Liberty

Liberty or freedom which is usually treated as synonymous in theoretical discourse has been a
central concept and area of debate in modern political thought for over 300 years. Though they are
used synonymously but for many freedom refers a situation, while liberty symbolizes a state of
mind. Both these concepts have an enduring value and are ideal in political theory.

Liberty is an ‘essentially contested’ concept, one that is subject to endless and inconclusive debate
about its essential core meaning. The word liberty is derived from a Latin word liber, which means to
be free. Liberty is a value laden term and rests on certain prior moral or ideological assumptions.
Throughout the history of modern political thought, different political thinkers have been not only
advancing their own preferred theoretical accounts of freedom but also critically evaluating other
competing accounts or interpretations of the concept liberty. Three connotations are attached with
the concept of liberty –1) Choice, 2) Absence of restrains and 3) Existence of conditions.

In the 20th century, the eminent historian of ideas, Isaiah Berlin attempted to distinguish between
what he depicted as ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ concepts of liberty in the history of political thought. In
his celebrated essay, ‘Two Concepts of Liberty’ (1958), he examined and evaluated the two different
concepts of liberty which were developed by different political thinkers.

Berlin defines negative liberty as essentially the absence of constraints on the individual and
specifically the absence of constraints that results from deliberate or intended human coercion. It
meant non-interference by the state in certain activities of the individual, to enable him to pursue
his own happiness so long as he does not obstruct others in their similar freedom to pursue their
happiness. There are two important assumptions underlying the concepts of negative liberty. First
has been the emphasis in the liberal tradition on the need for privacy – for a clear distinction
between ‘private’ and ‘public’ realms of human existence. This indicated that individuals are free to
act, think and express themselves in the ways they choose within the private sphere and that they
should be protected and even enlarged. Any invasion of an individual privacy by the state or any
other body is an infringement of his/her liberty. A second assumption underlying the negative sense
of liberty has been that of human rationality, the belief that the individuals have the capacity to
make rational and informed choices in life, free from coercion or interference.

In sharp contrast, the positive sense of liberty, broadly related to the idealist family of ideas, was
defined by Berlin as concerned with the source of control or interference that can determine
someone to do this rather than that. This positive sense of liberty has embraced the notion of
rational self-direction and self-mastery – the belief that the individual should have the ability to
control his ‘lower’, irrational self. For Berlin, positive liberty is an unimpeachable human value,
necessary for a decent existence but condemns the way it has been misused. Berlin outlined five
stages by which positive liberty is usually distorted into an instrument of collective operation on the
individual. Inherent in the idea of positive liberty is the idea of control.

1. The idea of control over self.

2. Identification as separate selves of c what controls and what is controlled.
3. Further identification of controlling part of the group to which the individual is a member and of
the individual as to what is controlled.
4. Claim that society is a whole or its representatives might know better what the individual
requires and
5. What the individual truly wants is the quite opposite of what he is conscious of wanting.

Importance of Liberty

Liberty as a social value or social idea is a relatively recent phenomenon. It truly is. Sure, we’ve all
heard about the ancient Greeks’ idea of ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy’ but these words ring hollow if
you factor in the reality of Athens in ancient times. Athenian society features a small group of truly
free people and lots of slaves who fuelled the economy. Of course, women couldn’t vote and were
relatively voiceless. Hardly the model of freedom and democracy, right? Moreover, as our collective
political philosophy matured in the centuries after the Greeks, we have come to realize that there is
actually a conflict between individual liberty and democracy. You have to remember that democracy
simply means majority rule. This is a problem for the individual minority. This is a problem for
unpopular subgroups in a larger population. This is a problem for people who live among a large
number of people who expect their societies to be homogenous. Why? Let’s put it this way, if you
are one of a handful of sheep among an army of wolves, you can bet who will be served up for lunch
whenever a vote is called.

This is why individual liberty is so important. It protects individuals from the tyranny of the majority.
It establishes a base level of intellectual, philosophical, spiritual, and economic diversity that ensures
that there is enough free play of ideas in a society for the best solution to shine through. Individual
liberty is extremely important to any society looking to move ahead whether economically,
philosophically, spiritually, or materially. Here are just some of the many reasons why liberty is
important to any society.

