The U.S. Constitution in Five Minutes - Joseph L. Smith
3. Human Nature and the Constitution
The U.S. Constitution in Five Minutes - Joseph L. Smith
David Lay Williams [+]
DePaul University
David Lay Williams is Professor of Political Science at DePaul University. His research address issues in the history of political thought, especially the 18th century.
Description
This essay sketches the Constitutional debates during ratification pertaining to human nature -- are people fundamentally good or bad? -- and traces the resulting constitutional principles. The essay argues that despite the acknowledged flaws of human nature, the Founders also understood humanity to possess a degree of virtue essential for the smooth functioning of the constitutional system.