The entire tradition of political theory seems to agree on one basic principle: only “the one” can rule, whether that one be conceived as the monarch, the state, the nation, the people, or the party. The three traditional forms of government that form the basis of ancient and modern political thought – monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy – reduce, from this perspective, to one single form. aristocracy may be the rule of the few, but only in so far as these few are united in one single body or voice. democracy, similarly, can be conceived as the rule of the many or all, but only insofar as they are unified as “the people” or some such single subject. It should be clear, however, that this mandate of political thought that only the one can rule undermines and negates the concept of democracy. Democracy, along with aristocracy in this respect, is merely a façade because power is de facto monarchical.

when my powers clash with the powers of another man they are reduced to nothing; and this is due to the fact the other is, as it were, another me – a creature belonging to the same species that I do and thus endowed with capacities and means that are essentially equal to my own.