The Negative Concept of Liberty

Application and Analysis Assignment #2
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Application and Analysis Assignment #2
Question 1:
The negative concept of liberty entails an individual being inviolable; hence one does what he or she wishes to do. As a result, there are no barriers or obstacles to what individuals may wish to do. Therefore, the level of external authority that interfere with what one does is only in minimum area. According to Bowring (2015), when the areas that external authority can interfere in are minimal, the chances of human dignity getting compromised are too high. On the other hand, Bowring (2015) demonstrates that positive conceptions of liberty entail having the needed resources and the needed freedom to do things. Thus, individuals are not barred by poverty or unemployment from pursuing what they want and need. Also, through the positive concept of liberty, individuals are able to participate in the law-making process. As a result, the laws made will reflect their choices, and their needs and wants are considered in the formulation of these laws.
Both the positive and negative conceptions of liberty come with their advantages and disadvantages. The significant advantage of negative liberty is that individuals are not barred by the authority from doing what they want. However, it also comes at a cost because when there is no interference from the authorities, cases of people doing more harm may increase. On the other hand, positive liberty means that it gives individual freedom in society (Bowring, 2015). Therefore, in a society's that promotes positive liberty, individuals are able to develop. The adverse effect of a positive conception of liberty is that in order for an individual to have enough resources to fulfill their needs and wants, they have to be taken from others. Thus, when the state promotes positive liberty over negative liberty, the chances of its remaining poorer are higher than when it does not interfere.
Consequently, I believe that the government should aim to have a negative liberty conception. The main reason for supporting negative liberty is because, for positive liberty to be fulfilled, resources have to be taken from one individual and given to another. As a result, it is unfair for the individuals who have to sacrifice their resources just to fulfill the needs of another individual in a society. Furthermore, the government's financial position is likely to decrease if it continues to support positive liberty. Hence, a government should aim to have negative liberty for the sake of fairness and to avoid being poorer as it promotes the needs and wants of individuals in a society.
Question 2:
According to John Locke, humans are naturally born as free individuals to do what they please as long as they are bound by the laws of nature. Therefore, all men are equal, and none should live as subordinates to another. John Locke also emphasizes that individuals should have the freedom to do as they see fit. Additionally, on freedom of speech, expression, and religion, John Locke depicts that these rights should be accorded to every human (Itodo, 2021). As a result, no man should be limited to using speech or expression in ways.
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