Chapter 2 Freedom Political Theory Class 11

Ideal of Freedom

• The ideal of freedom has been @ core of various struggles.
• The notion of freedom is to be free from fear, of society's opinion, or for that matter any external authority to lead a dignified life.
• Aung San Su Kyi and Nelson Mandela are the prime examples of fight for freedom,
• Freedom

Harm Principle

• John Stuart Mill Introduced this concept.
• There is a distinction b/w actions: Self regarding and Other Regarding
• Self Regarding: The actions which have consequences only on the self.
• Other Regarding: The actions that have consequences to others. Eg. Physically beating someone,
• Only if Other Regarding action is harming someone should the society exercise power.
• For minor harm Mill suggests only social disapproval.

Reasonable Restrictions

• Proportionate treatment of law must be there(degree of punishment to be proportionate to degree of Harm).
• The above set of restrictions were held to be "Reasonable Restrictions" as held by the constitutional discussions in India.

Positive and Negative Liberties

• Exercising liberty can lead to two areas:Where the rights can be curtailed and other sacred areas which must be inviolable.
• The rights which are inviolable are an expression of Negative Liberty.
• While positive liberties are enjoyed by the changing conditions of society and can lead to breach of the inviolable liberties.
• Voltaire’s statement — ‘I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to death your right to say it’.