Free societies lead to better economies

Societies that focus on individual liberties, free societies, often produce economic freedom. This
leads to better economies. When there are more choices in a market, there is a tendency for lower
prices at higher quality levels for products and services. When individual liberties against
government control, monopolization, and standardization are protected, individuals are encouraged
to experiment and offer different products and services which can benefit society as a whole since
there are more choices available. The more choices people have the better for the economy. By
protecting individual businesses from arbitrary government action, the economy benefits since there
are more solutions and more economic diversity.

Freedom leads to more stable societies

When people feel that they can freely express their frustrations and feel that they petition the
government regarding their grievances, they don’t feel ‘pushed’ to take matters into their own
hands. Instead of taking up arms, heading for the hills, and waging guerrilla war against the central
government, disaffected people can take to the airwaves. They can take out ads, and they can
participate in the political discourse. When governments give a proper forum for dissenting voices,
the society as a whole is more stable because people and dissenting groups don’t feel so disaffected,
marginalized, or suppressed that their only option in bringing about change is through violent
revolution or regime change brought about by military means.
High levels of liberty lead to more contented citizens

When people feel that they can express themselves without being sued into silence or thrown in jail,
they can take more risks artistically. They can write books or build websites on philosophy, art,
religion, and theory without having to worry about the government stepping in to muzzle them.
When people feel they can freely express themselves, they feel more contented. They don’t feel
frustrated. They don’t feel bottled up. They don’t feel ‘held down.’ The sky is the limit in terms of
artistic expression. When people are exposed to the free artistic and cultural expression of their
fellow citizens, they feel at ease. They feel contented. They feel they truly have the opportunity to
focus on the finer things in life. They get the opportunity to focus on things that go beyond and go
higher than simple raw existence.

Greater political liberty often leads to greater cultural expression

The lines between political liberty and cultural expression are quite clear and definite. When people
don’t feel afraid for letting their hair down and truly explore the full limits of their political rights,
this fosters artistic expression. When people aren’t under threat of being jailed because they wrote
the ‘wrong’ poems or novels or created the ‘wrong’ paintings and sculptures, people can more
readily explore the furthest reaches of their artistic limits. These only benefits the society as a whole
since the arts is the highest expression of any culture’s dreams, aspirations, and expression.

Political liberty is the foundation of personal transcendence

Finally, when it comes to a truly personal need-personal transcendence-political liberty can open
gateways. It is very hard to think of higher spiritual matters and question the core of human
existence and spiritual realities when one is worried about getting thrown into prison because one is
not a believer in ‘official’ dogma or orthodoxy. When the government guarantees freedom of
religion and freedom of expression, people have the raw materials they need to question, to seek, to
challenge, and to truly come to an understanding of the deep and profound mysteries of human
existence. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the highest human need, after all the
needs for sex, shelter, food, ego, and other lower needs have been filled, is the need for
transcendence. A society can foster a higher level of personal transcendence when individual
liberties are protected and guaranteed. When dissenting opinions and dissenting lifestyles are are
not just tolerated but encouraged, a society can lay the groundwork for a rich ferment of spiritual
conceptualization and expressions that can result in a higher level of spiritual exploration,
philosophical adventures, and personal transcendence.

Make no mistakes about it-high levels of personal liberty can benefit any society. From increasing
economic choices which can lift countries out of poverty to increasing opportunities for cultural
expression and artistic excellence, political liberties lay important seeds that lift societies on many
levels. The biggest benefit of liberty, however, is truly personal. With the right political, cultural,
economic, and social framework rooted in liberty, societies can lay the groundwork for people truly
exploring and pursuing the highest levels of personal, spiritual, and philosophical transcendence.

Kinds of Liberty

1. Natural Liberty:
First or all, we have the concept of natural liberty which indicates unrestrained freedom to do
whatever one likes. Professor R.N. Gilchrist calls it unscientific use of liberty. He defines natural
liberty thus; “Everyone has a vague notion of liberty of some kind and a desire for it, but among ten
people using the word, perhaps no two will be able to say exactly what they mean, or if they do so
say it, will agree with each other in their definitions. This general unscientific use of the word we
may call Natural Liberty”.

