"It is a just political maxim, that every man must be supposed a knave"
About this Quote
Democracy, in Hume's telling, runs best when it stops flattering you. "Every man must be supposed a knave" lands with the cold snap of Enlightenment realism: not a claim that people are always evil, but that political design can’t afford to bet on virtue. The line is calibrated to offend polite optimism, because Hume is trying to reframe what counts as "just" in politics. Justice here isn’t moral purity; it’s reliability under pressure.
The intent is institutional, not misanthropic. Hume is writing in a Britain still haunted by civil war, faction, patronage, and the everyday bribery of influence. In that world, appeals to honor are cheap, and the real question is how to make private incentives align with public outcomes. The subtext: the most dangerous political fantasy is the "good man" theory of government, the idea that a wise ruler, a virtuous class, or a trusted party can substitute for structure.
The maxim works because it weaponizes a stereotype to discipline power. Treat officials as if they will cheat, and you get mechanisms like checks and balances, transparent rules, divided authority, and predictable enforcement. Treat them as saints, and you get discretion, exceptions, and eventually a scandal you’ll pretend was unforeseeable.
Hume’s cynicism is strategic: a low expectation of character is how a free society protects itself without needing constant heroism. It’s a theory of governance built for ordinary humans, not angels on campaign posters.
The intent is institutional, not misanthropic. Hume is writing in a Britain still haunted by civil war, faction, patronage, and the everyday bribery of influence. In that world, appeals to honor are cheap, and the real question is how to make private incentives align with public outcomes. The subtext: the most dangerous political fantasy is the "good man" theory of government, the idea that a wise ruler, a virtuous class, or a trusted party can substitute for structure.
The maxim works because it weaponizes a stereotype to discipline power. Treat officials as if they will cheat, and you get mechanisms like checks and balances, transparent rules, divided authority, and predictable enforcement. Treat them as saints, and you get discretion, exceptions, and eventually a scandal you’ll pretend was unforeseeable.
Hume’s cynicism is strategic: a low expectation of character is how a free society protects itself without needing constant heroism. It’s a theory of governance built for ordinary humans, not angels on campaign posters.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
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