Positive and Negative Liberty (Isaiah Berlin - Two Concepts of Liberty)
Summary
TLDRThis lecture explores the distinction between 'negative liberty' and 'positive liberty' as introduced by Isaiah Berlin in 1958. Negative liberty is the freedom from external interference, while positive liberty is the freedom to act upon one's will. The talk delves into nuances, using examples like religious freedom and historical references, such as the Emancipation Proclamation and FDR's four freedoms. It contrasts the Jeffersonian concept of liberty with Roosevelt's broader view, including the modern libertarian perspective on the matter, highlighting the complexities and ongoing discussions around the concept of freedom.
Takeaways
- 📚 The lecture discusses the two concepts of liberty as defined by Isaiah Berlin in his 1958 essay, highlighting the differences between negative and positive liberty.
- 🔒 Negative liberty is defined as the freedom from outside interference, emphasizing the absence of constraints on an individual's actions.
- 🛠 Positive liberty is the freedom to act upon one's will, focusing on the ability to achieve goals despite potential interference.
- 🌐 The distinction between the two lies in 'freedom from' something (negative liberty) versus 'freedom to' do something (positive liberty).
- 📜 Negative liberty is often associated with the language of natural rights, while positive liberty is linked to the language of entitlement.
- 🏛️ Historical examples, such as the Jews' return to Jerusalem under Cyrus the Great, illustrate the concept of positive liberty through interference.
- 🗽 The American constitutional rights, particularly the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment, are primarily framed in terms of negative liberty.
- 🤔 The script raises the question of whether all members of society should have certain entitlements like education, healthcare, and food as part of their positive liberties.
- 📚 Booker T. Washington's 'Up from Slavery' is cited to illustrate the limitations of negative liberty without the resources to achieve positive liberty.
- 🔄 The lecture touches on the modern libertarian movement's rejection of positive liberty, arguing that it compromises individual freedom through wealth redistribution.
- 🌟 FDR's Four Freedoms speech is presented as an example of incorporating both negative and positive liberties, expanding the concept of freedom beyond non-interference.
- 🤝 The ongoing discussion between the concepts of negative and positive liberty reflects the complexity of defining and achieving true freedom in society.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the lecture?
-The main topic of the lecture is the difference between positive and negative liberty, as discussed in Isaiah Berlin's essay 'Two Concepts of Liberty'.
What is negative liberty defined as?
-Negative liberty is defined as the freedom from outside interference, emphasizing the absence of external constraints that would prevent an individual from acting.
What is positive liberty defined as?
-Positive liberty is the freedom to act upon one's will, focusing on the ability of an individual to achieve their goals, even in the presence of potential interference.
How does the concept of negative liberty relate to the language of natural rights?
-Negative liberty is defined in the language of natural rights, suggesting that individuals have an inherent right to operate within a certain sphere without interference.
Can you provide an example of negative liberty from the script?
-An example of negative liberty given in the script is the freedom from interference in one's religious practice.
How does the script relate the concept of positive liberty to the story of the Jews and Cyrus the Great?
-The script uses the story of the Jews and Cyrus the Great to illustrate positive liberty, where the Persian king provided the means for the Jews to rebuild their temple and practice their religion freely, despite potential interference.
What are the two maxims of liberalism as described by John Stuart Mill in the context of negative liberty?
-The two maxims are: 1) The individual is not accountable to society for his actions unless they concern the interests of others, and 2) The individual is accountable and may be subjected to social or legal punishment for actions that are prejudicial to the interests of others.
How does the First Amendment of the United States Constitution reflect the concept of negative liberty?
-The First Amendment reflects negative liberty by protecting people from interference in their rights of expression, religion, speech, press, assembly, and petitioning the government for grievances.
What is the distinction between the negative and positive sense of freedom for the newly freed slaves mentioned in the script?
-The newly freed slaves had negative liberty in the sense that they were no longer under the control of a master. However, they lacked positive liberty because they did not have the resources or opportunities to truly exercise their freedom and achieve their goals.
What are the four freedoms mentioned by FDR, and how do they relate to the concepts of negative and positive liberty?
-FDR's four freedoms are freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The first two are examples of negative liberties, focusing on the absence of interference, while freedom from want and freedom from fear represent positive liberties, emphasizing the entitlement to certain conditions for a free life.
How do libertarians view the concept of positive liberty, and why?
-Libertarians generally do not support the concept of positive liberty because they believe it requires redistribution of wealth and resources, which they argue compromises the freedom of one person for the sake of another's freedom.
What is the script's final point on the complexity of liberty and the ongoing discussion between different concepts of liberty?
