Liberty and Political Liberalism

Liberty has always been considered a basic human right and part of man’s natural law. Beyond this basic definition, the concept of liberty has many nuances debated by many great thinkers. Among the debate are the differences between liberty, political liberalism, and freedom.

The difference between human freedom and liberty are subtle. In the New York Times article “The Nation: Freedom vs. Liberty,” freedom is described as the absence of restraint while liberty is the power to choose among alternatives (Nunberg, 2003). For example, a man may have the freedom to drive a car, but if he does not have a license, he lacks the liberty to do so. Liberty can also be broken down into positive and negative liberty. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, positive liberty is the freedom to act on one’s will without restraint or compulsion (2010). Positive liberty also implies the person has the means to make the choice so an individual deciding between a mansion or a condo only has positive liberty if they can afford both choices. If they can only afford the condo, then liberty is restricted. Negative liberty covers the limitations placed on an individual’s choices by other human beings and is differs from positive liberty because positive liberty assumes that the individual must also have the economic means to make a choice (“Liberalism,” 2010).

Liberties become effective through the structure provided by political liberalism. Political liberalism is defined as a “political framework that is neutral between such controversial comprehensive doctrines” (“Liberalism,” 2010). As such, the government provides the boundaries of liberty for the individual. The debate over liberty is whether the same liberties apply to all individuals or whether the local political beliefs take precedence. In America, women have equal rights but in Afghanistan, women’s rights are severely limited. The idea of liberty has many different nuances, but it will always be a basic human right.

References

Liberalism. (2010). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/liberalism/

Nunberg, Geoffrey. (March 23, 2003). The Nation: Freedom vs. liberty, more than just another word for nothing left to lose. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/23/weekinreview/nation-freedom-vs-liberty-more-than-just-another-word-for-nothing-left-lose.html?src=pm