ABSTRACT
Utopias, whatever their shape, are fantasies. Human beings are never totally happy. A completely egalitarian society is alluring because it promises calm sailing into the indefinite future. Likewise, in a hierarchical society, people can cooperate in their efforts to reduce the injuries done to the most vulnerable members of their community. Suffering cannot be eliminated, but it can be controlled. No complex society can exist without a complex division of labor. In a society in which long-term heterosexual relationships have become voluntary, they have learned that a dual-concern approach is essential. In contemporary America, most people describe themselves as belonging to a segment of society he considered trivial. For social mobility to operate effectively, a society’s rules must be equitable. A constitutional democracy, in short, can diminish losses by ensuring that people can redress grievances. Improvements in personal relationships are likewise feasible. Advocates of “free love” once assumed that only temporary liaisons could be satisfying.
