The "best" form of government

[Voice(of)Reason]

Def. I: best - completing the function of a form of government ("to facilitate expressions of power") the most effectively, or efficiently, or both

Through the Objectivist lens, I would think the following statement would describe the government which is "best":

"It is never true that a ‘form of government’ which does not exist can ever complete this functional purpose because it is only hypothetical. The best ‘form of government’ is always one which meets the objective standard of existence, completing its function in reality."

I figured that with the emphasis upon existence and reality, that the primacy of this existent government would be best. To contrast, "forms of government" which do not exist in a certain state cannot be considered "best" or "better" than the one which is in place.

However, I realize that this is not the Objectivist viewpoint. Rand favored minarchism for the United States; it is then appropriate to say she would consider minarchism "best" or "better" than the current form of government in the United States. However, wouldn't reality say that the actual existent form of government completes this function "better" than one which is merely hypothetical or idealistic?

Please help me figure out what is wrong with the quoted statement ("It is never...") above.

Edited April 26, 2008 by Voice(of)Reason

[DavidOdden]

The concept "best" always implies a context. "Give me the best knife" means nothing unless there is at least implicitly a set of knives that you are talking about. The US possibly has the "best" government, among existing governments. Before that, the English tyrant George 3.0 was probably the "best" ruler. That does not preclude working for a better government ("better" is also contextual -- compare and evaluate two things).

The idea of "best imaginable" is a useless idea, as far as I can determine, since it depends on how fanciful one's imagination can be. The "best possible" is a more reasonable goal. It it related to reason ("possible" is not the same as "imaginable"), and as the name implies pertains to the potential, not just the actual. Because governments are man-made, it is quite valid to talk about the best government possible -- it describes something that man could create.

Consider the notion of the "best choice". Until the choice is made, all choices are potential and not actual; if the "best" is limited to just the actual, there there is no such thing as making the best choice, which makes the concept of rational morality pretty empty. Solution: "best" doesn't just pertain to the actual.