A Constitutional Democracy

HUH?

Jurlandia, the land of the Arakam, found itself independent in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Influenced by its unique history, and home to leading survivors of Soviet prison camps, Jurlandia — to use the phrase of its first President — “took itself to school, became a university.”

See Copyright Notice.

Its first Constitution was typical for post-dictatorship countries — typical, and incompetent. But, from the start, the people of Jurlandia viewed that document as a transitional charter only.

In 1995, the people started a constitutional debate that came to be known as the Conversation of Democracy. A year later, they elected representatives to a Constitutional Convention. A year later, the Convention published a Draft Constitution. Following more than a year of spirited debate throughout the country, the Convention revised its Draft and published the Proposed Constitution.

On 19 July 2000, by referendum, after years of nationwide debate, the people adopted the Constitution of Jurlandia. By its terms, this supreme law became immediately applicable.

*

The Jurlandia Institute dedicates this website to the Conversation of Democracy securing the Rule of Law based on the Rule of Reason — not only in the former Soviet Union, but worldwide.

***

Constitutional democracy should not be “dumbed down”; the fact that it is an “elevated message” is one of its most important attributes, requiring us to stand tall … intellectually and morally. This message celebrates unavoidable complexity in the governance — or, properly understood, the cybernetics — of self, society, and civilization.

Constitutional democracy welcomes and protects Freedom of Inquiry regarding the totality of the human condition, including how to enhance the prospects for success of Regenerative Intelligence Still Evolving (RISE). This requires that we and our cultural successors celebrate candor, as gentle as possible, as firm as necessary, Saying What Needs to be Said.  

This website strives to illuminate many complicated things, ideas, facts, values, including the best approaches to comprehending Due Process of Law. It thereby strives to illuminate how abiding truths — fundamental premises — are checked, balanced, integrated, and mutually-defined, a “perichoresis” advancing the Open Society goals of  Ordered Liberty based on Equal Justice.

Above all, this website seeks to “project” a (metaphorical?) Hologram of Consequences. Focused on examining the “un-enumerable and un-articulable major premises” of our emergent global civilization, this site honors an endeavor — a place-marker? — which the ancient Arakam apparently named Framustan. 

*

“Among the ancient Arakam, almost everything was arguable. What was not arguable was that which keeps “Makarati” — the Argument — alive. To be a’makarati meant, and still means, to be “with it” — just so, impeccable in presentation — to be a maker of the “!a’Makarani”: the best presentation to date.”

Arakam to Jurlandia: A Constitutional Odyssey

*

Jurlandia is merely a “pedagogical country” and must always thus remain. However, real countries, to be healthy, must also be learning organisms.

All writings on this website may be distributed free of charge for non-commercial purposes so long as each writing is properly attributed and accurately reproduced in every particular, including all punctuation. See Copyright Notice.

Language, well used, is a powerful tool of thought and communication. This website is devoted to examining, illuminating, and improving all tools advancing the Conversation of Democracy.

Main Gateway

***

Jurlandia Writings