While analysing his theory of Social Contract, he defined natural liberty as “What a man loses by the
social contract he defined natural liberty and an unlimited right to anything that tempts him, which
he can obtain”.

Thus, natural liberty seems to be a license rather than a liberty. Natural liberty means absence of all
restraints an unrestrained freedom to do whatever one likes. Just a lion is free to do whatever it likes
in the jungle, so a man should have unrestrained freedom to do whatever he likes in society.

Thus, it is quite clear that natural liberty is based on sheer force. John Locke maintained that in the
state of nature people enjoyed the right to life, liberty and property. But it is absolutely incorrect
because it is only the state that guarantees the enjoyment of these rights.

In the absence of the state, the question of the enjoyment of human rights does not arise. In the
state of nature, people possessed animal powers and not the rights. Rousseau, an ardent advocate
of the state of nature, maintained, “Man was born free, but everywhere he is in chains”. This
statement of Rousseau does not appear sound because the development of human personality is
not possible in the absence of society.

And only in society the individual cannot enjoy unrestrained freedom. He cannot act according to his
will in society. If he is allowed to do whatever he likes, there will be chaos in society and people will
generate into the state of nature as described by Hobbes.

2. Civil Liberty:

Secondly, we have the concept of Civil Liberty which means the Rule of Law. “Civil Liberty”,
according to Barker, “consists in three differently expressed articles; physical freedom from injury or
threat to the life, health and movement of the body; intellectual freedom for the expression of
thought and belief, and practical freedom for the play of will and the exercise of choice in the
general field of contractual action and relations with other persons”.

Civil liberty indicates that absence of those restraints which are not reasonable and legitimate. It
refers to liberty enjoyed by man in society. It prevails in the state. It denotes the enjoyment of our
rights within the limits of law.

The protection of civil liberty is guaranteed by the law. The protection of civil liberty is guaranteed by
the laws of the state. Gettell has very aptly remarked in this connection, “Definite law, sure
enforcement and equality before law marked the advance of civil liberty of man to man”.

3. Political Liberty:

Thirdly, we have the concept of Political liberty which means liberty of citizens to participate in the
political life and affairs of the state. By Political Liberty Laski means the freedom of the individual to
participate in the affairs of the state. He says, “I can let my mind play freely about the substance of
public business. I must be able without let or hindrance to add my special experience to the general
barriers in the way of access to position of authority. I must be able to announce my opinion and to
concert with others in the announcement of opinion”.

Leacock calls Political Liberty as “constitutional liberty”, and Gilchrist regards Political Liberty as
“practically synonymous with democracy”. Political Liberty includes minimum rights. These rights
are: the right to vote; the right to contest elections; the right hold public office; the right to express
political views and criticize the government; and the right to petition etc.

4. Personal Liberty:

Fourthly, we have the concept of personal liberty which means the availability of those conditions in
which the individual can act as the pleases without being under any type of arbitrary and illegitimate
restraint. In the opinion of F.A. Hayek, liberty is a “condition of men in which coercion of some by
others is reduced as much as possible in society….The state in which a man is not subject to coercion
by the arbitrary will of another or other is often also distinguished an individual or personal
freedom”.

Every individual has the right not to permit any other individual to interfere in the affairs of his
personal life. Every individual should have the liberty to dress, food, standard of living, marriages,
education of children, etc. The state should not interfere in the personal matters of the individual.
Such liberty is essential for the free development of human society.

5. Economic Liberty:

Fourthly, we have the concept of Economic Liberty which means the liberty to earn one’s daily
bread. In his book “Grammar of Politics”, while defining economic liberty, Professor Laski says, “By
economic liberty, I mean security and the opportunity to find reasonable significance in the earning
of one’s daily bread. I must be free from the constant fear of unemployment and insufficiency which,
perhaps more than other inadequacies, sap the whole strength of personality. I must be safeguarded
against the wants of tomorrow”. In simple words, we can say that every individual, regardless of the
distinction of caste, colour and creed, should have liberty to earn his daily bread by fair means.

6. National Liberty:

By national liberty we mean the liberty of the nation or the country. The following words are
engraved on the building of our Central Secretariat, Delhi: “Liberty does not descend upon a person.
People must raise themselves to liberty. Liberty is a blessing that must be earned in order to be
enjoyed”.

