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Definition:
The term oligarchy means,
quite literally, "rule by a few." It is used to refer to any political
system where just a few people control the mechanisms of political power for an entire
society. An aristocratic political system is an oligarchy because only a few people
in society - those who are members of the aristocracy - rule.
In theory, any set of characteristics can be used to determine who belongs to the class of people which rules: heredity, intelligence, beauty, height, etc.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What are Political and Legal Philosophy
The Philosophy of Politics and the Philosophy of Law are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community, while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
