Constitutions, Democratic Self-Determination and the Institutional Empowerment of Future Generations: Mitigating an Aporia
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Intergenerational Justice Review, Jahrgang 9, Nr. 2, 2016, S. 56-71.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Constitutions, Democratic Self-Determination and the Institutional Empowerment of Future Generations: Mitigating an Aporia
AU - Rose, Michael
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Is the self-determination of future generations impeded by lasting constitutions, as Thomas Jefferson suggests? In this article it is not only argued that the opposite is true, but also that the question misses the point. It is demonstrated that the very demand for future generations’ full self-determination is self-contradictory, and that it is impossible to achieve. Applying the all-affected principle to future generations, it is shown that we will always affect them, and that we should employ an attitude of “reflective paternalism” towards them. With the help of institutions reviewed in this article, the interests of future generations could be introduced into today’s political decision-making process. The role of constitutions is to provide the prerequisites for democratic self-determination and potentially also to facilitate the institutional empowerment of future generations.
AB - Is the self-determination of future generations impeded by lasting constitutions, as Thomas Jefferson suggests? In this article it is not only argued that the opposite is true, but also that the question misses the point. It is demonstrated that the very demand for future generations’ full self-determination is self-contradictory, and that it is impossible to achieve. Applying the all-affected principle to future generations, it is shown that we will always affect them, and that we should employ an attitude of “reflective paternalism” towards them. With the help of institutions reviewed in this article, the interests of future generations could be introduced into today’s political decision-making process. The role of constitutions is to provide the prerequisites for democratic self-determination and potentially also to facilitate the institutional empowerment of future generations.
KW - Politics
KW - Philosophy
KW - Law
U2 - 10.24357/igjr.2.2.715
DO - 10.24357/igjr.2.2.715
M3 - Journal articles
VL - 9
SP - 56
EP - 71
JO - Intergenerational Justice Review
JF - Intergenerational Justice Review
SN - 2190-6335
IS - 2
ER -