People whose behavior is not based on identified principles will almost never see their actions in a broad perspective and will inevitably fail to foresee vital consequences of their choices. Often they will find their alternatives in life increasingly limited by the results of their previous mistakes. Over a period of time, they may come to feel that their lives are swept along by circumstances beyond their control, like a rudderless ship. Initially, they may reject principles as an unnecessary limitation. The ironic long-term consequence is that they find their lives increasingly limited.
For the principled person, in contrast, principles serve as a kind of rudder, enabling one to steer one's ship in a desired direction.
When objective principles are widely abandoned by the citizens and leaders of a society, the consequences are similar. As we shall see in Section 5, social and political institutions are beset by increasingly severe crises, and policy options are increasingly restricted by past errors. 
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