I reckon that, as soon as anyone starts seriously believing a system of government is at bottom rooted in justice and loveliness, they’ve let their sceptical guard down and are inviting the unavoidably imperfect to descend into the downright hellish. The world has never been fair, and cannot be made fair, and claims that it can are foolish or dishonest. It can be made fairer and attempts to make it less fair can be resisted. Optimistic realists seek improvement, not perfection.
