- Political theory - A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a
complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable
distribution of property and labor. In popular usage, the term is often
employed to indicate any lawless, revolutionary social scheme. See
Communism, Fourierism, Saint-Simonianism, forms of socialism.
- The philosophical system of Thomas Hobbes, an English
materialist (1588-1679); esp., his political theory that the most
perfect form of civil government is an absolute monarchy with despotic
control over everything relating to law, morals, and religion.