Freedom and Liberty - understanding the difference and Marx's notion of freedom

Differentiate between Freedom and Liberty. Discuss Marx's notion of freedom. UPSC 2017 Paper 1A Qn 3c

Difference between Freedom and Liberty -

// Freedom belongs to the personal sphere and liberty belongs to the social and political sphere.

Freedom is the absence of restraints allowing individuals to act according to their own will. Isaiah Berlin distinguishes between positive and negative liberty which deals with the individual sphere i.e., freedom to self-realization and freedom from external interference.

Liberty often emphasizes the relationship between individuals and society, focusing on the legal and political framework that enables or restricts certain freedoms. Locke defines liberty as the right to act within the bounds of law.

Liberty is morally enlightening. Libertarians seek to maximize the realm of individual freedom and so to minimize those actions which are regarded as the license.

Libertarians such as Robert Nozick and Milton Friedman have seen freedom in essentially economic terms and advocated the greatest possible freedom of choice in the marketplace. An employer's ability to set wage levels, alter the conditions of work, and decide who to employ, are perceived as manifestations of liberty.

Political theorists often treat freedom as an ethical ideal or normative principle.

Marx's notion of freedom - Freedom according to Marxism is not just about securing material satisfaction of human needs but also is about removing conditions of dehumanization, estrangement, and alienation. According to Marx, what defines human nature is the ability to express creativity. The circumstances that create situations of inability to express oneself are those that deny liberty. Marx's understanding of the term 'liberation' is leading a life of self-realization.

Marxism considers freedom as a quality of a human being and it is what differentiates him from mere existence. As the present-day capitalist system works on the concept of necessity as opposed to freedom, only the socialist revolution according to Marx would accomplish humanity's freedom.

Marx's notion of freedom transcends the mere notion of individual autonomy and absence of interference but is also about abolishing alienation, abolishing class exploitation, and achieving collective emancipation.

---END---

// Marx's notion of freedom - summary

  1. Freedom as self-realization - a conscious and creative endeavor
  2. Freedom from exploitation
  3. Freedom as collective emancipation and
  4. Freedom is something that emerges only through a transformation of social relations, enabling people to control the conditions of their existence.

 

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