Madison argues in this paper that the ‘diversity in the faculty on man’ is the driving cause of where the ‘rights of property originate’. In essence this is an argument imposed by the leaders of societies throughout history, namely that there is a certain virtue or natural order to those in the ruling class. No doubt Madison envisioned this difference in faculty as a reasoned argument for outlining that a republic governed by those with superior faculty is far superior a governmental framework than a democracy where the populist power lies with those of inferior faculty.
Ironically for a group that viewed themselves as a dispossessed people being ruled under a foreign monarchy, the integration of a social order defined by ‘faculty’ imposes the arbitrary and moralist rationale to a people that sought to remove themselves from the oppressive yoke of absolute monarchy. If anything this is just the next evolution of thinking from monarchy to republic, ruling by define order to ruling by superior nature, an argument that differs little and seeks to oppress the majority. The core mission of the US government as outlined is to ‘protect the diverse faculties of individuals’ and in doing so the ‘rights of property that arise from them. This is unsurprising and mirrors the individualistic and property-owning focus of social and political laws in the 21st century. To separate the ‘propertyless multitude’ from democratic power makes absolute sense from the founding fathers perspective. The ‘superior faculty’ argument that Madison makes in support of republic rule reflects the prejudicial attitudes clearly embodied to the majority of the population, with explicit othering of certain minority groups and women with the derisive view of those lacking in education; enforces the idea that the majority of the population lack the ability by nature or education to effectively govern a nation.
