Freedom

• Isaiah Berlin


  Russian-British social philosopher, political theorist, public intellectual, historian, and an educator
• Isaiah Berlin is often time ascribed as a 'Philosopher of Freedom'
• Berlin delivered his well-known lecture "Two Concepts of Liberty" as Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford University


  1958

  
• Berlin's inaugural lecture restored political philosophy to the methods of analytic philosophy
• Heinz's dilemma


  Predicament in which you must make a difficult choice between two possible actions
• Negative Freedom


  • Absence of arbitrary coercion
• Positive Freedom


  • Self-rule or self-mastery
• Negative Freedom


  Generally, it means non-intervention or minimal interference; It also means lack of constraint or pressure; Or absence of arbitrary coercion
• Positive Freedom


  It means self-rule or self-mastery; It promotes self-realization; This requires being critical, creative, compassionate, and accountable for one's own actions as well as those of others
• Thomas Hobbes


  Human being is a "homo homini lupus" - "Man is a wolf to man"; By nature, human beings are greedy, selfish, self-seeking, and competitive; Human beings have an infinite desire to possess and seek individual satisfaction; This is fundamentally grounded and stirred by one's craving for wealth and power
• How Hobbes resolves the dreadful situation


  It cannot be an appeal to conventional morality, divine justice, or cosmic mediation; It can be regulated through the social contract; The law is what the sovereign commands and his/her powers are limitless; Freedom is conceived only within the context of the social contract
• John Locke


  In the state of nature, all men and women are created equal by God; Freedom is of divine origin, it should be exercised and enjoyed by all human beings; This state of nature presupposes perfect freedom; If infringement arises, individuals should be restrained from violating the rights of others; Anyone can defend one's right to life and property if there is a clear and present danger to this freedom
• What could the people do if disobedience occurs during a conflict or disagreement

  Like Hobbes, Locke explained freedom in the context of the social contract; Presupposition of freedom: all human beings are equal, communal, and autonomous, and everyone has the right to preserve one's right to life, liberty, property, and/or happiness; To preserve and maintain the separation of powers in the government and create a regulative order in society, one must submit one's will for the common good by establishing the social contract; Any government that functions without the approval of the people and democratic laws may be ousted from power; Only a legitimate government can have authority over the people
• John Stuart Mill


  Following the Utilitarian principle, he states that the only freedom that merits the term is the freedom to pursue our personal good in our own manner, so long as we do not try to deprive others of theirs or obstruct their efforts to acquire it; The freedom to seek one's own happiness is a summum bonum for every person and can only be violated if the effect of one's freedom harms other persons
• What is the limit of freedom


  Mill clarifies that governments ought to have fitting limitations in applying the principle of utilitarianism; This principle promotes the idea of the greatest good for the greatest number of people; Mill justifies the essential role of politics in maintaining the balance and keeping up the harmony between maximizing the exercise of individual freedom and increasing the protection of the government; Too much weight on individual liberty produces anarchism, lawlessness or rebellion, while too much emphasis on authority results in despotism, oppressiveness or tyranny
• Buddhists' view on freedom

  Self-mastery is best acquired by lessening or abstaining from fleshly cravings and focusing on a more fitting object of desire; Fleshly cravings are frequently viewed as cruel and unpleasant; Genuine conception and exercise of freedom is synonymous with self-mastery
• Immanuel Kant's view on freedom

  Freedom means acting properly according to the principle of the Categorical Imperative; The Categorical Imperative states that one must act only according to that maxim which an individual can become a universal law; Such law is rational, supreme, and absolute; Actions have moral value if they have universal applicability and reason that qualify this criterion; Freedom is not about following one's passions or yielding to one's desires, but rather about controlling or mastering them; Freedom must be conceived and practiced within the boundaries of reason
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau's view on freedom


  "Men are born free, yet everywhere are in chains"; Individuals who live in civil society never really feel the implementation of equality and individual freedom that was assured to them; Only a sovereign government with the consent of the people may exercise authority and empower citizens to join into a social contract for mutual protection and collective security; Human beings have the tendency to exploit, control, oppress, and manipulate others; The solution is to develop a social covenant that would regulate or limit these vicious human tendencies; The general will of the people has more strength and influence over individual freedom; Freedom means respect and obedience to the law which we demand to ourselves
• Freedom as Self-realization


  Self-realization is achieved not just through a mental act, but also through the realization of person's whole personality, through the active expression of his emotional and intellectual potentialities; These potentialities exist in everyone; They only become actual to the extent that they are expressed; Positive freedom resides in the spontaneous action
• Rousseau's solution

  Develop a social covenant that would regulate or limit vicious human tendencies
• Social contract


  A social agreement among individuals that have a collective will and common interest to preserve and maintain a genuinely free political society
• General will of the people

  Has more strength and influence over individual freedom
• Freedom


  Respect and obedience to the law which we demand to ourselves
• Self-realization


  Achieved not just through a mental act, but also through the realization of person's whole personality, through the active expression of his emotional and intellectual potentialities
• Spontaneity


  An essential quality of freedom, meaning free activity and implying one's free will
• Freedom for Steiner


  The ability to perform actions motivated by love
• Freedom for Sartre


  Responsibility, as we define the kind of life that we want based on the choices that we make
• "Existence precedes essence"


  Human beings have no preconceived essence or predefined nature, we define our existence in this world through the choices we make
• From a scientific point of view, freedom is merely an illusion
• Determinism


  The view or belief that all actions or events that occur are (directly or indirectly) influenced or conditioned by prior causes or reasons
• Soft determinism (compatibilism)


  Assumes that we are determined by certain factors or prior causes, yet we are at the same time free
• Hard determinism (incompatibilism)


  Assumes that freedom and determinism are incompatible or contradictory since all actions are causally determined
• Liberty


  The lack of constraint or coercive forces that limits the exercise of free will
• Six types of freedom

  • Physical
  • Psychological
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Political
  • Existential
• Physical freedom


  Freedom from external imperatives or any oppressive forces
• Psychological freedom


  The absence of mental, emotional, or spiritual coercion or pressure
• Moral freedom


  The absence of constraint through the punitive and oppressive force of moral imperatives
• Social freedom


  Not just independence from social determinism, but a particular way of appropriating or exercising the assimilation of freedom in society
• Political freedom


  Often linked with the notion of liberty and autonomy, including freedom of speech, religion, assembly, choice, academic freedom, economic freedom, etc.
• Existential freedom


  Puts a premium on personal responsibility and accountability