Isaiah Berlin - Two Concepts of Liberty

About Isaiah Berlin

Discovering Isaiah Berlin - Henry Hardy (Long Version) - Johnny Lyons

Please see more about Isaiah Berlin in the Isaiah Berlin page from Wikipedia.

Two Concepts of Liberty 

An Important idea of Isaiah Berlin is the "Two Concepts of Liberty". 

Positive and Negative Liberty (Isaiah Berlin - Two Concepts of Liberty)

Tom Richey

The above video and the following article provides an introduction to the two concepts of liberty.  

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Positive and Negative Liberty
• The full text of the lecture "Two Concepts of Liberty" can be found here.

This program in Philosopher's Zone, Freedom or Liberty, gives another view of freedom and liberty.

Some Questions on the Two Concepts of Liberty

1. Do people always need negative freedom before they can enjoy positive freedom, for example, gun ownership (a question from Joe)? 
2. Are positive and negative freedom often in conflict or in tension? How do they interact with each other? 
3. Is negative freedom and positive freedom a continuum (a question from Dr Wei)?

4. What could be some problems with negative freedom?

5. What could be some problems with positive freedom?

6. Why do some people favour negative freedom?  What are the values involved?

7. Why do some people favour positive freedom? What are the values involved?

Some possible answers are here.

What is free will?

 

Photo by Khashayar Kouchpeydeh on Unsplash

Philosophy Now Article

Please find the following article: - What is Free Will?

Some Questions for Discussion

1. What is freedom?
2. What is Free Will?
3. Am I really free to do whatever I like?
4. What are the external obstacles to one's freedom?
5. What are the internal obstacles, both mental and physical, to one's freedom?  
6. People, and other social animals, give up some freedom to live in communities for survival and happiness.  What are some reasons people should give up some freedom?
7. How much freedom is appropriate for people living in a community?

Some questions from Bing Copilot

Philosophical questions about freedom and free will delve into some of the most profound and complex aspects of human existence. Here are a few key questions:

1. What is free will?

   - Is it the ability to make choices free from external constraints, or does it require the absence of internal constraints as well?

2. Do humans have free will?

   - Are our actions determined by prior causes, or do we have the genuine ability to choose differently?

3. What is the relationship between free will and moral responsibility?

   - Can we be held morally responsible for our actions if they are determined by factors beyond our control?

4. How does free will relate to determinism?

   - If the universe operates according to deterministic laws, is free will an illusion?

5. What role does free will play in the concept of personal identity?

   - How do our choices shape who we are, and can we change our identity through the exercise of free will?

6. Can free will coexist with divine omniscience?

   - If a deity knows everything that will happen, do we still have the freedom to choose?

7. How do different philosophical traditions view free will?

   - What are the perspectives of existentialism, compatibilism, libertarianism, and other schools of thought on free will?

8. What are the implications of free will for legal and social systems?

   - How should our understanding of free will influence laws, punishments, and social policies?

These questions have been debated for centuries and continue to inspire rich philosophical inquiry. Do any of these questions particularly resonate with you or spark your curiosity?

More on Free Will and Freedom

Are free will and freedom different?

VAL:  I am confused about the concept of free will and freedom.  Aren't they the same thing?

LEE:  Free will and freedom are different.  Both concepts are confusing as they can have different meanings.

Free will, can mean:

1. Voluntary choice or decision. (call this free will-1)
2. The supposed capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently of any prior event or state of the universe [1]. (free will-2)
3. The capacity of humans to influence their future decisions for the good of themselves, others and/or the environment. (free will-3)

Ordinary people obviously have free will-1.

However, I don't believe humans have free will-2.  When I think back on major decisions I made, and if I were to turn back time, with exactly the same circumstances, with the same me at that time, I don't think I could have done anything different. 

However, I believe humans could have limited free will-3.  For example, a person could have done a bit better at school examinations, or could have played a bit better at a badminton game.  These minor decisions or actions could make a difference in a person's life in the long term.

Freedom can mean:

1. The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. (call this freedom-1) 
2. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants [2]. (freedom-2)
3. The ability to be free of worries, anxiety, unnecessary fear and conflicts, hatred, delusion, prejudice, bad habits, addiction, unwarranted attachment etc.(freedom-3)

Is freedom necessarily good?

LEE: Most people would agree that innocent citizens should not be imprisoned or enslaved.  Thus, in this sense, freedom-1 is a good thing, and innocent citizens should be free.  

Freedom-2 is not necessarily a good thing though. The freedom of powerful people to bully others as they want is obviously not a good thing.  Of course, people should be able to do and say things within reason.

Freedom-3 is the type of freedom that can give people true happiness.  Some people possibly can attain freedom-3 through meditation, self discipline etc. 

Is freedom is a virtue?

VAL: Shouldn't individual aim to live freely?

LEE: If we are talking about freedom-2, not necessarily.  People should aim to do the right thing, to be good people.  That means people should not aim to be free to do bad things.  

However, if we are talking about freedom-3, then yes. People should aim to attain freedom-3.  

