Discussion: "Philosophy and Scary Monarchs" (introduced & chaired by Rick Lewis)

DISCUSSION: "Philosophy and Scary Monarchs" (Rick Lewis)

Many philosophers believed monarchs to be dangerous and unpredictable. Enlightenment philosopher Thomas Hobbes even likened absolute monarchs to monsters. Niccolo Machiavelli teaches us that “Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.” Yet many of them believed monarchy to be the most efficient and stable form of government. Is monarchy inherently flawed? Does it have distinct advantages over democracy? We will discuss ideas about monarchy by philosophers as diverse as Aristotle, Machiavelli and Bertrand Russell.