Logocracy - Chapter 23: The Logocratic Constitution

A first draft

The Swiss Constitution of 1848.

This chapter presents Lobaczewski’s draft of the first two sections of a logocratic constitution: the preamble, and the declarative Part One, which lay out the historical conditions (past, present, and future) of the constitution and the fundamental principles of logocracy, respectively. Part Two, the basic law, is left to any potential future constituent assemblies to formulate for their respective nations.

Part One should make clear the most basic tenets of natural law, including the rights of the individual, the family, and society—their autonomy and dignity, an expression of the individual and common good inherent in them. It will also place the logocratic nation in relation to other nations, having the character of international law. Lobaczewski envisions several possible political situations, including sovereign nations, subordinate members of a federation, and even the possibility of a future form of world government, and the conditions for accepting a partial loss of national sovereignty in relation to the latter form of supranational government.

Part One should be written in a “noble literary form,” using “simple, clear, and philosophically mature language.” It will describe in general form each logocratic institution, and be drafted in such a way it could in principle be adopted by any logocratic nation with few alterations. As already mentioned, any changes to this section should be rare and the product of a long process (perhaps including a referendum), and not subject to transitory political trends or whims.

Part Two will establish the five independent powers, their responsibilities, the rules under which they operate, and the ways in which they will interact. It will provide citizens with their right to elect representatives by name and lay out election rules. Part Two will be more easily revised than Part One, with proposed changes drafted by the constituent assembly and approved by a qualified majority in the senate. Whether or not such changes are made in any given length of time, the assembly should plan to update this section every 25 years or so.

Lobaczewski acknowledges that problems of interpretation of the law will arise, as they do in all legal systems. But he is confident that the described hierarchization of law will result in a better system than we have at present. He advocates for a digitalized constitution and law code, so that any laws could be easily searched and compared to ensure their compatibility. (Incidentally, this website, the Constitute Project, is very useful; it is a project to collect and compare all constitutions.)

[Logocracy] will eliminate the excess of political activity guided by ambition, egoism, or having demagogic features. Such a system will educate people prepared to solve social and political issues, who will replace the self-made political leaders, often dilettantes. Such a system will value the talents of people regardless of their social background, but will place equal demands on them. Logocracy will not become a perfect system, because perfection is not attainable in our world, but it will certainly be a system better than all the past ones and capable of further valuable evolution.

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Chapter 23: The Logocratic Constitution

The constitution of a logocratic country should consist of three parts: an introduction or preamble, a first part, and a second part, i.e., a constitutional or fundamental law. The declarative basis of the constitution will be its first part, which should look as far into the future as the possibilities of a critical human imagination will allow. This is because it should serve future generations, as far as possible, without significant corrections.

In this part of the constitution there will be adequate formulations of the dependence of natural law on the laws of nature which govern human personality and social life. What has been said in Chapters 2, 3, 6, and elsewhere about the dependence of law and the state on these laws will be recited in brief. The natural right of the individual, the human family, and society to respect for their dignity and individual autonomy and to self-realization in life, for their own and society’s good, should find expression in this basic written act. These natural rights will be mentioned and sketched there, but in such a way that it does not hinder their future better understanding and description.

This act should define the relationship of the logocratic nation to other nations, in a manner consistent with the requirements of the natural laws of coexistence that arise from the common good of the peoples of our globe. For the logocratic state cannot continue the traditional, or merely nineteenth-century, notion of sovereignty that developed under the authority of warlike European monarchs. Rather, such a state will become an autonomous member of the global family of nations. This presupposes the country’s recognition of supranational organizations, including a world government, on the condition that such a government proves to be a completely trustworthy institution. Therefore, a logocratic nation will cooperate in the work of establishing a government of nations based on natural law. But the discerning criticism characteristic of logocracy will dictate that a more traditional attitude of sovereignty be maintained until such a power of nations itself has acquired a healthy sense and moderation in its sovereignty.

The first part of the constitution should contain the general definitions of all the institutions of a logocratic state that have been considered necessary and characteristic of such a system in the preceding chapters. They are sufficiently justified by the laws of nature as well as by historical experience to become the permanent basis of a modern state system.

This part of the constitution should be drafted in such a way that it can be transferred to another nation, across differences of culture, religion and tradition, with as few adaptations as possible. The basic tenets and solutions of logocracy are inherently human in nature, and this should not be obliterated by imposing the distinctive stamp of one nation’s traditions. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that a mature world government could be formed only on the basis of logocratic assumptions.

