Which country_s constitution fits better your mindset and goals?

October 6, 2016

I am taking below 3 major examples from countries that are very familiar to me.

  • America: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Declaration of Independence)
    –> GENUINELY LIBERTY-ORIENTED

  • Japan: “All of the people shall be respected as individuals. Their right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness shall, to the extent that it does not interfere with the public welfare, be the supreme consideration in legislation and in other governmental affairs.” (Chapter III, Article 13 of the Constitution)
    –> LIBERTY-ORIENTED WITH SOME NUANCE OF RESTRICTIONS

  • France: “Article IV - Liberty consists of doing anything which does not harm others: thus, the exercise of the natural rights of each man has only those borders which assure other members of the society the enjoyment of these same rights. These borders can be determined only by the law.”
    “Article X - No one may be disturbed for his opinions, even religious ones, provided that their manifestation does not trouble the public order established by the law.” (Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen)
    –> FALSELY LIBERTY-ORIENTED – RESTRICTIVE