-The script concludes that liberty is complex, with an ongoing discussion between the Jeffersonian concept of negative liberty and the Rooseveltian concept of positive liberty, which includes both negative and positive aspects of freedom.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Positive and Negative Liberty
This paragraph introduces the lecture's focus on the contrasting concepts of positive and negative liberty, as explored by Isaiah Berlin in his 1958 essay. Negative liberty is defined as the freedom from outside interference, while positive liberty is the freedom to act upon one's will. The lecturer uses the terms 'freedom from' and 'freedom to' to distinguish between the two. The concept of natural rights is associated with negative liberty, whereas entitlements are linked to positive liberty. The paragraph sets the stage for a deeper dive into these nuanced definitions and their implications in contemporary society.
🏛️ The Practical Implications of Liberty
The second paragraph delves into the practical implications of liberty, contrasting the theoretical definitions with real-world scenarios. It discusses how negative liberty, such as the freedom from interference in religious practice, is often understood in the context of constitutional rights, referencing the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment. The paragraph also highlights the limitations of negative liberty when individuals lack the resources to achieve their goals, using Booker T. Washington's 'Up from Slavery' to illustrate the difference between being free in name and truly being free to pursue one's aspirations. It then contrasts this with FDR's 'Four Freedoms' speech, which includes both negative and positive liberties, and touches on the modern libertarian movement's stance on positive liberty, emphasizing the tension between individual freedom and societal redistribution of resources.
👋 Conclusion and Call to Action
The final paragraph serves as a concise conclusion to the lecture, summarizing the complexity of liberty and the ongoing debate between the concepts of negative and positive liberty. It invites the audience to subscribe to the channel for more content and provides social media handles for further engagement. This closing remark leaves the audience with a sense of the importance of understanding and discussing these fundamental ideas in the pursuit of a more just and free society.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Positive Liberty
💡Negative Liberty
💡Freedom
💡Entitlement
💡Interference
💡Natural Right
💡Constitutional Rights
💡Resources
💡Libertarian Movement
💡FDR's Four Freedoms
Highlights
Introduction to the lecture on the difference between positive and negative liberty based on Isaiah Berlin's essay.
Definition of negative liberty as the freedom from outside interference.
Definition of positive liberty as the freedom to act upon one's will.
Explanation of the distinction between freedom from something and freedom to do something.
Negative liberty defined in the language of natural right; positive liberty in the language of entitlement.
Religious freedom as an example of both negative and positive liberty.
The role of Cyrus the Great in enabling positive religious liberty for the Jews.
The Declaration of Independence and its emphasis on negative liberties.
John Stuart Mill's two maxims of liberalism reflecting the principles of negative liberty.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as an example of negative liberty.
Booker T. Washington's perspective on the limitations of negative liberty post-emancipation.
The question of whether society should provide resources like education and healthcare as rights.
FDR's four freedoms speech introducing the concept of positive liberties.
The modern libertarian movement's rejection of positive liberty and its implications.
The philosophical debate between negative and positive liberty in terms of individual freedom and societal responsibility.
The complexity of liberty and the ongoing discussion between Jeffersonian and Rooseveltian concepts of liberty.
Transcripts
hey there students in this lecture I'm
going to go over the difference between
positive and negative Liberty now this
comes from the essay written by Isaiah
Berlin in 1958 entitled two concepts of
Liberty quick shout-out to Tom Turner
one of my own students who loves freedom
very much so let's go ahead and look at
these two concepts of Liberty negative
Liberty and positive Liberty negative
Liberty can be defined as the freedom
from outside interference the operative
word being from whereas positive Liberty
is the freedom to act upon one's will
the operative word being to so the
distinction here is freedom from
something and freedom to be able to do
something in the language of negative
Liberty I might say I am no one's slave
whereas in the language of positive
Liberty I would say I am my own master
negative Liberty is defined in the
language of natural right whereas
positive Liberty can be defined in the
language of entitlement now both of
these definitions are about freedom but
it's nuanced and I'm going to go into
those nuances and why it matters to a
lot of people today so negative Liberty
really involves a zone of
non-interference that freedom is my
ability to operate within a certain
sphere where no one else is interfering
with me whereas positive Liberty is the
ability for me to achieve my goals
regardless of who may be interfering and
who may not be interfering now there are
some freedoms that we have such as
religious freedom that we could look at
in terms of negative or positive Liberty
if we're going to look at religious
freedom in terms of negative Liberty we
would look at freedom from interference
in my religious practice whereas
positive Liberty would define this as
the freedom to practice the religion of
my choosing
now religion in terms of positive
Liberty you could look at the Bible when
the Jews are given money by the Persian
king
iris the great to go back and rebuild
their temple they wanted to go back to
Jerusalem they wanted to worship at
their temple and Cyrus the Great made
this freedom possible made it possible
for them to do what they wanted to do
through interference
now this challenges the definition of
negative Liberty now we typically
understand the rights that we have in
America at least constitutional rights
in terms of negative Liberty when we
think about the Declaration of
Independence the Jefferson wrote about