Only simple, clear, and philosophically mature language, based on modern scientific knowledge, can meet the task of formulating those premises, and at the same time be intelligible to sufficiently wide social circles. The first part of the constitution, due to its declarative character and its content encompassing the fundamental premises of law and the state, should be written in the form of a uniform text of noble literary form. It can only be written as a collective effort of talented thinkers.

However, no product of human thought is perfect, and advances in scientific knowledge may open the way to more precise accounts of the aforementioned assumptions. The evolution of language itself may also be the cause. Therefore, this part of the logocratic constitution will be able to be improved and should contain provisions for the manner of these improvements. Its changes should be the result of a long scientific process and thorough discussion, in the course of the permanent activity of the constituent assembly and with the cooperation of the council of the wise. Approval of such improvements will require the consent of the people and possibly the sanction of a supranational organization. Thus, it will not be possible to make changes for ad hoc purposes or under the influence of current political trends.

The second part of the constitution would have the character of law both in content and in form. This character would derive from the nature of logocracy, taking into account its evolutionary properties. Its amendment should be easier than that of most existing constitutional laws. Therefore, the first part will contain indications as to the evolvability of the second, and the second part will contain appropriate clauses. The second part of the constitution should be revised and rewritten at prescribed intervals, preferably every 25 years. As and when there is a compelling need, amendments will be allowed to be passed. A proposal for such an amendment should require recognition and drafting by the constituent assembly, and a qualified majority in the senate only. It may be anticipated that during the formative period of the new regime the need to use this route will prove quite frequent.

The second part of the logocratic constitution can be called the constitutional law or just the basic law. It will contain the establishment of the powers of the country, the rules of action and the interaction of the public authorities and institutions, conceived in a similar way as presented in this work, but worked out in the course of the collective effort of the constituent assembly. All these provisions, as intended to be consistent with the content of the first part, will then be interpreted in the light of its general and yet natural assumptions. In this way, the logical structure of the constitution will contain a reflection of the general gradation of law, as already discussed.

The electoral law will become an integral part of the constitution based on the provisions of Part One and written into Part Two. In accordance with the logocracy, such an electoral law must provide citizens with the right to elect by name the persons who will represent them in the legislative and local government bodies. Such a law, drafted by the constitution and subject to the general principles of the system, will not be subject to electoral manipulation, and citizens will be permanently aware of how their representatives are chosen. Parliament will have the right to request the amendment of the electoral law in the procedure established for the amendment of Part Two of the constitution.

The entire constitution will be preceded by an introduction or preamble that will situate this work of human thought in the historical time and its conditions. The latter is necessary in order to emphasize the origins of constitutional thought and to prevent it from becoming in the consciousness of later generations a creation of superhumans, as happened for example to the American Constitution. The preamble should also include an appeal for help from the Supreme Wisdom and Cause of law and truth. Here is a conception of that preamble, and then perhaps a still far from perfect formulation of the first part:

Introduction

We people, who happened to live in exceptional and tragic times, when within the lifetime of one generation the greatest crimes destroying human life and dignity were committed, and at the same time more scientific knowledge and more life-changing inventions were made than in centuries, humbly accept this cruel science and the knowledge that recent history has given us. Having experienced such times and the threat to the world by macrosocial systems of pathological lawlessness, we are thirsty for order in our country and in our world, for us and for future generations, in accordance with the laws of nature given to the world by the Creator. For this purpose we decide to use the experience of history and modern scientific knowledge to create such a country that will serve a better future and have a nature resistant to the processes of the origin of evil, and could become a model for other nations.

In the face of historical necessity, when the national systems, based on ideologies and beliefs of the past, show their weaknesses, the need to develop a state system better than the passing ones—because based on objective knowledge of the laws governing the life of man and society—seems to us an understandable necessity.

In an effort to overcome the deficiencies of our minds and to conform them to the Wisdom of God, we are guided by the knowledge of the laws of nature to construct a better system. An increasing knowledge and description of these laws will be the cause of the improvement of such a system.

Constitution — Part One

We will consider the existence of the Supreme Cause of being and of the laws of nature, the giver of life and moral laws, as being within the reach of human cognitive induction. That is why we will consider the understanding and recognition of this truth as the cause and test of human wisdom. For the gift of wisdom, valued for centuries, and acquired through cognitive subordination of the mind to created reality, we recognize as the chief virtue of man and as the basis of our social and state system. The citizens of Poland (the association of logocratic countries?) accept the eternal laws of nature present in inanimate and living matter, in human personality and in the life of societies, as the basis of social organization and law. Knowledge of these laws, to the best of one’s ability, is the duty of every human being, and especially of those endowed with outstanding talents and education. No political doctrine, therefore, which disdains the knowledge of these truths, or which imposes on human affairs an artificial doctrinal scheme, can be regarded as the basis of a good social system.

