Laws & Freedom: Abstract
It may be surprising to some that many nations currently have jurisprudence originating in middle age precedence, from works such as the Magna Carta, Bible or Quran, or even based on the Code of Hammurabi. Over time these laws may stop being enforced, their meaning redefined, or they could be capriciously enforced anew for nefarious reasons and as justification by elites to dictate their preferences to society.
The Liminal State instead deconstructs these sources, takes lessons from history, philosophy, and even evolutionary psychology, and ultimately asks “what do we really need to coexist in a modern society?”
In essence, the Liminal State starts with a blank slate and builds up; using a unique and far more equitable method among existing democracies for creating new laws and regulations.
One way this is accomplished is in regards to the laws governing the basic social structure for the Liminal State, which are set and rigid from the start. Its authority regarding additional actions following formation are then limited to non-social issues. While there is some gray area here, this generally means that the state will maintain the regulations affecting the economy, business practices, etc., while the citizens, via their local communities, will create laws that impact their local society in the way they desire their values to be interpreted. The only role of the Liminal State in regards to social matters is enforcement of those laws as communities pass them.
This philosophy makes the Liminal State the only government intentionally designed from the beginning to accommodate vast populations with unique perspectives and cultures, and perhaps therefore the only governmental structure that could ever work at an international level.
Aspiration
At the highest level of the Liminal State, all people start with complete freedom. Laws are then passed to restrict these freedoms in the most limited ways possible, until there is an ideal balance between freedoms and the limits on those freedoms, and a balanced social construct has been reached where all citizens can live and work together in this healthy and productive society.
Fundamentals
Because this approach is taken, laws affecting citizens may never target only a portion of the population, overtly or covertly.
For example, a law restricting women from getting tattoos would not be allowed because it singles out women, though a law forbidding anyone from getting tattoos would be lawful.
Even if a law uses other language that doesn’t overtly target women, but would by virtue of the way the law was written or enforcement would require, that would also not be allowed.
For example, “only people with a “Y” chromosome may get tattoos” would not be lawful.
Even in situations where the law is written broadly but would in practice disproportionately affect a subset of the population, it would not be allowed.
While tattoos could theoretically be outlawed, in the Liminal State laws may only be implemented using the 80% rule. This means that 80% of eligible voters, which makes up 80% of the eligible population, would be required to vote in favor of this law to limit this freedom.
It may seem unlikely that 80% of a voting population would agree on anything, but this highlights the greatest difference and benefit of the Liminal State. Only very common sense laws that the widest portion of the population support should be applied to the whole population.
If, for example, this is a really important rule for a small portion of the population, but not enough to reach the 80% threshold at the national level, then that portion of the population wanting this as a law could coalesce at a lower level within the Liminal State, such as a state, district, or city to implement this change. Wherever 80% of the population within a political boundary might agree with this restriction on their freedoms, it could be implemented.
While there is an independent branch of government within the Liminal State that first ensures all potential laws meet a minimum legal standard before there is ever a vote, there’s nothing like a Supreme Court that could overturn existing laws. The Liminal State is truly a government by and for the people, and that means that the people’s votes truly and directly determine the rules of the land, and only by popular vote among citizens can a law be enacted or removed.
The key understanding here is that smaller groups of citizens may have specific freedoms they would like to forfeit for their community. Instead of having to fight for the most important laws to get passed at the national level, where half of the population will then immediately work to reverse it, citizens can mold their communities the way they see fit for them and their neighbors.
This is how people are provided the freedom to live the lives they want, based on their values, while allowing other citizens to live the lives they want. It’s an ideal compromise; getting to live life the way you truly want, and only giving up the ability to force others to live that same way.
