, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot, have argued that Machiavelli was actually a republican, even when writing The Prince, and his writings were an inspiration to Enlightenment proponents of modern democratic political philosophy.
•  In one place for example he noted his admiration for the selfless Roman dictator Cincinnatus.