POL S101 Lecture 4: POLS101 Chapter 4
7 Jun 2018
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CHAPTER 4
Freedom and Justice
Constraints on Freedom
•Freedom = Liberty (the terms are interchangeable)
•Generally understood as “good”
•We might have grounds for limiting freedom to protect or pursue other “goods” that we
value
•E.g., Doğu Perinçek in 2007 was convicted under a Swiss anti-racism law that prevents
genocide denial
oSince Perinçek is a Turkish citizen and Turkey denies the Armenian genocide, can he
really be convicted of a crime for echoing the official line of his own country?
•Freedom as absence of constraint
oBut what counts as constraint?
o
Nondemocratic Government
as Constraint
•No necessary relationship between freedom and the absence of democracy
•It is possible to imagine a benign dictatorship that allows considerable freedom
Physical Coercion as Constraint
•Others physically prevent us from doing what we want to do
•Imprisonment or slavery as extreme examples
•Unfair or discriminatory laws may also count
Physical Incapacity as Constraint
•May or may not qualify as politically relevant
•Relevance is decided by the limits of human agency
•Language of freedom is appropriate if human agency can correct the impediment
oE.g., wheelchair accessibility for public buildings can reduce the constraint of being
wheelchair-bound
Rationality as Constraint
•Some argue that freedom can be constrained based on how rational we are
•Only the truly rational can be free
oChildren, senile adults can be subject to supervision, often with regard to their own
safety
•Controversial since the parameters of rationality are so contested
Psychology as Constraint
•We can be constrained by the way we think
oMarketing and advertising
oGovernment anti-advertising campaigns
•Closely related to Lukes’s “third dimension” of power and Gramsci’s “hegemony”
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Closely related to Lukes’s “third dimension” of power and Gramsci’s “hegemony”
Economic Impediments as Constraint
•Freedom is not possible without access to the basic needs of human survival
•Some argue that the state can increase freedom by providing those basic material
conditions
•Foundation for the modern welfare state
Negative and Positive Freedom
•Distinction between “positive” and “negative” freedom dates back to ancient Greece
•John Locke argues for negative freedoms, or the right to non-interference
•Jean-Jacques Rousseau argues for positive freedom, or the duty of the state to provide a
decent standard of living
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Negative and Positive Freedom, cont’d
•Isaiah Berlin (1909–97)
•Negative liberty or “freedom from”
o“What is the area within which the subject… is or should be left to do or be what he is
able to do or be without interference by other persons?”
•Positive liberty or “freedom to”
o“What, or who, is the source of control or interference that can determine someone to
do, or be, this rather than that?”
Negative and Positive Freedom, cont’d
•Isaiah Berlin (1909–97), cont’d.
•Distinction between area of control (negative freedom) and source of control (positive
freedom)
•Berlin’s work is highly influential through the 1960s
•Later critics identify multiple forms of freedom, not just two
Negative and Positive Freedom, cont’d
•In the US, the tendency is to favour negative liberties; positive liberties are seen as
potential threats or overly burdensome to capitalism
•In socialist countries, the tendency is to favour positive liberties based on a perceived
responsibility to the citizenry
Complimentary Freedoms
•Both negative and positive freedoms are protected in international law
•In Canada, there has been a balance between them
oE.g., Pierre Trudeau promoted state-run health care (positive freedom) and removed
criminal prohibition of same-sex acts (negative freedom)
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Is Freedom Special?
•Why should freedom be valued?
•What are the justifications for freedom?
•Is it a basic human right?
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Document Summary
Nondemocratic government as constraint: no necessary relationship between freedom and the absence of democracy, it is possible to imagine a benign dictatorship that allows considerable freedom. Physical coercion as constraint: others physically prevent us from doing what we want to do, imprisonment or slavery as extreme examples, unfair or discriminatory laws may also count. Psychology as constraint: we can be constrained by the way we think omarketing and advertising ogovernment anti-advertising campaigns, closely related to lukes"s third dimension of power and gramsci"s hegemony . Closely related to lukes"s third dimension of power and gramsci"s hegemony . Economic impediments as constraint: freedom is not possible without access to the basic needs of human survival, some argue that the state can increase freedom by providing those basic material conditions, foundation for the modern welfare state. The meaning of justice: basic formulation: giving others what they are entitled to, how should resources be distributed? owealth, income, educational opportunities, etc. opresupposes scarcity.
