I am usually the one making the “perfect is the enemy of the good” argument, and you make excellent points in this case.
I will add some nuance to the enemy of the good argument, in that:
Doing something even is if it is an imperfect improvement is better than doing nothing.
does not factor in the potential harm of the imperfect thing. It’s a no-brainer with masks, because there is none. But it is worth taking a close look at whether the problems with IRV are less harmful than FPTP, and, more importantly, if implementing IRV prevents the institution of a better system (like potentially STAR). If there’s one opportunity to switch our voting method, and we go with a less effective one, would that prevent changing it again to an even better system?
I’ll give you an example: I’m not sure if this is still going on, but the Salvation Army was found to be rejecting LGBTQ people from shelters and support. Now, you can say “they still help a lot of people, so not supporting them harms those who do get support from the SA.” The perfect being the enemy of the good. But establishing a monolith of an organization like the Salvation Army as the go-to charity for the poor and/or homeless cuts the legs out from any charity that may support everyone, not just straight cis-gendered people.
In the same way, if IRV gets popular and cements itself as the alternative to FPTP, it could be that it prevents other forms like STAR from even being considered. It’s worth considering, particularly as FPTP alternative implementation is in its infancy, what alternatives are available.
I am usually the one making the “perfect is the enemy of the good” argument, and you make excellent points in this case.
I will add some nuance to the enemy of the good argument, in that:
does not factor in the potential harm of the imperfect thing. It’s a no-brainer with masks, because there is none. But it is worth taking a close look at whether the problems with IRV are less harmful than FPTP, and, more importantly, if implementing IRV prevents the institution of a better system (like potentially STAR). If there’s one opportunity to switch our voting method, and we go with a less effective one, would that prevent changing it again to an even better system?
I’ll give you an example: I’m not sure if this is still going on, but the Salvation Army was found to be rejecting LGBTQ people from shelters and support. Now, you can say “they still help a lot of people, so not supporting them harms those who do get support from the SA.” The perfect being the enemy of the good. But establishing a monolith of an organization like the Salvation Army as the go-to charity for the poor and/or homeless cuts the legs out from any charity that may support everyone, not just straight cis-gendered people.
In the same way, if IRV gets popular and cements itself as the alternative to FPTP, it could be that it prevents other forms like STAR from even being considered. It’s worth considering, particularly as FPTP alternative implementation is in its infancy, what alternatives are available.