Book contents
- The Story of Constitutions
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- The Story of Constitutions
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Prologue
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Constitutional Diffusion
- 2 Constitutions Everywhere
- 3 The Origin of Constitutions
- Part II The History of the Constitution
- Part III Concepts, Shapes and Types of Constitutions
- Part IV Effects
- Part V The Imagined Order of the Constitution
- References
- Name & Author Index
- Subject Index
3 - The Origin of Constitutions
from Part I - Constitutional Diffusion
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023
- The Story of Constitutions
- Comparative Constitutional Law and Policy
- The Story of Constitutions
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- Contents
- Figures
- Prologue
- 1 Introduction
- Part I Constitutional Diffusion
- 2 Constitutions Everywhere
- 3 The Origin of Constitutions
- Part II The History of the Constitution
- Part III Concepts, Shapes and Types of Constitutions
- Part IV Effects
- Part V The Imagined Order of the Constitution
- References
- Name & Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
To find answers for the worldwide proliferation of constitutions we need to look at root causes: the sources of constitutions. These are found and human nature. Men are social animals. During human evolution our brains have been wired to work together in communities up to a maximum of 150 members (the Dunbar number). Beyond that number it is difficult to cooperate: we can only do that if there are form of artificial trust and recognition available: and that is what constitutions do and provide. Abstract - imagined - concepts that help us jump the Dunbar threshold and cooperate in large scale groups, and overcome our brain limitations for large scale cooperation
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- The Story of ConstitutionsDiscovering the We in Us, pp. 44 - 68Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023