1.2 Man and Society: The Art of Living Together, pg. 5-9

1.2.1. The democratic method resolves differences using rationality and morality, but it remains a fact that political opinions are rooted in economic interest, making it extremely difficult for any but a few to view a problem without regard to their own interests.  The minority rarely accepts the "general will" or "majority mind," but waits for an opportunity to wrest control, which makes coercion always present in politics.

1.2.2. The problem with power is that it gives an inordinate portion of social privilege to itself, thereby creating the conditions for injustice.  Power, said Henry Adams, is poison.  Historically, this power was in the hands of the priests and the military, but now is falls mostly in the hands of industrial or economic overlords.  The point is that any significant social power develops social inequality.  It is hard to imagine any way to justify the degree of inequality between those in power and those without power.  The rewards for those in power are not impartially given, but determined by those in control.  The problem, however, is that individuals have a moral code that makes this inequality an outrage to their conscience.  As individuals we believe we ought to love and serve one another and live justly, but as racial, economic, and national groups we deny these moral imperatives and take whatever our power can command.  And to top it off, we create ways to deny this tragedy and hypocrisy.

NUT: Despite our moral intuitions, all significant social power develops social inequality because it gives more privilege to itself than it deserves, taking whatever it can.