There is no specific topic for it, just answer the questions - Essay Example

Quentin Skinner after analyzing the investigations of Isaiah Berlin summarizes his distinction between two kinds of freedom, positive and negative. Negative freedom he defined as the absence of obstacles to human actions, positive - as personal independence, the possibility and ability to act. Berlin suggested that both concepts of freedom are existing as human ideals, but at the same time he pointed out that the concept of positive freedom is often affected by political distortions and abuses.

He explained that the concept of positive freedom is often used to justify the requirements of mass control. This led to the fact that in the name of society freedom individuals and certain groups in society were subjected to coercion. In contrast, the principle of negative liberty is considering any kind of restriction or regulation as a threat to individual freedom and therefore strictly upholds freedom as noninterference. Thus, negative liberty as a principle of non-interference is above the positive freedom in regard to guarantees of freedom of the individual in society.

This inspired Quentin Skinner to propose a "third concept of liberty." As a historian, Skinner restores intellectual tradition of civic republicanism, but as a political philosopher - a political tradition of republican liberty, where freedom considers to be the non-domination. Skinner puts forward an alternative understanding of negative liberty. In the center he puts the wellness of the community, though personal freedom of community members is not subordinated to community members.. In the republican tradition is regarded as a citizen of a free citizen in a free-only.

Thus the only problem is in preservation of that freedom state. For every citizen the easiest way may be an economic prosperity and active political involvement. In other words, a person must do something for her freedom. Such understanding of freedom imposes greater demands than the liberal concept of negative liberty. Republican ideal of freedom is not just a simple non-interference, but an active involvement, which tries to promote freedom of the individual and freedom of government in the mutual dependence of these liberties.

Thus, the community - its not just a social reality, but a result of active engagement and cooperation that goes beyond pure observation of own interests. In his letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King also appeals to the republican conception of freedom as non-domination involving the historical memory of the protesters: "We had no alternative except to prepare for direct action, whereby we would present our very bodies as the means of laying our case before the conscience of local and the national community.

… Freedom is never voluntary given by an oppressor – it must be demanded by the oppressed." (Gottlieb, 178-179) Thus he encourages community to active engagement in order to ensure mutual cooperation for freedom.To sum up it may be said that the synthesis of liberal negative freedom, republican negative freedom and positive freedom appears, though republican’s emphasis on the importance of the common good still implies a negative concept of freedom (non-domination). It is not affected by the positive freedom, as by Skinner it is potentially totalitarian: positive liberty advocates believe that human nature is endowed with the spirit and human beings are free only if they are successfully implementing this entity, so they cannot avoid the totalitarian trap.

Works Cited1. Gottlieb, Roger S. Liberating Faith: Religious Voices for Justice, Peace, and Ecological Wisdom. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003