The job of governing appears easy for those who don’t do it. The difficult part is in understanding how actual, not idealized or simplistic governance, is best accomplished. The conclusion is that human nature must be given its due. A society based on capitalism and freedom could be perfect–except for the human condition: man’s imperfectability. In order to make the best of what’s possible after taking into account our limitations, the authors we study in _First Principles_ note what should work and then define what actually does. In the small, modern world in which we live there is no refuge from political reality, and there is no room for innocence. If we do not confront the facts of our social and cultural existence, including the government we choose to order our world, those facts will eventually confront us–at that point we will be at a disadvantage. From John Locke to William F. Buckley, Jr., _First Principles_ reviews the foundational authors who contributed to the development of American government and are still shaping it today.