Like individuals, nations also think in terms of liberty. National liberty exists where the nation or the
community is independent and sovereign. As a matter of fact national liberty is another name for
national sovereignty. Every state or nation wishes to remain free. And without independence the
progress of the nation or the state is not possible. In a slave country people cannot enjoy the
comforts of life. And whenever a country is enslaved by imperialistic forces, the slave country goes
on making efforts and continues to make sacrifices till it succeeds in liberating itself from the
clutches of the foreign yoke.
In order to restore and regain its independence, India made unimaginable sacrifices and continually
struggled against the Turks, Mughals and British. These sacrifices are well recorded in the golden
pages of Indian history Likewise, in the nineteenth century Italy struggled against Austrian yoke and
ultimately succeeded in restoring its independence.

The sacrifices made by Italy and the heroic deeds done by the brave leaders of Italy are well-
recorded in the golden pages of Italian history. In the nineteenth and twentieth century’s Greece
and Bulgaria struggled against the yoke of Turkish Empire and ultimately succeeded in regaining
their freedom. In twentieth century, African countries struggled against the yoke of foreign empires
and their struggle resulted in the restoration of freedom to most of African countries.

After the attainment of freedom if any attempt to enslave that free country is made, the affected
country makes all possible efforts and makes every sacrifice to safeguard its independence. For
example, England made every possible sacrifice in order to safeguard the country against the
aggressions committed on it by Napoleon and Hitler.

After Independence when India was attacked by China in 1962, again by Pakistan in 1965 and 1971,
the Government of India made all possible efforts to defend the country and the soldiers of Indian
army sacrificed their lives for the noble cause of safeguarding national freedom and glory. Indian
public and all the political parties of India co-operated with the government in that hour of
emergency.
 Equality
The idea of equality is perhaps the defining feature of modern political thought. It has provoked
intense debate when it has been applied to the distribution of wealth or income in society. The
earliest use of the term ‘equal’ was to refer to identical physical characteristics. In political theory,
however, a clear distinction is made between equality and ideas such as – ‘uniformity’ and
‘sameness’. Equality, in other words, is about ‘levelling’ those conditions of social existence which
are thought to crucial to human well-being.

There are as many forms of equality as there are ways of comparing the conditions of human
existence. It is thus possible to talk about moral equality, legal equality, political equality, social
equality, sexual equality, racial equality and so on. Moreover, the principle of equality has assumed a
number of forms, the most significant of which have been formal equality, equality of opportunity
and equality of outcome.

Types of Equality

1. Natural Equality:

Despite the fact that men differ in respect of their physical features, psychological traits, mental
abilities and capacities, all humans are to be treated as equal humans. All are to be considered
worthy of enjoying all human rights and freedoms.

2. Social Equality:

It stands for equal rights and opportunities for development for all classes of people without any
discrimination.

Specifically, it stands for:

(i) Absence of special privileges for any class or caste or religions group or an ethnic group;

(ii) Prohibition of discrimination against any one on the basis of caste, colour, creed, religion, sex and
place of birth;

(iii) Free access to public places for all the people, i.e. no social segregation; and

(iv) Equality of opportunity for all people. It however accepts the concept of protective
discrimination in favour of all weaker sections of society.

A modern central theme of social equality is to end gender inequality, to ensure equal status and
opportunities to the women and to ensure equal rights of male and female children to live and
develop.

3. Civil Equality:

It stands for the grant of equal rights and freedoms to all the people and social groups. All the
people are to be treated equal before Law.

4. Political Equality:
It stands for equal opportunities for participation of all in the political process. This involves the
concept of grant of equal political rights for all the citizens with some uniform qualifications for
everyone.

5. Economic Equality:

Economic equality does not mean equal treatment or equal reward or equal wages for all. It stands
for fair and adequate opportunities to all for work and for earning of their livelihoods. It also means
that primary needs of all should be met before the special needs of few are satisfied. The gap
between rich and poor should be minimum. There should be equitable distribution of wealth and
resources in the society.

6. Legal Equality:

Finally, Legal Equality stands for equality before law, equal subjection of all to the same legal code
and equal opportunity for all to secure legal protection of their rights and freedom. There should
rule of law and laws must be equally binding foe all. In every society equality must be ensured in all
these forms.