The Case Against Monarchy

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The Case Against Monarchy

The idea that a monarchy is the ideal form of government is a fallacy. Al-Farabi and Aquinas’ ideas about government are wrong, and are filled with irreparable holes. In modern times, the idea of a monarchy has become counter-intuitive and counter-productive. A democratic republic paired with an educated and empowered middle-class is the solution to the quandary of how to create the perfect government. While the ideas of the Arabic philosophers are interesting, there ideas on the perfection of monocratic rule are outdated by both new technology and new ideas

Al-Farabi says that, “what is intended by man's existence is that he attains supreme happiness (Bailey 285).” Al-Farabi’s fixation is on that of what makes up the ideal “virtuous city”. In his ideal city, one supreme ruler who has vast amounts of knowledge commands and directs the subordinate classes. Al-Farabi lays out what makes up an ignorant city. He says a bad society is overly fixated on “bare necessities”, “wealth”, “sensual pleasures”, fame, “domination”, or “freedom” (Bailey 289). According to Al-Farabi, the ideal society is ruled by someone who can manage the problems of society or “weeds” (Bailey 289). Al-Farabi argues for a strictly monocratic government, ruled by someone who can fight temptation.

St. Thomas Aquinas believes that, "tyranny is more likely to develop from rule of the many than that of one person. Therefore monarchy is preferable (Aquinas 21).” Aquinas believes that, “dissension among the rulers leads to general dissension." He thinks that, “nearly all governments by the many have entered into tyranny, as is demonstrated in the case of the Roman commonwealth (Aquinas 23).” Aquinas compares the king to the captain of the s...

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...lta (ed.), URL = .

Thomas, and Paul E. Sigmund. St. Thomas Aquinas on Politics and Ethics. New York: Norton,

1988. Print.

Wikipedia contributors. "Abolished monarchy." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia,

The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Wikipedia contributors. "List of countries by date of transition to republican system of

government." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Wikipedia contributors . "Plato's five regimes." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia,

The Free Encyclopedia, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Wikipedia contributors. "Social contract." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The

Free Encyclopedia, 14 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

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