Karl Popper's discussion of holistic vs piecemeal social planning (which I know, I just talked about in a blog post) definitely fits here, as does James C. Scott's fantastic Seeing Like a State. You can adapt to changing circumstances, but wholesale reworking of a society is far, far more likely to fail than succeed- the kind of mindset that thinks it can entirely remodel civilization from the top down, whether they are in power or attempting to overthrow the powerful, seldom accepts situations that challenge their truths.
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Yes, any changes in policy must reflect reality of the situation. If the social consensus and tendency does not align with desired political aim, the political aim need to shift. Unfortunately, political power attracts the types of individuals who lack self-mastery over their desires, using edifice of government to enforce obtuse external changes in quelling the ravenous appetite of their bottomless desires.
I think the most eloquent, heartfelt reply I can muster to that is "ayup."