By Roy Christman

When James Madison explained how a large republic could better deal with group conflict and discord than a small republic, he contradicted political thought that dated back to ancient Greece. In one brilliant essay he dismantled the received wisdom of generations of philosophers. Unfortunately, for us and for our country, Madison could not have known the problems and the dangers created by Facebook and its imitators.

Let me explain.

The Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to draft the Constitution, but it would only take effect when nine of the 13 states approved it. New York, crucial to the success of the new government, was a close call. To convince New Yorkers to ratify the document, three of the Philadelphia convention delegates published 85 essays explaining the provisions and advocating a yes vote.

The essays were published anonymously under the name “Publius,” but experts have identified the authors. Collectively known as the Federalist Papers, the essays are still consulted to help us understand the Constitution. Number 10, by Madison, explains how “a well-constructed Union” can overcome the “violence of faction.” In modern terms you could define “faction” as any organized group operating for its own interests.

Madison says you could prevent factions by destroying liberty, but that makes no sense when you are trying to set up a republic that preserves liberty.

Another solution is to have everyone think alike, but that’s impossible; factions are part of human nature. We dispute almost everything. If we can’t find something of substance on which to disagree, Madison says we will argue about “frivolous” issues. (Eagles vs. Steelers?) Madison does say that the most common and durable source of factions is the unequal distribution of property.

If you can’t eliminate the causes of factions, you could eliminate the evil effects. In a small republic factions will be more of a problem because you usually have a majority and a minority. Northern Ireland is a great example. One Protestant majority, one Catholic minority. Almost nobody else. This happens again and again in small countries or towns. Tutsi v. Hutu. Sunni v. Shiite. Black v. white. Mask v. no mask.

In a large republic, however, you have many interests. Take Northern Ireland and dump in a whole bunch of Muslims, Jews, Mormons, Hindus, Buddhists and atheists, and suddenly the Catholic/Protestant dispute seems less important.

Finally, Madison says that in a large republic even if bad people wish to execute plans of oppression, “... it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other.”

Enter Facebook.

By any measure, QAnon is a weird group. A national pedophile ring operating out of a basement of a pizza shop? The deceased JFK Jr. as a running mate for Trump in 2024? How would people who believe such ideas find each other? How do groups like this ever form?

The short answer is “social media.” Put any kind of whack-job petition on social media, and in a day or two hundreds of people will add their names. Social media companies make their money with ads, and the more they can entice you to keep clicking, the more eyeballs on the ads.

You could form dishonorable groups before social media, of course. The resurgence of the Klan in the 1920s seems to have resulted largely from the film “Birth of a Nation.” What has changed is the ease by which such groups can spread and attract adherents nationwide or even worldwide.

It’s almost like a virus.

Mr. Madison, where are you when we need you?

Roy Christman taught Political Science and American Studies at San José State University before his retirement. He lives in Towamensing Township. He is not on Facebook.