/kakɪˈstɒkrəsi/ · noun
Between Democray and Autocracy
Start
We are living in a democratic world. But democracy was once called 'the worst government' kakistocracy. I thought it would be meaningful to reflect on our political system and find out whether it actually is 'the worst government'.
First question · Is democracy 'the best government' or 'the worst government'? How does this word show us about modern social issues?
01 Birth
This breakdown explains the word’s historical imagery; it is not a literal modern definition.
It was a new word made artificially in the 19th century. It means the opposite of aristocracy. It was firstly used in a sermon to criticize republicans.
02 Change & ContextNext, follow how that first meaning moved, and what world it moved through.Continue to 02 Change & Context →
02 Change & Context
One card per era — the meaning it carried, and the world it carried it in.
the worst government (republic/democratic government)
“transforming… our well-temperd Monarchy into a mad kinde of Kakistocracy. Good Lord!” - Paul Gosnold Back in the 17th century, Monarchy was considered the best political system. To conservatives, republic government seemed to cause only chaos. So this pastor, probably very conservative, called it 'the worst government', kakistocracy.
the worst government (dictatorship)
“Is ours a government of the people, by the people, for the people, or a Kakistocracy rather, for the benefit of knaves at the cost of fools?” - James Russell Lowell About 200 years later, people's perceptions were completely flipped. Now the word was not against Democracy, but on dictatorship such as a Monarchy.
03 NetworkNext, see which other words this one stands beside.Continue to 03 Network →
03 Network
Tap a node to open its note and source.
04 VoicesNext, ask people what the word means to them today.Continue to 04 Voices →
04 Voices
1 person answered · 0 agreed to be quoted.
| Group | Key words from these responses |
|---|---|
| student |
05 ReflectionNext, put the first definition beside the one that survived.Continue to 05 Reflection →
05 Reflection
the worst government possible. government by the worst people. refers to a government consisted of normal people.
A kakistocracy means a rule by the least prepared/appropriate people. Its intended meaning changes with the change of the political system. Still, the word can be used for a various situations, as its meanings are vague.
I found out that the intended meaning of that word has changed over time.
Next · JournalAnd from there, the writing begins.Continue to Next · Journal →
Sources
Q&A
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