This student-led panel aims to examine the continuity and changes in ancient and modern conceptions of tyranny. Taken individually, each paper will explore a philosophical text and its bearings on the concept of tyranny, while taken together, the panel will help us explore and contrast the different understandings of tyranny presented by both ancient and modern thinkers.
Tyranny has played an essential role in the development of political philosophy since its inception. Directly and indirectly in texts such as Xenophon's Hiero, Plato's Hipparchus, and Plutarch's Parallel Lives, as well as Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy, Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, and Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, philosophers have had to contend with the figure of the tyrant as a human being, as a ruler, as a regime type and as a social structure. Each of these aspects sheds light on the tension between the tyrant’s desires and the political communities they attempt to subdue. These contentions are still relevant to us, not merely as historical curiosities but as threats to democratic government. Special attention must be paid to the convergence of tyranny and autocracy, where the state apparatus is directed to fulfil the desires of the tyrant over and against serving the common good.
This panel provides a unique opportunity to investigate tyranny's philosophical dimensions and its enduring relevance. The papers will employ close readings and contextual analysis to explore, question, and present the philosophical arguments with a focus on their historical and philosophical contexts, while also investigating the deeper intentions and implications embedded in the works. In analysing both classical and modern accounts, we aim to enhance our understanding of tyranny's defining traits and to cultivate insights for addressing contemporary challenges to democracy. In a time when democratic institutions face rising authoritarianism and systemic inequality, understanding the philosophical underpinnings of tyranny is more crucial than ever.