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Liberty: Liberty is the ability to make one's own choices and to live one's life as one sees fit, without interference from others. It is a fundamental human right, and it is essential for a just and equitable society. See also Society, Freedom, Justice, Equality, Rights, Individuals, Liberalism.
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Annotation: The above characterizations of concepts are neither definitions nor exhausting presentations of problems related to them. Instead, they are intended to give a short introduction to the contributions below. – Lexicon of Arguments.

 
Author Concept Summary/Quotes Sources

Bernard Bosanquet on Liberty - Dictionary of Arguments

Gaus I 415
Liberty/Bosanquet/Weinstein: Bosanquet's The Philosophical Theory of the State (1899)(1) takes up politically where Bradley's Ethical Studies (1876)(2) leaves off morally.
>Individuals/Bradley.
Bosanquet agrees with Bradley that, in so far as our identities are socially constituted, others are not merely external constraints on our self-realization.
Societies: Societies are free according to how well they manipulate social relations so that everyone flourishes.
HigherlLiberty: For Bosanquet, and new liberals, freedom consists in being empowered by meaningful opportunities ('positive or political liberty') as well as being left alone ('negative or juristic liberty'). Thus, "'higher" liberty is also the "larger" liberty, presenting ... the more extensive choice to self-determination' (Bosanquet, 2001(1): 147). In addition, for Bosanquet, higher freedom also entails mastering oneself in the sense of giving 'effect to the self as a whole, or remov[ing] its contradictions and so mak[ing] it most fully what it is able to be' (2001(1): 149—50).*
Positive liberty: Moreover, being positively free entails juridical security: Our 'liberty may be identified with such a system Lof rightsl considered as the condition and guarantee of our becoming the best that we have it in us to be' (2001(1): 139).
Rights/Bosanquet: Self-realization is most effectively promoted indirectly by a system of
strong, though not indefeasible, rights. As with liberal utilitarianism, rights function as ready-made
decision procedures. Like habitual bodily activities such as walking, acting justly by respecting others' rights usually demands 'no effort of attention', enabling citizens to devote themselves to 'problems which demand intenser efforts' (2001(1): 201-2). And whenever citizens lose their justice habit, liberal states swiftly re-educate them through punishment. While states can never make citizens just, they can encourage just behaviour by maintaining a system of rights. By hindering 'hindrances of the good life', they warrant our loyalty (2001(1): 21).

* Bosanquet's theory of freedom anticipates MacCallum's (1972)(3) celebrated analysis of the overinflated distinction between negative and positive freedom. See Bosanquet (2001(1): 148).

1. Bosanquet, Bernard (2001 [1899]) The Philosophical Theory of the State, eds Gerald F. Gaus and William Sweet. South Bend, IL: St Augustine's.
2. Bradley, F. H. (1988 [1927]) Ethical Studies (1876). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3. MacCallum, Gerald C. (1972) 'Negative and positive freedom'. In Peter Laslett, W. G. Runciman and Quentin Skinner, eds, Philosophy, Politics and Society, fourth series. Oxford: Blackwell, 174-93.

Weinstein, David 2004. „English Political Theory in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century“. In: Gaus, Gerald F. & Kukathas, Chandran 2004. Handbook of Political Theory. SAGE Publications


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Explanation of symbols: Roman numerals indicate the source, arabic numerals indicate the page number. The corresponding books are indicated on the right hand side. ((s)…): Comment by the sender of the contribution. Translations: Dictionary of Arguments
The note [Concept/Author], [Author1]Vs[Author2] or [Author]Vs[term] resp. "problem:"/"solution:", "old:"/"new:" and "thesis:" is an addition from the Dictionary of Arguments. If a German edition is specified, the page numbers refer to this edition.
Bosanquet, Bernard
Gaus I
Gerald F. Gaus
Chandran Kukathas
Handbook of Political Theory London 2004


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