A social and state system based on respect for wisdom and directly on the knowledge of the laws of nature and the natural laws derived from them, and which protects the dignity of man and the human family, will be called LOGOCRACY. The eternal foundations of such a system remain as unchanging as human nature is slowly changing. At the same time, the machinery of such a system will be subject to evolutionary improvements brought about by an ever better knowledge of the laws of nature and adaptation to the changes brought about by time.

The basis of logocracy is scientific knowledge of the laws of nature and social life. Therefore, such a system will give special care to the development of all the sciences, and above all to those which are fundamental to it. The process of teaching and education, as well as the progress of knowledge, will be served by an independent national educational authority, which will fulfill this task in the best way possible.

It is a law of nature that our nation is part of humanity. From this follows the participation of the logocratic country in the formation of the law of nations, and in the operation of supranational institutions and authorities. As such authorities develop and mature, the logocratic country loses some of its sovereignty on an equal footing, becoming an autonomous country among the nations of the world.

It is a law of nature that people are born to freedom and to cooperation in social life, but they bring into the world significant differences in their dispositions and talents. This diversity potentially constitutes the psychological structure of society, which must be actualized through individual upbringing and education. A good use of human talents and the possibility of self-realization of individuals for their own and society’s good are the cause of the creative effectiveness of nations.

Logocracy is the system of normal man. For from the nature of normal and rational man derive the customs and laws by which nations should be governed. In every country of the world there is a small minority of people whose mental aberrations make them inclined to a different perception of the world and to participate in the processes of the origin of evil. The laws, authorities, and society of the country should act in the awareness that these people require understanding and care, but their social activity and influence on others must be limited by purposeful political solutions.

It follows from the laws of nature that the sovereign or autonomous power of a country has its origin in the reason and will of a rational society. The solutions of the logocratic system will ensure that public opinion can be formed freely and on the basis of reliable premises, is not disturbed by primitive verbosity, and thus is clearly heard and respected.

From the laws of nature, and from the complexity of modern life, arises the principle of competence, which will be the basis of social organization and public authority. The highest offices can be entrusted only to persons of full human mental normalcy, and who are highly gifted and properly scientifically prepared. All positions on which the welfare of others depends will be entrusted to persons similarly prudent and prepared for the work in question.

The Council of the Wise will be the necessary institution of the logocratic system and the embodiment of its characteristics. It will study and represent the laws of nature and the questions of biological, psychological, and social life, making biohumanistic and moral recommendations for the good of the nation. The Council of the Wise will examine the fitness of candidates for the highest offices, in view of their state of health, bearing in mind that no person will be admitted to these positions who betrays ponerogenically active mental aberrations. The Council will be composed of several scholars, people of righteous character, obliged to comprehensively deepen their skills.

Under the principle of competence, citizens of the country, as well as some citizens of other countries, will obtain an active electoral right along with the right to hold lower local government functions. This will require studying a body of knowledge deemed necessary by the parliament, taking an examination and a citizenship pledge confirmed by a signature, which reads as follows: “I, _____, promise and pledge in conscience that I will exercise the rights of citizenship to the best of my ability, guided by my own discernment of affairs and people, and by justice, for the good of others, the country, and the order among nations.”

Citizens who have obtained the above right shall be free to form organizations and political parties. If, however, they do not wish to join any of these, they shall do right by joining the association based on the laws of nature and existing under this constitution. This association shall be composed of citizens holding a broad range of political views and shall not be a political party. This association shall have the right to nominate candidates for all elective offices on the basis of the values of their mind and character. It organizes training and examinations for civil rights, assists persons preparing for political office, and undertakes other socially useful initiatives.

Only citizens who have demonstrated an academic background that will enable them to work meaningfully in the legislature or to perform their duties adequately will be eligible for election to legislative bodies, higher offices, and local government positions. Parliament will regulate the requirements in this area and supervise their execution.

A permanent supra-parliamentary Constituent Assembly will have the power to elaborate all three parts of this constitution and to improve or revise it. Its work will be scientific and it will act in consultation with the Council of the Wise. A constitutional court will be its organ.

