22 
facto not the 
same always, 
or everywhere. 
fbr the government is made for man ; and not man for the 
government. 
39. Admitting this, it follows that a bad administration of 
society under imperfect laws would increase the difficulties of 
much responsible agency ; nor is it likely that any human 
government could secure the just responsibility of every 
individual in that degree which the instinct of praise and 
blame demands for all. A human government suitable to all 
the inequalities of capacity, power, and advantage in every 
case, however desirable, is impossible. 
It is beside our purpose here to determine 
rernment St % °de which i s even the best of human governments. 
The decision would involve all the details of an 
inquiry as to which form of government gives the 
freest scope to the individual responsible agent, 
with the least social inconvenience. What might be best in 
the abstract might not be so in certain circumstances. Nor 
are even our theories of government as yet at all satisfactory. 
Thus, if a monarchy has the merit of simplicity in its action, 
it is the most remote from a recognition of our individual 
responsibility ; and, on the other hand, if democracy aims at 
expressing the average internal agency of the responsible 
individual, it (on theory) suppresses much of the action of 
each — subordinating the part to the whole, and greatly inter- 
fering with personal action. — The personal responsibility too of 
those who, under any Government, or in any Society, have to 
act in masses, under social, military, or corporate orders, has 
to be provided for, because conscience, in fact, bears large 
witness to it; yet it evidently demands a higher regulation 
than is externally found for it in human society. 
40. At this point, all those “ varieties of responsibility,” 
and the difficulties which we admitted at the outset (§10, 
&c.), come back upon us. The attempts of society to 
adjust them, however unsatisfactorily, are admissions that 
they ought to he adjusted , and even recognize the need of 
The best hu more perfect external government of responsible 
man govern- agents than humanity can be conceived to reach, 
correct the^n- Human government settles the legal relations 
equalities of which it will permit among all members of 
the community ; and should aim to do so on 
some basis of common reason ; but the least reflection 
will convince us how imperfectly as yet this has been 
attained. But beyond this, we see not that it can do full 
justice to the higher law of responsibility inwardly acknow- 
ledged by us. If we are to trust the facts of our nature, it is 
certain that responsibility means some freedom in the con- 
