Freedom (political)
Political freedom is the right, or the capacity, of self-determination as an expression of the individual will.
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Philosophy of political freedom
Philosophers have identified a positive and negative aspect to the concept of "freedom". "Positive freedom" may generally be defined as the ability of an individual to act to fulfill their potential (see positive liberty). "Negative freedom" may generally be defined as the absence of constraint upon an individual (see negative liberty).
For example, according to Thomas Hobbes an individual is free to act when the law does not prohibit an act or is otherwise silent on the matter. Isaiah Berlin and others examined the difference between the positive and negative views of freedom in his 1958 essay Two Concepts of Liberty.
One of the most notable contributors to the modern concept of political freedom was the Victorian philosopher John Stuart Mill who, in his magnus opus On Liberty, outlined several freedoms which did not exist during the Victorian period in Britain. He largely based his political philosophy on the harm principle, which essentially posits that people should be allowed to do as they wish provided others are not physically harmed.
Following from this distinction, when an individual is free from social and political ills they may enjoy safety or security, while an individual who is free to act generally enjoys liberty.
Types of freedom
The concept of political freedom is closely allied with the concepts of civil liberties and human rights, and the fundamental idea of positive and negative freedom corresponds with the concept of positive and negative rights.
Most democratic societies are characterised by various freedoms which are afforded the legal protection of the state. Some of these freedoms include (in alphabetical order):
- Freedom of assembly
- Freedom of association
- Freedom from discrimination
- Freedom of movement (or travel)
- Freedom of the press
- Freedom of religion (or belief)
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of thought (or conscience)
The constitutions of many nations specifically codify some of these freedoms in a bill of rights.
Different views on political freedom
Various groups along the political spectrum naturally differ on what they consider constitutes "true" political freedom.
In right-wing libertarianism (i.e., libertarianism as it is understood in Britain and the United States; see libertarian socialism for libertarianism as it is understood in most of the rest of the world), freedom is defined in terms of lack of government interference; in particular, capitalists place a high value on freedom from government interference in the economy. This kind of freedom may be referred to as a kind of negative liberty.
On the other hand, those on the political left place more emphasis on freedom as the ability of the individual to realize one's own potential and pursue happiness. Freedom in this sense may include freedom from want, poverty, deprivation, or oppression. These kinds of freedom may be referred to as positive liberty.
Many anarchists see negative and positive liberty as complementary concepts of freedom.
Environmentalists such as the Greens often argue that political freedoms should include some social constraint on use of ecosystems. They maintain there is no such thing, for instance, as "freedom to pollute" or "freedom to deforest" given the downstream consequences. The popularity of SUVs, golf, and urban sprawl has been used as evidence that some ideas of freedom and ecological conservation can clash. This leads at times to serious confrontations and clashes of values reflected in advertising campaigns, e.g. that of PETA regarding fur.
In jurisprudence, freedom is the right to autonomously determine one's own actions; generally it is granted in those fields in which the subject has no obligations to fulfill or laws to obey, according to the interpretation that the hypothetical natural unlimited freedom is limited by the law for some matters.
Recent trends in political freedom around the world
In modern times the expansion of "freedom" around the world is generally considered synonymous with increased participation in democratic political systems.
During the 20th century overall, there was a dramatic growth in democracy, especially among the more developed countries, and decline in monarchy and colonialism. However, there was also an increase in various types of authoritarian regimes, and currently 33 percent of people in less developed countries live in countries subject to some kind of authoritarian rule.
In the last several decades, there has only been moderate growth in freedom, and as of 2000, about 40% of people in developing countries still live in countries which lack political freedoms.
Famous sayings
- "Eλευθερια η θανατος" (Freedom or Death!)
—Cretan War cry. - "Give me Liberty or give me Death!"
—Patrick Henry