Plato's Five Regimes

In my book, "Cottonwood Pass", a secretive Foundation headquartered in Colorado has a complicated operational philosophy, centered around Plato's Five Regimes. Plato, a Greek Philosopher, lived from 428 - 348 BC. Among the many influential writings of Plato, his dialogue, "The Republic," remains today as an important and influential treatise on Political Theory. In there, he describes the five states that a nation's government goes through.

In order from Plato's most desirable to the least desirable, they are:

Aristocracy -- Rule by Philosopher-Kings

Timocracy --- Rule by the honorable and wealthy

Oligarchy ---- Rule by the wealthy

Democracy -- Rule by the people, through hired representatives

Tyranny ----- Harsh and unjust rule by one who has seized power amid turmoil and civil confusion

Each form of government devolves to the one below. Democracy is never far from unhappiness since a simple majority rules; therefore potentially 49% of all citizens are unhappy at any given moment.

"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have".

~~Thomas Jefferson