absolutist

An absolutist is a adherent of absolutism, a political doctrine that emphasizes centralized, unchecked sovereign authority. In early modern Europe, absolutists argued that the ruler’s power should be supreme and not constrained by parliaments, estates, or constitutional limits, often invoking divine right or perceived necessity of strong government. Rulers commonly cited as emblematic figures include Louis XIV of France, Peter the Great of Russia, and Frederick William I of Prussia, who built centralized bureaucracies, controlled taxation, and subordinated regional nobles to the state.

Absolutism is distinct from constitutionalism and the rule of law, though in practice the reach of power varied. Critics argued that unlimited authority threatened liberty and accountability, and could foster autocratic governance. The approach declined in many countries during the late 18th and early 19th centuries as Enlightenment ideas and revolutions promoted legal limits on power and constitutional frameworks.

The term absolutist also appears in ethics, referring to moral absolutism—the view that certain actions are universally right or wrong regardless of context or consequences. Moral absolutists maintain the existence of fixed, objective moral truths that apply everywhere, which is a separate sense from political absolutism and a central topic in metaethics and normative ethics.