“In Order to form a more perfect Union”

Founding Quote of The Week

How subtle and interesting is it that our founding document starts out by declaring the ultimate purpose of our Constitution in a way that aims us towards an unreachable goal? Perfection of anything is impossible, and who can define perfection anyways? A ‘perfect Union’ would be a different thing for different people. But the Founders were wise enough to purposefully not promise perfection, but only aim us towards it.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (emphasis mine)

This particular part of the preamble, a part of the Constitution evolved from early church covenants, highlights an important world view held by the Founding Fathers. Thomas Sowell, famed economist and one of my intellectual heroes named this world view ‘The Constrained Vision’.

A ‘Constrained’ world view assumes no perfect end state. There is no utopia (Greek world for ‘no place’.) It assumes that human nature is essentially permanent and government serves to guide the possibilities of the human endeavor…