Tag Archives: Voltaire

Perfection or Nothing?

Posted on January 10, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

The French philosopher Voltaire warned that “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” Pursuit of “perfect” but impossible goals makes us reject possible goals because they’re imperfect. And we often make things even worse than they were in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Communism, Human Nature, Leftism, Leftist, Magical thinking, Perfectionism, Podhoretz, Realism, Utopia, Utopianism, Voltaire | 2 Comments

The Lowered Expectations Dating Service

Posted on June 16, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Utopian schemes try to create a perfect society. They usually cause more suffering than they cure. It’s a bad bargain. Moreover, people seldom agree on what a perfect society would be like. No matter how good it is or in … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Divine discontent, Expectations, Imperfection, Lowered expectations, Oppression, Perfectionism, Social Change, Social perfection, Utopia, Utopian, Voltaire | Leave a comment

Achievable Good Is Better Than Impossible Perfect

Posted on October 20, 2018 by N.S. Palmer

You’ve probably heard the joke about why a ham sandwich is better than eternal happiness: Nothing is better than eternal happiness. And a ham sandwich is better than nothing. A ham sandwich isn’t perfect, but it’s better than having no … Continue reading →