THE CONSTRUCTIVISTIC SUPERSTITION OF SOVEREIGNTY
The idea of popular sovereignty suggests that the majority of people, through their representatives, should have the power to make decisions. While this belief supports the notion that power should lie with the people, it mistakenly assumes that this power is unlimited. This assumption is flawed because it stems from a misunderstanding of how human institutions are formed, thinking they arise from a single will or designer. However, social order comes from shared beliefs about what is right and wrong, rather than from deliberate decision-making.
Power does not arise from a single authority but from the common opinions held by society. The act of submitting to authority is based on trust that leaders will uphold these shared beliefs. Society is created by common rules, not by a governing body imposing rules at will. The limits of authority are defined by these agreed-upon rules, which serve as the foundation for a cohesive state.
Historically, the notion of absolute sovereignty was rarely embraced before the rise of absolutism in the sixteenth century, and even then, it depended on the people's acceptance of certain principles. The shift towards viewing democratic consent as the sole source of power mistakenly legitimized the idea of unlimited authority. Thus, the belief that democratic processes always reflect the common good is misleading, as different methods can lead to varying outcomes.
The idea of popular sovereignty suggests that the majority of people, through their representatives, should have the power to make decisions. While this belief supports the notion that power should lie with the people, it mistakenly assumes that this power is unlimited. This assumption is flawed because it stems from a misunderstanding of how human institutions are formed, thinking they arise from a single will or designer. However, social order comes from shared beliefs about what is right and wrong, rather than from deliberate decision-making.
Power does not arise from a single authority but from the common opinions held by society. The act of submitting to authority is based on trust that leaders will uphold these shared beliefs. Society is created by common rules, not by a governing body imposing rules at will. The limits of authority are defined by these agreed-upon rules, which serve as the foundation for a cohesive state.
Historically, the notion of absolute sovereignty was rarely embraced before the rise of absolutism in the sixteenth century, and even then, it depended on the people's acceptance of certain principles. The shift towards viewing democratic consent as the sole source of power mistakenly legitimized the idea of unlimited authority. Thus, the belief that democratic processes always reflect the common good is misleading, as different methods can lead to varying outcomes.