Within the principles of logocracy, the socio-economic system may take various forms and evolve in broad adaptation to tradition and changing conditions. It should, however, conform as far as possible to natural laws. Logocratic law will regulate matters of the ownership of goods in a manner better suited to the laws of nature and contemporary needs.

The individual and the human family have a natural right to retain a certain modest stock of goods with low social-good properties as personal property. To this extent, the individual and the family will not be materially responsible and this possession can only be violated in the name of a higher social need and with appropriate compensation. The relevant laws should determine the type and scope of personal property taking into account the characteristics of the possessors and objects.

Economic objects on which depend the livelihood of many people acquire, in proportion to their role, the characteristics of a social good. Laws will establish rules for the possession and lease of such goods by natural or legal persons, or their management by economic organizations established for this purpose.

For the management of goods recognized as social, the Directorate of Social Goods shall be established as an independent authority, operating on the basis of its own council. An appropriately organized workers’ self-government should be involved in the management of the establishments of these goods.

Social and international order are the fundamental goals of a logocratic system. They should serve the development of higher and spiritual values of man and society. All economic devices should also serve these most general laws and values.

In view of the known weaknesses of human nature, the long-term security of the nation and the growing prosperity that logocracy is supposed to provide may begin to foster selfish attitudes and a tendency to a hysterical retardation of mental faculties and moral culture, which has also led to misfortunes on an international scale. Logocracy should never work against its own basic assumptions and goals. Therefore, in case the nation is threatened by such symptoms, the Council of the Wise will warn the Head of State, the government, and the parliament. A similar warning may come from a future competent international institution. Then the government of the country in consultation with the international institutions will make an effort to take appropriate creative measures. The development of human mental and character values will always remain the goal and at the same time the condition of good functioning of the social system.

This first part of the Constitution can be improved, for a better definition of natural rights, through a particularly serious scientific procedure. Its improvement will require national consent, or possibly the sanction of a supranational institution. The second part of this constitution will be revised every 25 years, and its provisions will determine the procedure for extraordinary revisions.

Constitutional law

On the basis of the presuppositions of the first part of the logocratic constitution, similar to those presented above, the constituent assembly will develop and the provisions of the constitutional (basic) law will be enacted. The general character of the country’s institutions and the concepts of detailed solutions have already been sketched in the previous chapters of this work. The unavoidable regulative properties of the provisions of the second part of the constitution will cause a certain rigidity of these formulas in relation to the idea of logocracy, and the well-known problems of qualification and interpretation in law will arise. However, these characteristic inadequacies of positive law will be able to be corrected in the light of the assumptions described in Part One, and through a better understanding of the laws of nature and natural law. This hierarchy of law, present in theory in democratic legislatures but downplayed in practice, will in logocratic law be the basis for the training of lawyers and should appear in many legal proceedings.

The provisions of the Constitutional Act should be correlated as well as possible with the contents of the first part of the constitution and among themselves. In this way, the difficulties of interpreting the law can be further reduced. To this end, the skills of logicians and computer scientists should be utilized. The constitution and the laws that depend on it should be recorded in electronic memory so that specific provisions of both parts of the constitution and the laws based on them can be called up, and their correlation, as well as their horizontal relationships with other laws, can be checked. This should help to remove many discrepancies during the drafting of the two parts of the constitution. Members of parliament, officials, and party leaders could quickly benefit from this assistance, which would contribute to more disciplined work by legislators and law interpreters, as well as to a better understanding of the spirit of logocratic law.

Logocracy in its presuppositions aims at a more principled government, because it is based on the objective criteria of modern scientific knowledge of the eternal laws of nature. It also aims at modern solutions being a product of a similar approach. It will eliminate the excess of political activity guided by ambition, egoism, or having demagogic features. Such a system will educate people prepared to solve social and political issues, who will replace the self-made political leaders, often dilettantes. Such a system will value the talents of people regardless of their social background, but will place equal demands on them. Logocracy will not become a perfect system, because perfection is not attainable in our world, but it will certainly be a system better than all the past ones and capable of further valuable evolution.

Therefore, logocracy seems to be the best concept of government for my own country, Poland, with its difficult geopolitical conditions and its historical experience. I will still try to convince my readers that the introduction of logocracy on the ruins of the pathocratic system and state capitalism would not be a more difficult task than the installation of democracy. For such an effort would hide fewer dangers and unexpected difficulties that we experience today.

Note: This work is a project of QFG/Red Pill Press and is planned to be published in book form.