Liberty I Flashcards
what does republicanism think the state should do? (what role)
the state should prmote a specific conception of the common good
what does republicanism emphasize
civic virtue and public participation
what does liberalism think the state should do- role
protect individual rights and liberties
why does berlin think liberty is important
berlin thinks liberty is important because it prescribes the limits of state activity, like the legitimate scope of coercion.
compare the focuses and concerns of negative and positive liberty
negative liberty focuses on limiting the power of others over the individual. negative liberty is concerned about freedom from obstacles
positive liberty empowers the individual to pursue their goals. positive liberty is concerned with the presence of ability to act. positive liberty is about having the ability to make choices freely.
what is the divided self
positive liberty acknowledges that sometimes things like irrational beliefs can get in the way of their freedom- which can create a war within the self between the persons desires and their internal obstacles- this is called the divided self.
how does the divided self open the door to totalitarianism
the idea of divided self renders agency meaningless, and justifies the argument that people can will something they actually would not have willed to. this can lead to a situation where the state can tell what is the best decision to take.
in sum => by allowing for a divided self, we risk creating a situation where others can take advantage of our lack of agency and make decisions for us.
how can we save positive liberty from totalitarianism 3
- starting small by promoting education and critical thought
- recognizing barriers to autonomy without justifying intervention
- positive freedom doesn’t require a commitment to monolithic thinking
- identifying with rationality does not mean everyone thinks the same things are rational.
what is berlin’s take on rationalism, and pluralism
berlin argues that rationalism (basing actions on reason and knowledge) is at the root of totalitarianism because believing in a single way of understanding the world can lead to the suppression of alternative viewpoints. therefore, he advocates for pluralism- which recognizes that there are multiple and conflicting values that can coexist
why does berlin think autonomy is a fiction (2)
- there’s social encasement- you identify yourslef based on how others perceive you (everything is affected by what others think of you)
- the pursuit of social autonomy can cause a loss of freedom. the desire for recognition is the desire to be understood by others and integrated into a group- this can lead to people submitting to oppresive leaders thinking that they’re being liberated
describe berlin’s ideal society 3
- only individual rights are protected
- there are certain things that need to be considered off limits (frontier)
- there’s no single solutoin to any problem so lets emphasize pluralism
how does maccallum criticize berlin
maccallum thinks berlins conception of negative liberty is too narrow and doest capture the collective aspects of liberty.
positive and negative liberty are interdependent rather than distinct
how does berlin criticize maccallum
berlin thinks positive liberty is too coercive and dangerous & gives too much power to the state and allows it to justify its control over individuals.
how does petit criticize berlin and maccallum
petit thins berlins dichotomy doesnt capture how people participate in decisions that affect their lives.
petit thinks both m and b have incpomplete conceptions and liberty must include both + and -
** liberty should be understood as the absence of both dominatoin and interference!!!!!! **
explain mac callums triadic model of freedom
maccalums triadic model of freedom identifies 3 components- the agent, the constraint, and the action
the main difference between + and - liberty is how they define the agent.
+ liberty defines the agent as divided and - liberty defines the agent as an individual
whats formal vs effective freedom
formal freedom is the absence of interference in ones actions
effective freedom is having the resources to act in a certain way
whats freedom as autonomy vs as executing the will
as autonomy questions whether a person is truly free if they’re doing what they want without being in control of their life (a persons desires are influenced by society)
as executing the will emphasizes the ability to carry out one’s desires and make choices without interference. - individuals not having any constraints by external factors
whats freedom as political participation vs as freedom from law
political participation emphasizes the importance of participating in making our own laws through self-governance (rooted in republicanism)
freedom from law emphasizes individual autonomy and the importance of limiting state power (rooted in liberalism)- freedom is where the law ends.
whats republicanism by petit
republicanism is a political philosophy that aims to prevent domination or arbitrary mastery by others.
- domination can occur even without interference- as long as someone has the capacity to interfere arbitrarily- petit considers them dominating.
arguments that say liberalism and egalitarianism can coexist 5
- redistribution is ok bc we have limited claim to property
- redistribution can be justified on other grounds- even if redistribution restricts freedom, it can still make people better off
- redistribution is justified due to increase in overall effective freedom (having the resources to act in a certain way)
- all of this is ideological artifice- private property and market relations make people unfree by making them misunderstand their actual interests
- redistribution can be justified on positive freedom grounds- positive freedom is the idea that we are free when we obey a higher moral law- recognizing our duty to distribute is a moral obligation
what’s the role of a republican govt acc to pettit?
a republican government should find a balance btw individual freedom and common good.
Who says this: Berlin’s positive and negative liberty are too distinct and absolute, but they are actually interrelated ?
MacCallum
