Five hundred years ago, philosophers and scientists were sure that Earth was stationary and at the center of the universe. In 1543, Copernicus challenged their world view. Rather than consider the evidence, the leading thinkers and teachers of the world ridiculed his work, calling it heretical. It took almost 100 years before they would accept that Earth was just another planet rotating around the sun.

This snapshot in history reveals an unpleasant though inescapable truth. Although the privileged, intelligent and educated are typically responsible for advancing the sciences, sometimes the experts get it wrong. When they do, they tend to hinder progress (often for long periods) by discouraging those who would dare to challenge the accepted view.

If history has taught us anything, it is that other truths are waiting to be dis-covered. They have been overlooked largely because false assumptions interfere with the process of investigation and analysis. If we are to uncover these truths, we must be willing to reconsider accepted beliefs — even those cherished and long held. After all, if there is anything we have learned for sure, it is that some things of which we are certain are surely wrong.

One premise that warrants questioning is of enormous importance; it is our understanding of human nature. If the accepted view were correct, the trillions
of dollars spent on our social problems should have resolved them long ago. The reverse is also true. If we have been applying the wrong theory of human nature when making public policy and when constructing social programs, we should expect public policies to be ineffective and social programs to fail.

After more than seventy years of trial and error, the evidence is in and the results are conclusive. Despite spending trillions of dollars on America's social problems, we have yet to resolve even one. In fact, every negative condition has gotten worse. Following the logic, government's wholesale failure at resolving our nation's problems indicates that the prevailing theory of human nature must be wrong.

This is a profound realization. Imagine attempting to construct a high-rise building while applying the formula 1+1=3. No matter how much time and effort we invest in the project and how much we spend on workers and materials, the building would come out crooked. Our analogy explains why the Democrats and Republicans have failed to fix America's social problems, why they cannot balance the budget, why they have run up a 12+ trillion dollar debt and why they have caused so many citizens to become dependent on government. They are not crooks or buffoons. They simply have been working from the wrong formula when making public policy and when constructing social programs.

Nothing could be more important to us individually and collectively than determining the correct nature of human beings. Our view of human nature is much like a mathematical formula that we apply to life's many problems. As a country and civilization, we simply cannot (and will not) survive long term if we continue to embrace the wrong view (theory) of human nature.