One of the most powerful ideas I've come across is Arrow's impossibility theorem, which basically states that you don't get a lot of nice group choice outcomes without a dictator in the mix. It's a math formulation, so its not commenting on the realities of a despot, but rather, someone's choices will always dominate if you want a certain set of properties in the decision making.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow%27s_impossibility_theore...