Difference between revisions of "What Is Liberty?"
From Critiques Of Libertarianism
| Line 58: | Line 58: | ||
A good model of a liberty should be consistent with observations from law, economics, and anthropology. If it is based on observation, we can call it a positive model, like other models in the sciences. (But not necessarily philosophy.) | A good model of a liberty should be consistent with observations from law, economics, and anthropology. If it is based on observation, we can call it a positive model, like other models in the sciences. (But not necessarily philosophy.) | ||
| − | A person (P) is free to do or be a thing (T), to achieve a goal (G), using an ability (A), with a resource (R), creating externalities (E), when all others (O) do not interfere, despite opportunity costs (C), | + | A person (P) is free to do or be a thing (T), to achieve a goal (G), using an ability (A), with a resource (R), creating externalities (E), when all others (O) do not interfere, despite opportunity costs (C), Because of reason (B). |
This is not as complex a model as it could be, but suffices to capture most of of the ideas of liberty. For example: | This is not as complex a model as it could be, but suffices to capture most of of the ideas of liberty. For example: | ||
| Line 71: | Line 71: | ||
== Why Is A Positive Model Important? == | == Why Is A Positive Model Important? == | ||
| − | It is called facing reality. Stating only prescriptive (philosophically normative) descriptions of what you want as liberties ignores the conditions needed to create them and the side effects of those liberties. A model helps reveal what is implicit in a liberty. That can have enormous practical consequences. This model, for example, shows why liberties cannot be unlimited: because of competition for limited external resources (R) and because of the need for reasons (B) for others not to interfere (which restricts the liberty of those others.) | + | It is called facing reality. Stating only prescriptive (philosophically normative) descriptions of what you want as liberties ignores the conditions needed to create them and the side effects of those liberties. A model helps reveal what is implicit in a liberty. That can have enormous practical consequences. This model, for example, shows why liberties cannot be unlimited: because of competition for limited external resources (R, E) and because of the need for reasons (B) for others not to interfere (which restricts the liberty of those others.) |
== Confusion of Liberties with Rights == | == Confusion of Liberties with Rights == | ||
