Difference between revisions of "What Is Liberty?"
From Critiques Of Libertarianism
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Usually libertarians provide some examples of what they consider liberty, but examples do not provide a definition. For example, if I tell you birds and mammals are examples of vertebrates, that doesn't tell you if fish are vertebrates or what vertebrates really are. And of course it can also lead to faulty generalizations, such as that vertebrates are warm blooded. | Usually libertarians provide some examples of what they consider liberty, but examples do not provide a definition. For example, if I tell you birds and mammals are examples of vertebrates, that doesn't tell you if fish are vertebrates or what vertebrates really are. And of course it can also lead to faulty generalizations, such as that vertebrates are warm blooded. | ||
{{QuoteOne|Review Essay: Brian Doherty’s Radicals for Capitalism.../amazing}} | {{QuoteOne|Review Essay: Brian Doherty’s Radicals for Capitalism.../amazing}} | ||
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== Liberty as a glittering generality of propaganda. == | == Liberty as a glittering generality of propaganda. == | ||
When a libertarian uses the naked term "liberty", they are being deliberately vague, exploiting a glittering generality of propaganda. If you want to be specific, identify exactly which liberties you are talking about. "My liberty" is just as vague. | When a libertarian uses the naked term "liberty", they are being deliberately vague, exploiting a glittering generality of propaganda. If you want to be specific, identify exactly which liberties you are talking about. "My liberty" is just as vague. | ||
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{{QuoteOne|Two Concepts of Liberty/porous}} | {{QuoteOne|Two Concepts of Liberty/porous}} | ||
Berlin goes on to say: "I do not propose to discuss either the history or the more than two hundred senses of this protean word, recorded by historians of ideas." | Berlin goes on to say: "I do not propose to discuss either the history or the more than two hundred senses of this protean word, recorded by historians of ideas." | ||
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| + | == There is no such thing as "liberty" in general. == | ||
| + | Most uses of the term liberty are as abstract universals. That means all possible separate liberties as an infinite set. It makes sense to talk about a single liberty or a set of specific liberties, but not an infinite set. In the remainder of this document, we will discuss liberties one at a time. | ||
== [[Hohfeld’s typology of rights|Hohfeld's Definition of a Liberty]] == | == [[Hohfeld’s typology of rights|Hohfeld's Definition of a Liberty]] == | ||