life liberty and the pursuit of
happiness that you have the right to be
alive you have the right to be free and
you have the right to pursue happiness
without interference from someone else
you don't necessarily have the right to
be happy but you may pursue happiness as
you see fit without someone else
needlessly getting in the way and John
Stuart Mill wrote in the language of
negative Liberty when he wrote about the
two Maxim's of liberalism these Maxim's
are first that the individual is not
accountable to society for his actions
insofar as these concern the interest of
no person but himself
secondly that for such actions as are
prejudicial to the interest of others
the individual is accountable and may be
subjected either to social or legal
punishment so when we ask John Stuart
Mill and we evaluate these Maxim's
Liberty is really about being able to do
what you want as long as you are not
hurting anyone else when we look at the
First Amendment of the United States
Constitution Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof
or abridging the freedom of speech or of
the press or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble and to petition
the government for a redress of
grievances so you see here that the
First Amendment is written in the
language of negative Liberty protecting
people from interference from this new
federal government in the rights of
expression so Congress will not make any
law respecting an establishment of
religion so they won't create a state
Church and they won't prohibit someone
from practicing their religion
freely so the first amendment is written
in the language of negative Liberty and
non-interference now the question is
negative Liberty is great until you find
yourself unable to attain your goals due
to lack of resources take Booker T
Washington for example in his book up
from slavery great book this is a guy
that was a college president who was
born as a slave and in the first chapter
of up from slavery Booker T Washington
writes about his memory as a boy of the
Union Army coming to his plantation
where he grew up and reading the
Emancipation Proclamation and the
Emancipation Proclamation was read and
everybody's first reaction was yes
you know we're free and that's awesome
but then there was kind of a follow-up
reaction what now I'm free but I don't
have any property I don't have any money
I don't have any marketable skills so
these slaves that were freed at that
time were they truly free yes in the
negative sense they were free because
they didn't have a master but they
weren't free in the positive sense
because really when it comes down to it
what could they do and this is where we
ask ourselves should all members of
society have things like education
health care employment food do people
have a right to eat a right to be fed a
right to be taken care of when they're
sick now in a state of nature they
certainly don't have that right but in
our civilized society do we recognize
these rights and I'd like to kind of
employ Newton's first law of motion when
viewed in an inertial reference frame an
object either remains at rest or
continues to move at constant velocity
unless acted upon by force so if you're
the person who has property you're the
person who has money and education and
food and all of this kind of stuff then
you're free you can do whatever you want
in an atmosphere of non-interference
that you are the object in motion that
will stay in motion but the
and what about the person who is not in
that position what about the person who
does not have money does not have
education does not have access to health
care and all of those kinds of things is
that person free in the positive sense
that person is not free in the sense
that they are not able to achieve their
goals
so while Jefferson symbolizes negative
Liberty let's look at FDR's four
freedoms in 1941 FDR gave his for
freedom speech where he said that every
human being should have these four
rights freedom of speech freedom of
worship freedom from want and freedom
from fear when you look at the first two
of these these are negative liberties
that FDR is speaking in terms of
negative Liberty here at first of these
traditional American rights the right to
be able to speak freely and worship
freely without someone interfering with
you and then he goes on to speak about
freedom from want and freedom from fear
these are positive liberties that he's
talking about that these are things like
I have a right not to be needy I have a
right not to be afraid these are not
natural rights these are what we would
call entitlements of living in a
civilized free society now the modern
libertarian movement led by people like
Ron Paul they do not believe in the
concept of positive Liberty because
their assessment of this is that two
people cannot both be free if one of
them has to take from the other in order
to be free if we look at John Stuart
Mill that the person owes nothing to
society as long as they're doing nothing
to harm society but in order to actually
implement positive Liberty you're going
to have to redistribute wealth and
resources so if somebody doesn't have
health care education or something like
that then the government will have to
provide that so that person can achieve
their goals if that person has been
discriminated against something like
affirmative action so libertarians will
say that this really isn't right because
one person's freedom is being
compromised for another person's freedom
now at the same time without any
redistribution the portion of the
population without wealth education
employment that portion is not free so
if we were to look at things in terms
exclusively of negative Liberty then
there is a portion of population that is
on
three because they lack these resources
it's almost like Rousseau said man is
born free but everywhere is in Chains
that everybody can't seem to be free at
one time liberty is very complicated and
that's why we continue to have this
discussion between the Jeffersonian
concept of negative Liberty and this
more 20th century Roosevelt sort of
concept of positive Liberty which also
incorporates negative liberties as well
so hopefully you learned a little
something about Liberty if you like what
you heard subscribe to my channel Tom
Ritchie dotnet social media Twitter
Instagram all of that kind of stuff
plenty more where this came from until
next time
you
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