Whether you believe man crawled up out of the primordial soup or was intelligently designed, the measure of a life or of a civilization is its flourishing. Human flourishing (Note 1) is directly proportional to human freedom. The greater the freedom, the greater flourishing. Less freedom means diminished flourishing. Freedom is imperfect and, by nature, inequitable. It is humanly impossible to eliminate imperfection and inequity. Moreover, the formulation is subject to the law of diminishing returns. The question becomes, how much flourishing is a society prepared to give up to avoid some imperfection? There are three key drivers of the trade-off. The free flow of information so that the decisions are well informed (“truth”). The motivation of those who would lead the society (“power” vs “humility” (Note 2)). And wisdom.

Note 1: Human Flourishing can mean different things to different individuals and societies. It is not measured in financial terms. For the Christian, human flourishing comes to its ultimate expression in the enjoyment of God, in glorifying God in all our endeavors. Human flourishing is a built-in feature of Intelligent Design. It does not require escaping the cares and travails of this world, but rather it imbues them with significance in the light of Jesus Christ, in whom we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28) (Note 3)
Note 2: Humility, from the Latin humilitas; the noble choice to forgo your status, deploy your resources, or use your influence for the good of others before yourself; the willingness to hold power in the service of others. (Note 4)
Note 3: Adapted, Jordan J. Ballor, Mere Humanity: An Ecumenical Anthropology For Human Flourishing, The Journal Of Public Discourse.
Note 4: Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And He humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:5b-8 TLB