Knowra Liberty Liberty Liberty is the condition of being able to act, speak, and choose without undue constraint or coercive control. Its meaning varies across political, legal, and philosophical traditions.
Isaiah Berlin : A political philosopher known for distinguishing negative liberty from positive liberty. His distinction frames enduring disagreements over what freedom requires.
Negative liberty : Freedom understood as the absence of interference by other people or institutions. This is liberty understood as a protected area in which others do not obstruct action.
Rights : Normative claims or entitlements that establish what people may do or what others owe them. Rights give liberty recognizable claims that can be defended against interference.
Constitutionalism : The practice of limiting government power through a constitution and related institutions. Constitutional limits can safeguard liberties against government action.
Social contract : A political theory that explains legitimate authority through an agreement, actual or hypothetical, among people. It asks what limits on liberty people accept in exchange for collective security and order.
John Stuart Mill : A British philosopher whose writings defend individual freedom of thought and action. His harm principle sets a limit on when society may restrict individual conduct.
Positive liberty : Freedom understood as the capacity to direct one's life and realize one's purposes. This account asks whether people have the power and conditions to act, not only noninterference.
Law : A system of rules recognized and enforced by institutions of governance. Law can secure liberty through protections and restrict it through enforceable limits.
Freedom of religion : The freedom to hold, change, practice, or decline religious beliefs, subject to applicable law. It applies liberty to belief and religious practice, including protection from imposed orthodoxy.
Equality : The condition of having equal status, rights, or opportunities under a specified standard. Unequal resources or status can make formal liberties harder for some people to exercise.
Show all 26