Should liberty be a political ideal?

VAL: Shouldn't governments aim to give as much freedom as possible to their citizens except when that freedom can harm others?

LEE: Assuming you are talking about freedom-2, then not necessarily.  For example, the right of citizens to get additive, harmful drugs is not a good thing.  

VAL: The Liberal Party claims that they believe "in the inalienable rights and freedoms of all peoples.[3]"  What do you think about that statement?

LEE: I think that statement is misleading.  The freest form of government is anarchy (in terms of freedom-2).  I don't think the Liberal Party is promoting anarchy.  Liberal governments do not allow people to get suicide medications as they want.  Nudity, which harms no one, is also generally not allowed.

Therefore, the Liberal Party does not actually believe in complete freedom-2 for all citizens. 

Thus, political parties believe in different degrees of freedom-2 for their citizens.

Authoritarian governments and freedom

VAL: Is it true that people living in authoritarian countries do not have freedom?

LEE: In most countries, even in authoritarian countries, most people are not in prison or enslaved.  So most people in these countries have freedom-1.

Like Australian governments under different political parties, governments around the world allow different degrees of freedom-2 to their citizens due to many factors.  

Possibly there would be countries with a more spiritual environment and their citizens would have more freedom-3.

Are citizens in "Free" countries freer?

VAL:Are citizens in countries like Australia always freer than those in authoritarian societies?

LEE: It is likely that some countries have more people in prison unjustly (less freedom-1) and have more restrictive laws and customs (less freedom-2).

However, conceivably citizens of more spiritual countries could have more freedom-3.

Reference:

1. The explanation is based on article in: https://www.britannica.com/topic/free-will.
2. Definitions are based on: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
3. https://www.liberal.org.au/our-beliefs
   

Freedom in Pop Culture

 

We have been discussing Free Will and Freedom in the last few weeks.   We will continue that discussion this week but, instead of serious philosophy, we will use some pop art for our discussion.  

The song above "Raindrops keep falling on my head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.   The song won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and Bacharach won Best Original Score.   

Part of the lyrics says:

Raindrops keep falling on my head

But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red

Crying's not for me

'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complaining

Because I'm free

Nothing's worrying me

It won't be long till happiness steps up to greet me

Some questions:

• Do you agree with the theme of the song that one can overcome one's troubles and worries by realising one is actually free to see things differently?
• Were Butch Cassidy and the gang free when they were fleeing from police?

This is another version of the song: Raindrops keep falling on my head

The following song also talk about freedom.

Lyrics

Well, my friends are gone and my hair is grey

I ache in the places where I used to play

And I'm crazy for love but I'm not coming on

I'm just paying my rent every day in the Tower of Song

 

I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?

Hank Williams hasn't answered yet

But I hear him coughing all night long

Oh, a hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song

 

I was born like this, I had no choice

I was born with the gift of a golden voice

And twenty-seven angels from the Great Beyond

They tied me to this table right here in the Tower of Song

 

So you can stick your little pins in that voodoo doll

I'm very sorry, baby, doesn't look like me at all

I'm standing by the window where the light is strong

Ah, they don't let a woman kill you, not in the Tower of Song

 

Now, you can say that I've grown bitter but of this you may be sure

The rich have got their channels in the bedrooms of the poor

And there's a mighty judgment coming, but I may be wrong

You see, you hear these funny voices in the Tower of Song

 

I see you standing on the other side

I don't know how the river got so wide

I loved you baby, way back when

And all the bridges are burning that we might have crossed

But I feel so close to everything that we lost

We'll never, we'll never have to lose it again

 

Now I bid you farewell, I don't know when I'll be back

They're moving us tomorrow to that tower down the track

But you'll be hearing from me baby, long after I'm gone

I'll be speaking to you sweetly from a window in the Tower of Song

An analysis of the lyrics of the song is posted on this website: 

https://twentysevenangels-blog.tumblr.com/

Some questions:

• Assuming Leonard Cohen was talking himself in the song, do you think he thought he was free?
• Did Leonard Cohen think he had free will?
• Why did he felt he was trapped in the tower of song?

More on Free Will and Freedom

 

Do we have Free Will? by Swami Sarvapriyananda

In today's class (22/6/22), we continued our discussion on Free Will based on the above video.  

We will continue our discussion on Free Will next term.  The documents below should help us with our discussion:

• Free will jam board
• Right & Wrong Ch. 1 by Hugh Mackay

Being alive - can we be free?

 

Philosophy Vibe: Free Will and Determinism

Liberty and freedom are often mentioned in the news and everyday discussion.  However, if we can't even think freely, if we do not have free will, then how can we be truly free in anything anyway?  

Artificial intelligence (AI) and robots can do virtually everything that human can do, and generally can do it better.  Do human brains just run like computer programs anyway?  Perhaps the reason that people think differently is because they have different computer programming codes?  Is free will just an illusion?

You may find the following videos on free will also interesting:

Do We Have Free Will? - Philosophy Tube 

Christof Koch - Can Brains Have Free Will?

Thalia Wheatley - Philosophy of Free Will