Introduction

What is the point of writing a book about “The Good Society”? Is it just a chance to take another pleasant excursion into the world of comforting fantasy? Why is the Good Society even worth thinking and talking about? If it is in fact true – as the Declaration of Independence so confidently proclaims – that “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” really are unalienable rights with which every human being is endowed, it only makes sense for us to think about whether it is pragmatic or even possible to create a real-world society that can actually deliver on that promise. A society that supports and encourages people in the reification of those precious unalienable rights would certainly be one worthy of being called a Good Society.