<
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-united-states-unamendable-constitution>
"When the U.S. Constitution was written, in 1787, it was a startling political
novelty, even in an age of constitution-making. Before the Constitutional
Convention, James Madison made a study of “ancient and modern confederacies,”
but written constitutions were so new that he had hardly any to read. Also, no
one had any real idea how long a written constitution would last, or could, or
should. Thomas Jefferson thought that nineteen years might be about right. He
wasn’t far wrong: around the world, written constitutions turn out to have
lasted, on average, only seventeen years before being scrapped. Not the U.S.
Constitution. It’s lasted more than two hundred years and hasn’t been amended
in any meaningful way since 1971, more than half a century ago.
Laws govern people; constitutions govern governments. Lately, American
democracy has begun to wobble, leaning on a constitution that’s grown brittle.
How far can a constitution bend before it breaks? The study of written
constitutions has become a lot more sophisticated since Madison’s day. A
project called Constitute has collected and analyzed every national
constitution ever enacted. “Constitutions are designed to stabilize and
facilitate politics,” the project’s founders write. “But, there is certainly
the possibility that constitutions can outlive their utility and create
pathologies in the political process that distort democracy.” Could that be
happening in the United States?"
Via Wayne Radinsky.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
