The Timocracy It is a system of government conceived in antiquity, in which its members are limited to all those citizens who possess valuable properties or a specific amount of capital, considered abundant.
All those individuals who do not comply with these conditions are excluded from participating in government decisions.
This form of government was developed initially within the Greek society, at a time close to 600 a.C. On its structure and systematic characteristics, authors like Solón and the same one reflected Plato .
Timocracy has never been considered among the ideal forms of government within a Republic.
With a semantic derivation from Greek, from the words timé (value, honor) and krátia (government), the timocracy has also been defined as a system based on the search for honor by its officials.
However, honor can also be transfigured in value, which can be applied to material goods.
The two main philosophical conceptions of antiquity about the timocracy are the result of the thought of Plato and Aristotle .
They have been able to find descriptions and reflections about the timocracy in other times such as the medieval and classical.
Characteristics of the timocracy
Before the reflections on the timocracy that made Plato and Aristotle, the Greek also Solon was the first to offer a description of the timorous system.
He referred to it as formally similar to the oligarchy, in which citizens would have a level of participation in politics that would be proportional to their social class, and their metric capacity of production for a year.
Under the platonic proposals, the timocracy is conceived as a system of government in which its rulers and members are motivated by the ambition of honor and glory.
He Aristotelian thought it presents it as a form of government in which political power is directly related to the possession of property.
Although the description postulated by Aristotle is the most common in terms of the timocracy, it is also considered a necessary stage in the search and consolidation of democracy.
In an evolutionary society that seeks the consolidation of a democratic government under a republican system, the timocracy can be manifested as a stage of a century or less, before advancing to another previous form of democracy.
The timorous rulers have no regard for the civil and social responsibility that every form of government must have, with greater consideration in today's society.
Plato considered the timocracy as one of the negative or unjust forms of government, capable of corrupting the state, to make it descend to much worse systems.
The timocracy is able to evolve negatively to another form of exclusive government such as the plutocracy, in which the rich and owners, already made with power, begin to use it for the sole purpose of increasing their own wealth.
Another common aspect of the timocracy and that was manifested mainly in the Greek city of Sparta, was militarism.
In a society where military features represent the highest levels of hierarchy, participation in government would be limited to the military status of each of its members.
Timocrat conceptions about property
Solón, mentioned above, broke down the levels of citizen participation within a timocracy in four, based on the measurement of how many fanegas (unit of volumetric measurement of the time used for agricultural activities) were capable of producing annually.
Pentacosiomedimans
The Pentacosiomedimnos belonged to the highest level of the political scale of Solón. This Greek denomination was popularly translated as the"men of the 500 fanegas", capable of generating such an annual production, which made them deserving of privileges and benefits within the governmental system.
This consideration made them eligible to opt for the highest government positions within the city of Athens. They could also ascend to the rank of General within the ranks of the Greek army.
Hippeis
Also known as the cavalry of the Greek society of Solon. Knights under this denomination were the second highest class at the political and social level.
They were able to generate more than 300 fanegas of goods when the common citizen could produce a maximum of 200.
These gentlemen offered their service to the State within the ranks of the army, mainly. Thanks to their contributions and their condition, they were allowed to acquire and maintain war horses, which increased their condition.
Zteugias
Under this classification were the members of the third level of Greek society at the time. Citizens who produced up to 200 fanegas of goods annually were considered.
These citizens could own some beasts of burden for the transport of their goods. At the political level, the Zeugites were allowed to hold minor political positions, as well as being in charge of certain state institutions.
It is estimated that over the centuries, the political opportunities of the Zeugites were increasing.
On the military side, the Zeugites could join the Greek army as hoplites. By then, anyone who wanted to be a hoplite could do so as long as he could afford his own armor and phalanx.
In order to fulfill this condition, an amount of tasks must be produced annually as the Zeugites did.
Tetes
Tetes were considered the lowest class of Athenian society under Solon's thymic system.
They represented approximately half of the Athenian population and produced less than 200 fanegas of goods annually.
Because they worked constantly for their subsistence, they did not have privilege and their political participation was limited, but null.
The considered tetes did not have enough income to qualify as zeugitas, and although they were impossible to aspire to judicial positions or of magistrates, they had participation in the Athenian Assembly.
They could also participate in the approval of laws, as well as in the election of senior officials such as judges, generals and discussions about the tax mechanisms of the polis.
References
- Ferré, M. S. (1996). From timocracy to democracy. Reis: Spanish Journal of Sociological Research , 227-256.
- Online Etymology Dictionary. (s.f.). Timocracy . Retrieved from Online Etimology Dictionary: etymonline.com/word/timocracy
- Ortega, D. H. (2006). 'In Every Neighborhood': Timocracy, Panopticism and the Landscape of a Normalized Community. Culture Machine .
- Portillo, H. J. (s.f.). THE THOUGHT OF PLATO AND ARISTOTLE AS A BACKGROUND OF POLITICAL SCIENCE. University , 175-191.
- Ramose, M. B. (2010). The death of democracy and the resurrection of timocracy. Journal of Moral Education , 291-303.