You are right, of course, in an abstract sense. But in the real world, this reminds me of the "we never had communism!" argument (because somehow, all those who implemented it, got it "wrong" and failed the principles). I mean, the principles behind communism might be noble and great, but if they ignore the human nature and the realities of the world, then, what good are they? If communism always seems to lead to murderous regimes, maybe it's better to avoid it than to attempt to "implement it right, this time"?

Of course, the parallels between "communism" and "agile" are imperfect. But the same way that various forms of "real communism" might work in small communities but fail spectacularly in large organizations, maybe "agile" is in fact actively harmful in corporations? Just a thought.... because I've never seen it implemented right. OTOH, I can't say I've seem good software practices in any large corporations (small pockets of excellence, yes, but they often work "against the system", not because of it).