Philosophy › Section K · Political philosophy › Topic K.2

Forms of government

Sorting governments into monarchies, aristocracies and democracies is the easy part. The philosophical question is which form is best, and why: because it tends to produce good results, because it treats people as equals, or both.

In this topic

  • From describing to evaluating
  • Plato's decline of regimes
  • Aristotle's six forms
  • Worked example: applying Aristotle's grid
  • Monarchy and divine right
  • Mixed government and divided power
  • Why value democracy?
  • Doubts about democracy
  • Totalitarianism
  • Worked example: weighing an epistocracy
  • Common mistakes to avoid
  • Key takeaways

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