WHAT IS TIMOCRACY? CHARACTERISTICS AND CONCEPTIONS - PHILOSOPHY - 2025

The timocracy is a system of government conceived in ancient times, 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 initially developed within Greek society, around 600 BC. Authors such as Solon and Plato himself reflected on its structure and systematic characteristics.

Timocracy has never been considered among the ideal forms of government within a Republic.

With a semantic derivation from the Greek, from the words timé (value, honor) and krátia (government), timocracy has also been defined as a system that is based on the search for honor by its officials.

However, honor can also be transfigured into value, which can be applied to material goods.

The two main philosophical conceptions of antiquity about timocracy are the result of the thought of Plato and Aristotle.

Descriptions and reflections on timocracy have been found in other eras such as medieval and classical.

Characteristics of the timocracy

Before Plato and Aristotle's reflections on timocracy, Solon, also a Greek, was the first to offer a description of the timocratic 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 for production for a year.

Under Platonic approaches, timocracy is conceived as a system of government in which its rulers and members are motivated by the ambition of honor and glory.

Aristotelian thought 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 regard to timocracy, this is also considered a necessary stage in the search for and consolidation of democracy.

In an evolving society that seeks the consolidation of a democratic government under a republican system, timocracy may manifest itself as a stage lasting 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 should have, with greater consideration in today's society.

Plato considered timocracy as one of the negative or unjust forms of government, capable of corrupting the State, to make it descend into much worse systems.

The timocracy is capable of negatively evolving into another exclusive form of government such as the plutocracy, in which the rich and owners, already in power, begin to use it for the sole purpose of increasing their own wealth.

Another common aspect of the timocracies, which manifested itself mainly in the Greek city of Sparta, was militarism.

In a society where military traits represent the highest levels of hierarchy, participation in government would be limited to the military condition of each of its members.

Thymocratic conceptions of property

Solón, mentioned above, broke down the levels of citizen participation within a timocracy into four, based on the measurement of how many bushels (volumetric measurement unit of the time used for agricultural activities) they were capable of producing annually.

Pentacosiomedimnos

The Pentacosiomedimnos belonged to the highest level of the political scale of Solon. This Greek name was popularly translated as the "men with 500 bushels", capable of generating such a high annual production that they were worthy of privileges and benefits within the governmental system.

This consideration made them eligible to run for the highest government positions within the city of Athens. They could also rise 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 name were the second highest class politically and socially.

They were capable of generating more than 300 bushels of goods when the common citizen produced a maximum of 200.

These knights 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 status.

Zteugias

Under this classification were the members of the third level of Greek society at that time. Citizens who produced up to 200 bushels of goods annually were considered.

These citizens could own some beasts of burden to transport their goods. At the political level, the Zeugitas were allowed to hold minor political positions, as well as to take charge of certain state institutions.

It is estimated that over the centuries, the political opportunities of the Zeugites have increased.

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 they could afford their own armor and phalanx.

To meet this condition, a number of tasks such as the one achieved by the Zeugitas had to be produced annually.

Tetes

The Tetes were considered the lowest class in Athenian society under the timocratic system of Solon.

They represented about half of the Athenian population and produced less than 200 bushels of goods annually.

Because they worked constantly for their subsistence, they did not have privilege and their political participation was limited, if not nil.

Those considered Tetes did not have sufficient income to be classified as Zeugitas, and although it was impossible for them to aspire to judicial or magistrate positions, they had participation in the Athenian Assembly.

They could also participate in the approval of laws, as well as in the election of higher-ranking officials such as judges, generals, and discussions about the tax mechanisms of the polis.

References

1. Ferré, MS (1996). From timocracy to democracy. Reis: Spanish Journal of Sociological Research, 227-256.
2. Online Etymology Dictionary. (sf). Timocracy. Retrieved from Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com/word/timocracy
3. Ortega, DH (2006). 'En Cada Barrio': Timocracy, Panopticism and the Landscape of a Normalized Community. Culture Machine.
4. Portillo, HJ (sf). THE THOUGHT OF PLATO AND ARISTOTLE AS ANTECEDENTS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE. The University, 175-191.
5. Ramose, MB (2010). The death of democracy and the resurrection of timocracy. Journal of Moral Education, 291-303.