Abstract
Interpretations of James Madison have tended to ignore his complex conception of human nature and how it colors his understanding of the plan for the Constitution. This article argues that Madison did not see human nature as either unstintingly Hobbesian or unambiguously virtuous, but rather as containing elements of both. Madison builds "auxiliary precautions" into the American system as defenses against the dark side of human nature, but at the same time rests the "primary controul of government" on the virtue of the people. To miss this duality in Madison's understanding of human nature, the authors argue, is to miss both the sophistication of Madison's defense of the Constitution and the normative core of his thought.
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