…. This quote was derived from a popular speech by Patrick Henry in 1775 when introducing his resolutions against the Stamp Act.
Liberty goes hand in hand with Freedom. Freedom is an idea widely used in the western part of the world.
Now let’s dig slightly into this idea. Immanuel Kant and Isaiah Berlin both studied the notion of Freedom and stated that there were two sides to it.
According to their philosphy, there is negative freedom and there is positive freedom.
Negative Freedom: In this type, their is an absence of contraint or outside interference. There is nothing or anyone preventing you from doing what you want to do. This is the more popular or familiar type. This is the freedom our country’s constitution is based on. Arguably, our freedom has become restricted as congress enacts new laws every year which make us feel as though our freedom is in jeopardy (surveillance, etc. ).
Positive Freedom: This kind of freedom lies within oneself. It represents what needs to be present such as self-control and realizing one’s fundamental purpose. It is a form of empowerment that allows a person to fullfil their potential. In this type, you achieve a high level of self-realization, a state of personal autonomy and self-mastory. In a political sense: liberation from cultural and social pressures that would otherwise impede progress towards self-realization.
With positive freedom, only the individual can understand their inner potential. This freedom can not be protruded from others, as only they know what is right for them. Any individual or entity acting to force this freedom out of an individual can be considered a level of tyranny.
So although in this country we strive for negative freedom, we lack the understanding and power of positive freedom.
Where do you stand with either type?
I live in the United States, and I think in many ways, we still have a lot of negative freedom, at least in comparison to many past and present societies. Is there room for improvement? Of course. Things like the Patriot Act should of course be cause for concern for anyone hoping to live in a free society. But one of the prices we pay for freedom is the need for vigilance in order to protect those freedoms. In terms of positive freedom, well, that’s a lot more difficult. I think we all aspire to act free of influence from the outside world. I know I’m most happy when I act according to what I believe is right for me, as opposed to what I think I should do to gain others’ approval. It’s certainly a challenge though!
James,
First of all, I’m now following your site as I have found some of the concepts you have written about very interesting. Second, I agree with your response. Compared to other nations, we do have a high level of negative freedom with which we should be proud about. My concern is certain enhancements of the Patriot act in which are taking away from this freedom. New laws placed this year on increased surveillance and the ability for the government to view text messaging is borderline infringing on our rights. In this way, we are not progressing but regressing. As far as positive freedom, there is no concrete way to measure that besides “to each is own”. My mantra is that I become a better person by learning from my mistakes and in general, working on self-improvement on all aspects of my life. With this comes self-realization and thus equating to positive freedom. Thanks for your response.