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‘The
Great’,
‘the
Philosopher-Ruler’,

‘the
Dhammaraja’,
and
‘the
Enlightened

Absolutism’:
Concept
and
application 1

Chaiyan Chaiyaporn 2

Abstract

This article is a brief and primary survey of concepts regarding
rulers, originating from ancient times or pre-Christian era to the
Enlightenment era, to modern times. The study covers both Western

and Eastern concepts, including the concepts of the Great King, the
Dhammaraja or king of virtue, Confucius’s Sage King and Plato’s

Philosopher-King, and the benevolent despot of enlightened absolutism.
The article emphasizes the study, explanation, analysis, and criticism of
the concept of enlightened absolutism because this concept, when

compared to the older concepts, could be more relevant to the modern
context and applicable for evaluation of rulers or kings in this era, both

in theoretical and practical terms. The study also notes the limitations
of applying this concept, and provides recommendations for focusing
on knowledge and virtues of people and politicians in the new

administrative system. In addition, the article points out that it is not
necessary to expect the people and politicians to have such noble

qualifications if the principles and protocols of the system do not allow
any person to possess absolute power. The principles and protocols of
such a system are called the principles of mixed constitution.

st
1 Accompanying document for 1 Group Discussion : “The Concept of
th
Dhammaraja and the Philosopher-King”, the 15 conference of King Prajadhipok’s
th
th
Institute in 2013 on the topic of “Dhammaraja”, November 8 -10 , 2013, at the
United Nations Conference Center, Rajadamnern-nork Road, Bangkok.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Government, Faculty of Political Science,
Chulalongkorn University.