Although utopian ideals were still very much intellectually important in the 18th century, I think our Founding Fathers were well aware that trying to institute a fully baked utopian system of government was a futile exercise. There are aspects of human nature, evil and greed among them, that are certainly fatal to utopian schemes, but utopia is impossible even if one could eliminate those aspects. The concept of utopia presumes that all values, all ultimate moral ends, are not only the same for everyone, at all times and in all places, but that they also fit together neatly and rationally without conflict, and we know (or at least I believe) that neither of these things are true. Because individuals assign differing weights/priorities to ultimate values, and because some ultimate values conflict, there is no discoverable “Correct” solution. Just look at the comments in these fascinating KK dialogues – two commenters debate how much happiness is desirable and whether some pain and suffering is maybe not such a bad thing. If we can’t agree on happiness as a goal, or even how much happiness is appropriate or beneficial as a goal, or what it is that actually achieves happiness, how can we ever agree on anything? Well, we just have to work it out, and that is the brilliance of our system of government. It requires discussion and dialogue; no one faction can force its conception of values or goals on another. Whatever degrades this aspect of our government weakens and corrupts it.