A serious, possibly fatal to our Republic, ignorance shared by most citizens: The concept of inherent rights. Most Americans not only “misunderstand” American jurisprudence and philosophy; they have it exactly backwards. Let me illustrate. Can you imagine yourself asking this question:
Yes. This is also part of the tension between: Is it better to have a written constitution (U.S.A.) or unwritten (New Zealand)? An unwritten constitution is weaker in terms of people's ability to explicitly challenge unconditional laws. But at the same time better at recognizing the fundamental strength of a constitution is not in what is written down but what is in the psychology of the citizenry. People who no longer believe in what is written will either ignore it or reinterpret it out of existence. China for example has a very explicit written constitution that is universally ignored.
Yes. This is also part of the tension between: Is it better to have a written constitution (U.S.A.) or unwritten (New Zealand)? An unwritten constitution is weaker in terms of people's ability to explicitly challenge unconditional laws. But at the same time better at recognizing the fundamental strength of a constitution is not in what is written down but what is in the psychology of the citizenry. People who no longer believe in what is written will either ignore it or reinterpret it out of existence. China for example has a very explicit written constitution that is universally ignored.
So good!