Within the liberal fold, liberty of individual has been understood and explained in two ways. In the first sense, liberty is described as that sphere or area of individual actions that is not restrained or interfered by others. In the second sense, it is associated with effective conditions or power of self-realization or moral freedom. While in the first, liberty amounts to absence of external obstruction in the actions of individual, in the second, liberty is equated with inner freedom and self-mastery. It follows that while negative liberty seeks placing limits on external interference, positive liberty insists on provision of those conditions that help self-realization or self-mastery. Limits on external interference on individual actions can be in the form of restrictions and checks on authority as in the form of separation of powers, checks and balances, constitutional governments, rule of law, provisions of rights, etc. or limits on majoritarian tyranny as Mill and Tocqueville suggested. Conditions that help self-realization and self-mastery require socio-economic and other enabling provisions.
Lets us understand the two dimensions of liberty with the help of a simple example. Suppose there are two individuals, one having money and capacity to buy things available in the market and another having no money or capacity to buy. Given the fact that every individual in a society has the liberty to buy a packet of bread, liberty implies one being not interfered with while buying bread. In the negative sense, liberty is available for both of them. That is, both the individuals should not be restrained from buying bread. But do both individuals have an equal chance to buy? Can negative liberty of not being restrained translate into actual enjoyment of that liberty? While one having capacity to buy bread enjoys liberty, the other cannot translate that liberty into actual action. This implies that negative liberty, though is an important condition, is not a sufficient condition for liberty. Positive liberty requires conditions that help translate negative liberty in actual action. It is perfectly acceptable that mere absence of conditions that help enjoy liberty cannot be taken to argue that there is no liberty. But on the other hand, mere availability of equality of liberty to buy also does not help in any way to translate liberty in action. In this sense, negative liberty is premised on the availability of certain a priori privileges. My liberty to buy is based on the fact that I have the power to buy. However, many liberal theorists are of the view that negative liberty is not only primary but sufficient condition of liberty and argue that admission of the equality principle of enjoyment of liberty leads to the very curtailment of liberty.
Before discussing the views of various theorists, we may summarize the main points on the negative and positive dimensions of liberty in Table 7.1.
Table 7.1 Negative and Positive Liberty
| Aspects | Negative Liberty | Positive Liberty |
|---|---|---|
| Liberty Defined | Liberty is understood in terms of absence of external restraint on individual actions including obstacles put by lawLiberty is concerned with area or sphere of control by others—smaller the area of control on individual actions, larger is libertyLiberty—absence of restraints and coercion | Liberty is understood in terms of self-realization and necessary conditions that help in self-realizationLiberty is concerned with its sources and ability to act—sources and material resources that help enjoy liberty by giving ability to enjoyLiberty—self-realization/moral development |
| Conditions of Liberty | Sphere or area of individual actions not to be interferedNon-interference from authority of the State, majority in society, etc.Economic liberty is primary component of liberty | Provisions for enabling conditions to be madeProvisions for education, employment, basic human necessities, gender equality, working conditions, etc. |
| Sufficiency of Liberty | Negative liberty is primary and a sufficient condition of liberty | Negative liberty is only one condition of liberty, sufficiency requires enabling conditions |
| Relationship with Equality and Justice | Principle of equality and justice, inimical to liberty | Principles of equality and justice necessary for enjoyment of liberty |
| Role of the State | Minimalist—limited state with only basic functions like law and order, protection, security, defence etc.No planned or command economy—it leads to paternalism and hence restricts liberty by interference | Welfarist stateProvides conditions that help realize liberty |
| Main Advocates | PhysiocratesLaissez-faire theorists (Adam Smith, David Ricardo)Social Contractualists (Thomas Hobbes and Locke)Utilitarian (J. S. Mill), Neo-liberals (F. A. Hayek, Isaiah Berlin, Milton Friedman, Robert Nozick)Herbert Spencer, Benjamin Constant, Thomas Paine, Henry Sidgwick, Thomas Jefferson, Alex Tocqueville, etc. | J. S. Mill, T. H. Green, R. H. Tawney, L. T. Hobhouse, Ernest Barker, H. J. Laski, C. B. Macpherson, Amartya Sen, etc. |
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