Philosophy

• • Liberty means: to live
• Liberty is

  • “the right and the power to believe, act, and express oneself as one chooses, of being free from restriction, and having the freedom of choice. It is the condition of having the power to act and speak without restraints.”
• • Freedom is “the state of being free to enjoy political, social, and civil liberties. It is the power to decide one’s actions, and the state of being free from restraints or confinement. It is synonymous to the words liberty, privilege, deliverance, and independence.”
• Isaih berlin talked about positive and negative freedom
• • Negative freedom: is about not being controlled or interfered with by others, allowing you to do what you want without restrictions.
• • Positive freedom is about having the power to govern yourself and make important decisions. 
• Negative freedom

  • It means the absence of arbitrary (irrational) coercion (force)
• Negative freedom

  • It means non-intervention or minimal interference
  • We can do whatever we want, until the law comes and minimal interference comes
  • Limits your freedom
  • No absolute freedom 
• Example of negative freedom

  • You can drive your car and can go wherever you want,change lanes, and decide your own routes as long as you follow the traffic laws. You’re free to make your own decisions without anyone interfering 
• Political philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill are strong advocates for the reasonable limitations of freedom
• • For Hobbes, each nation is always in a constant battle for supremacy and resources. 
• • Homo homini lupus: “Man is a wolf to a man” 
• Thomas hobbes said

  • By nature, human beings are greedy, selfish, self-seeking, and competitive 
• social contract - It's important for people to come together and agree on rules and responsibilities that protect everyone's rights.
• • Agreement - consensus of people to protect the rights and duties of people
• Thomas hobbes - said that the best way to control the people is a ruler who is like a leviathan who has absolute power
• Thomas hobbes - greediness of people
• John Locke - father of liberalism, he viewed freedom as a natural right
• John lock said

  • If infringement (Violation) arises in the event of a clash or conflict, individuals should be restrained from violating the rights of others 
• John locke said

  • Freedom is a divine origin, It should be exercised and enjoyed by all human beings 
• John locke mentioned

  • architect of democracy
  • meaning demos: people
  • kratos: rule
• Common good -

  • We serve each other
  • Preserve our rights
  • Both agree
• Public good - only doing it for a person (not for yourself)
• John stuart mill - He mentioned about Utilitarian or greatest happiness is the principle of people
• Utilitarian principle - the principle that the good of the greatest number should be the ultimate goal of all human action ; the only freedom that merits is freedom to pursue personal good in our own manner without hurting anyone
• Harm Principle: You’re not hurting anyone. Do anything without hurting anyone
• John stuart Mill mentioned summun bonum which means "supreme good" or

  • The freedom to seek one’s own happiness
• John stuart mill said  That too much focus on individual freedom can lead to chaos, while too much government control can lead to tyranny
• Positive freedom -

  • Promotes self-realization
  • Requires being critical, creative, compassionate, and accountable for one’s actions as well as those of others
  • Being your own master 
  • Self-control
• Buddhists said

  • Self-mastery is best achieved when one lessens or abstains  from the desires of the flesh and focuses on a more appropriate object of desire. 
• Buddhists -

  • They perceive freedom from attachment and desire
• • DISCIPLINE → in order to achieve 
• • SELF-MASTERY → to attain CONTROL of yourself
• • You improve if you suffer, known as samsara 
• positive freedom is achieved by

  mastering one's desires and attachments, ultimately attaining Nirvana, a state of complete freedom from suffering
• Positive freedom in Buddhism involves the

  Ethical development of one's character, cultivating, Ethical development of one's character, cultivating virtues like compassion, wisdom, and mindfulness.
• IMMANUEL KANT 

  • Explains his theory of freedom based on his discourse on moral philosophy. The notion of freedom, as a postulate of reason, is an ethical inquiry.
• • For Kant, the nature of freedom is the capacity of rational self-governance and moral autonomy 
• • Categorical Imperative. It states that one must act only according to that maxim which an individual can become a universal law. 
• • Moral agency in Kant’s philosophy: Moral agency involves the ability to make rational choices based on moral principles.