New Glossary Entry: Kakistocracy

I thought pathocracy described our current system, but it might be even worse than that – we might have a Kakistocracy!!

EtymologyEdit

Ancient Greek κάκιστος ‎(kákistos, “worst”), superlative of κακός ‎(kakós, “bad”) + -κρατια ‎(-kratia, “power, rule, government”).

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /kækɪsˈtɑkɹəsi/

NounEdit

kakistocracy ‎(plural kakistocracies)

1. Government under the control of a nation’s worst or least-qualified citizens.
   • 1894, James Russell Lowell, Letters of James Russell Lowell – To Joel Benton [1876], p.159:

     Is ours a “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” or a kakistocracy rather, for the benefit of knaves at the cost of fools?

   • 1999, Gang Deng, The Premodern Chinese Economy: Structural Equilibrium and Capitalist Sterility:

     Thus, the problem was not whether corruption/power abuse was allowed, but how to keep a balance between uprightness and kakistocracy.

   • 2000, Tom H. Hastings, Ecology of War and Peace: Counting the Cost of Conflict:

     Some nation-states have suffered what the Greeks called kakistocracy—government by the worst of men. International law can, in theory if not always in practice, keep these kakistocracies from damaging too much.

h/t @freedomactradio