Word of the Day
July 20, 2020
Ochlocracy
Government by the mob; a form of government in which the multitude or common people rule with absolute sway and authority, typically characterized by the dominance of passion over reason and the subordination of individual rights to majority will.
From Greek 'ochlos' (mob, populace, multitude) combined with 'kratos' (power, rule, authority). First used in English in the late 16th century to describe the degenerate form of democracy warned against by classical political philosophers.
Usage Examples
- The founders designed a constitutional republic specifically to prevent ochlocracy, ensuring that passionate majorities could not violate individual rights.
- When protestors seized city blocks and declared them autonomous zones, critics warned of ochlocracy replacing legitimate governance.
- Federalist No. 55 argued that even an assembly of philosophers would devolve into ochlocracy without proper institutional constraints.
From the Show
The concept of ochlocracy pervaded the July 20th broadcast as Allen Thomas explained how America’s founders studied classical warnings about mob rule and designed constitutional safeguards to protect individual liberty from passionate majorities.