Yes, it can happen that we can't figure out why the fence is there. I think we must pragmatically amend the dictate of Chesterton to be something like: make a r

Yes, it can happen that we can't figure out why the fence is there. I think we must pragmatically amend the dictate of Chesterton to be something like: make a reasonable effort to know why the fence is there. Then we would still notice the difference between two kinds of reformer: those who don't know (and don't care) why an institution is the way it is and those who are reasonably curious about what the institution was for, how it worked, and so on, even as they recognize a need for reform.