Quote: Two Party Problems

Albert O. Hirschman in The Rhetoric of Reaction on 1991-03-01:

Curiously, the very stability and proper functioning of a well-ordered democratic society depend on its citizens arraying themselves in a few major (ideally two) clearly defined groups holding different opinions on basic policy issues. It can easily happen then that these groups become walled off from each other—in this sense democracy continuously generates its own walls. As the process feeds on itself, each group will at some point ask about the other, in utter puzzlement and often with mutual revulsion, “How did they get to be that way?”

Hirschman's book on reactionary argumentation is oriented towards the structure of things, like the structure of democratic systems. The physical complexities inherent in operating a voting system result in a "two party" system regardless of the ideologies or policy preferences of the involved people — by relying on majority rule, involved parties will move towards dual polarization, being forced to coalition with those they are similar to just to win the decision.