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Inverse View
It is not the case that Locke and Paine argued that no generation can bind subsequent ones, as the living cannot be obligated by the dead's institutional choices.
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Reasons For
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Reason for
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1.
Stable institutions require intergenerational commitments; unlimited revision creates perpetual instability and erosion of trust.
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2.
No generation truly decides de novo; all inherit language, knowledge, and infrastructure from predecessors, making complete rejection impossible.
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3.
A generation freely choosing to maintain inherited institutions demonstrates consent, not coercion by the dead.
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Reasons Against
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Reason against
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1.
Each generation faces unique circumstances unknown to predecessors, requiring institutional flexibility to address novel problems.
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2.
Binding future generations to past choices denies their autonomy and treats them as subjects rather than free agents.
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3.
Institutions persist only through active renewal; forced continuance creates brittle systems lacking genuine legitimacy.
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