Two Concepts of Liberty by Berlin

This does not encompass economic freedom i.e. man can not owe the fact that he can not afford something to lack of freedom. However, absolute freedom should not exist because the freedoms of different people are not compatible. Berlin raises an important issue over here of particularly the importance of mere freedom to an individual i.e. if a sick or uneducated person is merely given safeguards against interference of others in his realm of liberty, it will not be enough for him and he will require additional help from the state in order to cure himself. Berlin is right in raising this point as the physiological needs of a man are obviously greater than the need of political liberty. Berlin points out that liberty it not the ultimate goal and liberty should certainly not be confused with equality and justice. Berlin is ready to sacrifice some, or all, of his freedom in order for justice and equality to prevail. However there is still a loss of liberty. The argument is that the freedom of some needs to be curtailed in order for the freedom of others but this argument contradicts the sacred and position that freedom holds as an untouchable value.

There needs to be a minimum amount of freedom which is essential. However, it is troublesome to define what would constitute as that bare minimum. Optimistic philosophers like Locke thought human interests can be harmonized whereas people like Hobbes thought that state intervention was required to control people. The role of the state in enacting laws is another area of concern. According to Benjamin Constant, at least the liberty of religion, opinion, expression and property should be guaranteed. However, Mill would argue that individual liberty is sacred and essential otherwise society would not progress and there would be a state of collective mediocrity. Berlin, on the other hand, would disagree with Mill because coercion is not only used to succumb human desires; it is used to subdue evils in the society. Individual freedom and thinking has known to exist in this strictest of communities. Secondly, the liberal views put forward are very modern and scarcely talk about individual liberty as a conscious political ideal. Furthermore freedom can not be linked to self government, certain amount of personal freedom can be provided in a democratic form of government.

The positive notion of freedom, however, does not talk about freedom from but talks about freedom to lead one’s prescribed form of life. The positive freedom should allow a person to pursue his desire to be his own master, to break away from spiritual slavery and form his own rationale. The real self can be perceived to be wider than the individual. It is a paradox to think that a person can be coerced into making a decision according to what you want the person to do just because you feel you can coerce him because you know what is good for the person. That is a destruction of his individual liberty. The definition of freedom is derived from the definition of ‘man’ itself hence the manipulation of both these definitions can occur leading to certain repercussions. The difference between the two forms can be seen where historically one has taken the form of self abnegation whereas the other has taken the form of self actualization.

Berlin tries to differentiate between the negative and the positive notions of freedom. Moving on he also differentiates in between the true self and from the individual. Although Berlin raises many valid objections to the sacred position that individual liberty is given, especially its negative notion, but the limit to the amount of individual liberty can not be objectively defined. The minimum required for the natural capacities of a human being to flourish but what constitutes as that minimum is also a matter of debate. The theories of freedom seem to be rationale and based on reason but they can not be realistically proved because the liberty and the freedom of every man will be different in each and every case. However, there is one thing for certain that the physiological needs for most human beings will have a greater degree of importance as compared to the needs of individual liberty and freedom.