Negative liberty

government centered on self-government and individual liberty. The Magna Carta, Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, and the U.S. Bill of Rights initiated…

In a society, man is “denied a liberty to judge of, or defend his right” (L53), meaning that if someone harms him in anyway, an elected (or unelected in some instances) judge serves justice, and that judge is the one who determines the right of the man, not the man himself. Thus, that…

libertas, meaning liberty or freedom. Liberalism is a political philosophy with individual liberty as its core value. Besides, it also emphasize on individual rights as well as the equality of opportunity. The liberal philosophy was developed by John Locke in the late of 17th century. Since the philosophy was derived originally from Locke’s natural rights theory, he was known as the “Father of Liberalism”. The natural rights theory basically means man has the natural right to life, to liberty,…

only way he believed that men were able to be told what to do is if they, by consent, joined another group for community reasons which brought safety and a peaceful living (Locke, pg. 52). The basic rights that Locke believed in were the right of liberty, which meant that you were able to do as you pleased without the interruption of outside sources. In this you had the right to exchange objects, ideas, and beliefs with others, without the fear of being incarcerated or killed. Life was another…

Stuart Mill's takes on a far more political approach in the discussion of human freedom. In his work, On Liberty, Mill focuses on the limits of individuality and the significance of a present minority. Mill first discusses the relationship between liberty and authority. Mill argues that liberty had a changing role when citizens equated liberty to limitations on government. As a result, civil liberty became associated with political rights, specifically the right to self-government. This new…

John Stuart Mill’s ‘Harm Principle’ states that the only limitation that should be placed on the actions of an individual are restrictions preventing harm being done to others. In other words, everyone should be left to do whatever they please as long as their actions do not pose any real harm or risks to others, or infringe upon their rights in any way. According to Mill, “no one should be forcibly prevented from acting in any way he chooses provided his acts are not invasive of the free acts…

p.37) This simply means that an American who respects the value of individualism, federal government spending on the penurious and less fortunate (Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), etc.), personal liberties, and economic liberties will closely relate with the ideology of liberalism.…

Mill and Foucault both use the concept of freedom and liberty in their writings to demonstrate the different power dynamics. Mill has a distinct perspective of social tyranny among a liberal structure. Foucault explains the ways in which we facilitate and enforce power through discourse. While their two views give a different lens of power, I would argue that they give a similar perspective on the ways in which a collective society maintains power. Both Mill and Foucault establish a critical…

power limiting the freedom of those who are subordinate to them in their “interest”. His specific focus on paternalism followed the model of Mill’s Harm Principle. Mill’s Harm Principle states that the only reason that one is able to limit another’s liberty of action is if it is for self-protection. The harm principle also states that the only way power can be exercised over another person is to prevent harm to others. Although his work pertained to Mill’s Harm Principle, throughout he accepted…

of pride and liberalism; since it has a history of inviting achievement and success to the governing structure of our nation. A lot of our convictions come from the notion of amplifying our natural rights, guaranteeing that we are enabled to life, liberty, and property. The philosopher John Locke who added to the success of liberalism, is acclaimed by several of these liberal contributions and is in some cases referred to as the architect of American liberalism. Thomas Hobbes, be that…