The USA should care about functioning societies.
Yet only position (2), non-relativistic conservatism, can express the conservative criterion of a well-functioning society, in terms of organic tradition; there is no such thing, in these terms, as a "reasonably functioning totalitarian society".
To take an analogy, suppose a well-functioning society depends on the belief in God, whether or not God actually exists.
I'm not quite sure in what sense the great number of people who hold these jobs essential for a well-functioning society constitute "entrenched special interests".
Although Thailand has been burdened with tumultuous politics for decades, it has also been, by many measures, an economic success story and a well-functioning society, consistently outperforming almost all of its neighbors.
"There is real puzzlement here about America today," said Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, "because we learned all about what it takes to build a well-functioning society from you.
As technology becomes ever pertinent in a well-functioning society, countless cities, from Boston to Berlin to Bangalore, have been dubbed the "next Silicon Valley".
To protect public health and ensure a well-functioning society, potable water systems must be protected from intentional damage and attack, but it is also important that thorough planning is conducted to prepare for intentional or accidental contamination.
For now, you can just go back to being jealous of our beautiful people, our magnificent landscape and our astoundingly well-functioning society.
This is the metaphor of the invisible hand, which makes it seem as if the narrow pursuit of self-interest miraculously results in a well-functioning society.
Communication is a basic, fundamental part of any functioning society.
