CMV: The Declaration of Independence is outdated and should be retired as an important historical artifact

Hello everyone. This is my first post on this sub, and I'm particularly excited to hear your thoughts on this topic. I've been thinking about this a lot lately as I watch the gun crisis in the United States unfold. <br><br>America is a visionary country that was built on the ideas of liberty, justice and democracy. The people here are innovative problem-solvers who aren't afraid of change. We currently have a country that no longer reflects the vision laid out by our forefathers. <br><br>The Declaration of Independence is an 18th century document that was written in a different time. It was authored by wealthy white men who didn't consider people of color or women human beings. It invokes God. It was written before the discovery of DNA. We now know that our traits and behaviors are largely predetermined by our genetics. Some people are born with a genetic predisposition to violence. Science proves that our choices in life are not entirely our own. <br><br>Despite this, we still consider ourselves to have free will. We still believe that people are "good" or "bad". That we have a choice between good and evil. Unfortunately this just isn't true.<br><br>In light of this new scientific knowledge, we should abandon outdated notions of justice and create new systems that are grounded in modern science. Our criminal justice system should be abolished and reimagined around the principles of mental health and rehabilitation. "Good" and "evil" should no longer be a societal construct. The notion of free will and personal choice should no longer factor into our legal system or our socially held views on justice and crime.<br><br>We should look at the world in a completely new way, and abandon the outdated ideas that our country was founded on. The Declaration of Independence, Declaration of Sentiments, the Constitution, Bill of Rights should all be retired as irrelevant historical documents. They are remnants of a time where we didn't know any better. We now know better, and it's time to create a better system that reflects modern scientific knowledge.<br><br>Thanks for reading everyone. Please change my view. <br><br>Edit: Thank you for all the thoughtful comments everyone. I've really enjoyed hearing your opinions. To clarify, I don't think the Declaration of Independence should be destroyed or deleted or anything like that. I think we should retire it as an important document that informs our legal system, our personal choices and the way we think about justice. It should be studied alongside other important historical documents like Shakespeare or The Bible. Just because it was instrumental in forming our country and democracy doesn't mean that the ideas in it are still relevant today. <br><br>Also, just FYI, I have read most of the comments but haven't responded to them all. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. <br><br>Additional edit: <br> I'm also getting a lot of comments stating that our justice system is not based on the Declaration of Independence, but on the Constitution and Bill of Rights. This is true. Everything I've said in this post can be transferred to these documents. All three are outdated and reflect an outdated notion of justice.