James Madison had a more positive construction of theis idea that went more or less "If all men were angels, there would be no need to restrain their actions in government; yet if all men were angels there would be no need of any government."
People are going to act according to their own self interest. All men have the potential for evil. It is by making the cost of acting evil high, whether through law, social interaction, or whatever, that the baser instincts of his behavior can be controlled.
That sad, all men are also capable of great good and altruism. It is these acts that don't need to be constrained by law. |
