{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.aristocracy","code":"thing-q123432","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q123432/","name":"aristocracy","alternateNames":["Lebanese nobility","Civic nobility in the Papal States' March of Ancona","civic nobility","aristocratic republic","Phoolka"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.ORG"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A form of government or social order in which power is held by a small privileged class, in classical theory the rule of the best, and in historical practice a hereditary nobility with titles, land and legal privileges; aristocracies existed in ancient city-states, medieval and early modern Europe and elsewhere, and the term also names the noble class itself and survives in titles and social prestige after political power has passed.","purpose":"Let an agent explain aristocracy as a form of government and as a social class with attribution to political theory and history, distinguish it from oligarchy, monarchy and nobility as a rank system, relay historical examples and present debates with attribution.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Hereditary privilege","Classical and historical senses","Titles, land and legal status","Survival as social prestige after political decline"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"concept","name":"Concept","description":"What aristocracy means.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Senses.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What does aristocracy mean in political theory and in history, and how do the senses differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a form of government, a social class or a rank system?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"distinctions","name":"Distinctions","description":"Related concepts.","findings":[{"id":"distinctions-finding","name":"Distinctions","description":"Distinctions.","questions":[{"text":"How does aristocracy differ from oligarchy, monarchy and plutocracy?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the related concept?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Aristocracies in history.","layers":[{"id":"examples","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","findings":[{"id":"examples-finding","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","questions":[{"text":"What aristocracies existed in different periods and regions, with sources?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific nobility?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"decline","name":"Decline","description":"Decline and survival.","findings":[{"id":"decline-finding","name":"Decline","description":"Decline.","questions":[{"text":"How did aristocratic power decline, and what survives today?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"theory","name":"Theory","description":"Political thought.","layers":[{"id":"classical","name":"Classical","description":"Classical theory.","findings":[{"id":"classical-finding","name":"Classical","description":"Classical.","questions":[{"text":"How did Plato, Aristotle and later thinkers treat aristocracy, with attribution?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"debates","name":"Debates","description":"Modern debates.","findings":[{"id":"debates-finding","name":"Debates","description":"Debates.","questions":[{"text":"What debates exist about elites, meritocracy and inherited privilege, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits elite theory?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"society","name":"Society","description":"Class and culture.","layers":[{"id":"class","name":"Class","description":"Aristocracy as class.","findings":[{"id":"class-finding","name":"Class","description":"Class.","questions":[{"text":"How do sociologists describe aristocratic classes and their culture?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits social class?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"titles","name":"Titles","description":"Titles and law.","findings":[{"id":"titles-finding","name":"Titles","description":"Titles.","questions":[{"text":"What is the legal status of titles and privileges in different countries today?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits titles of nobility?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain aristocracy in classical theory and in historical practice.","Distinguish aristocracy, nobility and oligarchy with sources.","Relay how titles and privileges survive or were abolished in particular countries."],"mustNot":["Present contested historical judgements about aristocracies as fact.","Romanticise or condemn aristocracy without attributing the view.","Help anyone claim a noble title they do not hold.","Disclose private information about members of titled families beyond public records."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing claims about a named family's titles or lineage."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Aristocracies held power over others, and their legacy still affects land and wealth.","Fake titles are used in fraud."],"affectedParties":["Descendants of privileged and subordinated groups","Readers and learners","Members of titled families"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the concept; states regulate any surviving titles.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q20076236","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q79751","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"state system","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"oligarchy","type":"related","note":"rule by the few"},{"target":"nobility","type":"related","note":"the rank system"},{"target":"democracy","type":"related","note":"rule by the people"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.aristocracy","Wikidata: Q123432 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123432)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Rule or privilege of a hereditary elite","Classical sense of rule by the best","Oligarchy is rule by the few generally; nobility is the rank system","Not a visible object; seen in institutions, titles and estates."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the concept in theory and practice","distinguish aristocracy from related concepts","relay historical examples with sources","present debates with attribution"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing aristocracy, oligarchy and nobility","Romanticising or condemning without attribution","Presenting contested historical judgements as fact"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Constitutional provisions abolishing or retaining noble privileges","Rules on titles and honours in some countries"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; a form of government and social order.","aristocracy as a form of government in classical theory","hereditary nobilities of Europe","aristocratic republics such as Venice","civic and patrician nobilities","aristocracies outside Europe","aristocracy as a social class today"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q123432: aristocracy","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123432","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Aristocracy","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristocracy","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should nobility be a separate entry?","How should historical sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific nobilities and a caste; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q123432/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q123432/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T21:17:38Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:53+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}