Chapter 2: Human Freedom Flashcards
Traditional definitions of freedom include
the lack of constraint or pressure.
generally impedes or seriously restricts the exercise
of freedom.
external coercion
The absence of these
“external” authorities provide a more
democratic space in which to exercise one’s freedom.
the broader the spectrum of non-interference, the more notable _____ is.
freedom
what is needed to achieve human good?
a minimum degree of personal freedom
object of freedom
human good
there should be a distinction between what?
private and public spheres
is the individual space where one realizes a certain degree of autonomy and authority, unconstrained by external interventions, like social groups, the government, or other institutions.
private sphere
the social or public life of the individual where it is coextensive with public or external authority.
public sphere
the domain where public debate and social issues are discussed.
public sphere
provides the discursive space for individuals or groups to talk about certain issues of shared interests and perhaps arrive at a mutual agreement.
public sphere
traditional philosophers generally concur that there should be certain parameters of freedom that
take into consideration the reasonable interests of other people, elite advocacy, and influential forces suppressing others’ freedom.
Political philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and John
Stuart Mill are strong advocates for
reasonable limitations of freedom.
In Leviathan (1651), Hobbes explains that human beings are, by nature, greedy and selfish, and this is fundamentally grounded and stirred by
one’s craving for wealth and power.
Thomas Hobbes described the natural condition of a human being as
self-seeking and competitive
Who? — One would do anything just to satisfy one’s needs
and achieve one’s goals in life.
Thomas Hobbes
Who? — Human beings have an infinite
desire to possess and seek individual satisfaction.
Thomas Hobbes
According to Hobbes, once we leave all the decisions to the people themselves, without the proper guidance and moderation of the government, what will happen?
people will behave on their wicked inclinations
giving power to the individual will create a dangerous situation that will start a
and make life
“war of every man against every man”
“solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Hobbes felt that nations, like people, are
selfishly motivated
For Hobbes, each nation is always in a constant battle for
supremacy and resources
the thing that motivates everything in the universe, either lower or higher beings, in one way or another.
Power
What are created to protect people from their own selfish
interests and evil propensities according to Hobbes?
Governments
the best possible government is one that has the great power
and leadership of a
Leviathan
According to Hobbes’ psychology of civic life, human beings, in their state of nature, are basically ______ and ______.
antisocial and non-political
Hobbes argued that in the state of nature, without _______, there will be
competition between men for wealth, security, and glory
civil society
HOBBES: human beings are motivated by desires and aversions and most of these desires are directed to
preserve one’s biological existence.
human beings are, by nature, equal in _________, and in this equality of ability
arises equality of ____ in attaining their desired ends.
mind and body
hope
men cannot have equal enjoyment and satisfaction of their desire; thus, it will result in
individual conflict and/or social reticence
equality of inequality of satisfaction will lead to
mutual violence and war,
homo homini lupus
“every man is against every man”
For Hobbes, it cannot be an appeal to conventional morality, divine justice, or cosmic mediation since in the state of nature, these ideas have no meaning and self-understanding order, but they can be regulated through
Social contract
Through this, it is assumed that all the essential rights and duties of citizens can be logically deduced.
Social contract
Through social contract, sovereign is identified with _____ rather than the ____.
might; law
The sovereign’s power, through the Leviathan, is
as absolute as men can conceive it.
In Two Treatises of Government (1689), the second treatise summarizes Locke’s political ideas for a more civilized society grounded on
natural rights and social contract
Locke believed that under the state of nature, all men and women
are
created equal by God.
What should be exercised by all human beings since it is of divine cradle according to Locke?
Freedom
This state of nature presupposes _______; grounding the political power of everyone as such power and control are ________
Perfect freedom
equal and communal
If infringement arises in the event of a clash or conflict, what should happen to individuals according to Locke?
should be restrained from violating the rights of others.
anyone can defend one’s right to life and property if there is a
clear and present danger to this freedom.
How did Locke explain negative freedom in terms of social contract?
all human beings are equal, communal, and autonomous, and everyone has the right
to preserve one’s right to life, liberty, property, and/or happiness.
What must one do to preserve and maintain the separation of powers in the government and create a regulative order in society,
submit one’s will for the common good by establishing the social contract.
In light of human progress, ownership of properties, and advancement of technology, any government that runs without the consent of the people and democratic legislation
can be removed from power.
In the book On Liberty (1859), Mill states that
“the only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
Who? — harm principle assumes that individual freedom should
only be restricted to forestall harm to others.
John Stuart Mill
freedom to seek one’s own happiness (Mill)
Summum bonum
(Mill) governments ought to have fitting limitations in applying the principle of
Utilitarianism
promotes the idea of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
Utilitarianism
essential role of politics according to Mill
maintaining the balance
keeping up the harmony between maximizing the exercise of individual freedom and augmenting the protection of the government.
Too much weight on individual liberty produces
anarchism
lawlessness/rebellion
anarchism
too much emphasis on authority results in
despotism
oppressiveness/tyranny
despotism
Who? —Freedom is crucial in any civil society because he wanted individuals to express their peculiarities, mental boldness, and élan vital regardless of their religious or political affiliations rather than being subsumed by “collective mediocrity.”
John Stuart Mill
means self-mastery
Positive freedom
It implies the right possession and awareness of values or conditions necessary to recognise the source of one’s strengths and weaknesses, find creative means to transcend certain forces or inner tensions, and direct the mind to a higher plane of understanding.
Positive freedom
Oftentimes, we choose the “higher” over the “lower” selves because?
- we were either taught to choose the former as something that is worth desiring (meritorious)
- we were “coerced” by custom and conservative minds to discard the latter since it is detrimental (unfavorable) to the exercise of freedom.
the notion of freedom is quite difficult to distinguish from its “real self” with an _______
external reality
According to Berlin, what is a dishonorable act or a moral pretense?
exercising freedom on behalf of someone else’s “real self”
Berlin made it clear that coercing other people for their own good may be justified to some extent, but it
does not make it any less coercive.
