Concepts of Freedom

By Ronald Meinardus

Manila - Probably, no other philosophical or political idea is as contentious as the concept of freedom. All principal writings of political philosophers deal with the issue of freedom in the one or the other sense, leading to an enormous – at times confusing – body of sources. Freedom defines the relationships among individuals and between individuals and the state. For as long as we possess records of human discourses, these relationships have been controversial.

Today we may basically differentiate between two main areas, one that refers to political freedom and the other to economic freedom. Both are interlinked in manifold ways. Empirical evidence shows that economic freedom has a positive impact on political freedom. It is also evident that politically free societies tend to opt for a high degree of economic freedom. Anthropologists argue that freedom is a good every human being desires and wishes to have more of. This human desire for freedom has been (and continues to be) the main driving force behind democratization.

Historically, modern liberal ideas emerged in Western Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries as an intellectual response to absolutism. Progressive writers advocated the freedom of religion and religious tolerance, and promoted the freedom of expression, private property, as well as free markets for labour and trade, to mention only some of the main concerns of those early times. Classical liberal literature prepared the ground for the revolutions that transformed the political and social landscapes in North America and Western Europe.

While in those days the promotion of freedom was an exclusive trademark of the liberals, today the concept of freedom is supported by all major political mainstreams. Still, unlike socialist and conservative ideologies, the concept of freedom takes absolute priority in liberal thinking. In short, for liberals, the idea of freedom is not negotiable. While a conservative may well be appreciative of the idea of freedom, his main concern is not the promotion of freedom, but – as the depiction of his group makes clear - the conservation of the status quo. Socialists, on the other hand, may also cherish the notion of a free society; but confronted with the option to choose between freedom and equality, they will pick the egalitarian path and opt against liberty.

This said, I could actually stop my argument and leave you with the notion that the ideological controversy regarding the concept of freedom is settled and the liberals are the true and only reliable advocates of liberty. Unfortunately, it is not that simple as the controversy also takes place within the ranks of what I term the wider liberal family. Liberals from different backgrounds, be it geographical, political, cultural or sociological, tend to have different ideas when it comes to the concept of freedom. Basically, and allow me once more to simplify a complex reality, there exist two schools of thought. One group of liberal advocates defines freedom in a more narrow fashion focusing on the promotion of liberty against state power. These liberals, who in the United States have come to be termed “libertarians”, argue that the state poses the main threat to freedom. Therefore, they argue, freeing the citizen from government regulation should top any liberal agenda. Probably the most prominent exponent of libertarianism is Nobel Prize laureate Milton Friedman. In his book “Capitalism and Freedom” (1962) Friedman argues that “economic freedom is an extremely important part of total freedom.” He also says that “competitive capitalism promotes political freedom because it separates economic power from political power and in this way enable the one to offset the other.”

The revival of libertarian ideas in many countries of the world reflects a growing disdain for government, yes, a loss of faith in the capability of governments to solve major problems of modern societies. This disillusionment is evident in Western Europe where many citizens have realized that the inflated welfare-state is virtually suffocating economic initiative (and freedom) leading to economic stagnation and increasing unemployment. While the libertarians call for privatization and the reduction of government other liberals tend to take a slightly different view. They argue that it is not sufficient that the state protects the economic freedom of its citizens but should also help provide the opportunities for the people to enjoy their freedom. Among the most vocal advocates of a wider definition of freedom is Amartya Sen, like Friedman also a Nobel laureate for economics. In his book “Development as Freedom” (1999) Sen, who hails from India, writes that it is “very important to see freedom in a sufficiently broad way”. He says, “Political freedoms (in the form of free speech and elections) help to promote economic security. Social opportunities (in the form of education and health facilities) facilitate economic participation. Economic facilities (in the form of opportunities for participation in trade and production) can help to generate personal abundance as well as public resources for social facilities.”

It is not surprising that Sen’s writings are particularly popular among liberally minded people in the so-called third world, where the challenge is not an overblown (and dysfunctional) welfare state, but the absence of very basic social services. That these essential services, be they infrastructure, basic education or health care, can be provided solely by market-forces without government interference is not a realistic scenario according to liberal scholars and strategists who think along the lines of Amartya Sen. While, indeed, the libertarians and the more socially inclined liberals may disagree regarding the exact extent of state involvement in the economy, liberals of all shades agree that without a very extensive use of the market there can be no substantial economic development.

Dr. Ronald Meinardus was the former Resident Representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in the Philippines and will leave Manila late September for a new posting in the Middle East. He writes a blog at www.myliberaltimes.com