POL113H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Negative Liberty, Positive Liberty, No Freedom
Document Summary
The 2 concepts of liberty- negative vs positive liberty. I am normally said to be free to the degree to which no man or body of men interferes with my activity. Freedom the absence of interference by others. The area within which a man can act unobstructed by others . Coercion the contraction of that area by others. Mere incapacity to attain a goal is not a sign of coercion. I want to play professional football for a premier league club. But i am not fit or talented enough. Presupposes a border between private life and public authority. Question: why is this boundary ((b/w private life and public)important: the actions or expectation has to do with the sphere. As a conscious political ideal was not present in the ancient world. The corollary notions such as privacy also do not predate the renaissance: no privacy, little modern days concern, no one is separate from others (started after enlightenment period )
