He didn ' t need to fathom a future that would never come to pass . <| sep |> Not really ? That ' s only on a basic level , but not the most fundamental . A society that doesn ' t move beyond might makes right will be outcompeted by others and fall into extinction . The real basis , as far as I can see is that which works best , works best . Except what works best is not objective . Different societies have different values , and what is best for any given society is contingent on the values of that society . For example , society in Saudi Arabia may decide that it is best for men and women to be segregated , because they value a society where among other things the opportunity for fornication or improper conduct between opposite sexes is highly restricted . How can you possibly say that they are objectively wrong for wanting to do so ? You might raise some liberal , whiggish argument along the lines of giving more freedom to women would lead to higher economic growth , but even if that were true , that is ultimately based on your subjective valuing of economic growth over regulation of interaction between sexes , which would not be shared by Saudi society . The principle of might makes right is actually the underlying principle of all state systems , in practice if not in principle . Indeed , I would go as far as to say that it was the systematization of coercion in the form of the State that laid the basis for human civilization . I am not sure what you mean when you say that a society based on might makes right will be outcompeted by others and fall into extinction .