Thomas Hill Green

T. H. Green, an Oxford Hegelian idealist, was an ardent supporter of positive liberty and moral freedom. Unlike Mill, Green made a complete departure from the utilitarian ground. He argued for moral development of the individual without subscribing to the pain and pleasure view of human nature. Unlike the social contractualists, he rejected the doctrine of natural rights and argued for rights based on ideal or teleological grounds. As a Hegelian idealist, the State for Green is an embodiment of the divine idea. At the same time, it is remover of obstacles, a means to the moral development of the individual. The State may do everything to help in the moral development of an individual but should do nothing that hinders that development. From the idealist view, the State is an end in itself, but from the moral development view, it is a means. The State does have a role in an individual’s life and his/her positive liberty.