The Language of Politics

Freedom is independence, liberty, and unrestricted will. Isaiah Berlin has divided freedom into two categories: positive freedom and negative freedom. Positive freedom is the freedom to do something; for example, freedom of speech or press. Negative freedom is freedom from some kind of restriction; as in freedom from oppression, or poverty.

Our country was founded with freedom in mind. America was born from negative freedom: we fought for liberation from British rule. Our most basic laws of this country take the form of positive freedoms granted to ensure negative freedom. Free speech, free press, the right to bear arms, freedom of assembly; all of these freedoms are tools to prevent oppression.

We believe freedom is a right of birth. Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that freedom is a basic property of humanity, but that everything we do in life limits or takes away our freedom. Even something as basic to human life as learning to speak limits the forms our thoughts may take. Thought is necessarily obscured or changed in order to fit the restrictions of language. Of course in a wider view, in order to function in society we must limit our own freedom or free will. Every individual in a society has an agreement to restrict him or herself in order to secure basic freedoms for themselves and others. If I agree not to kill people, and you agree not to kill people, we have limited our freedom to kill, but we have increased our freedom to live.

Most punishments are designed to take away freedom from an individual who is not following the rules of society. Incarceration is a straightforward form of restricting liberty. The death penalty is the most severe.

The greatest debates in this society surround conflicting ideas of freedom. It is difficult to balance a large group’s positive and negative freedoms. If I view people running around with guns as a threat to my freedom to live, I am in direct opposition to those who want the positive freedom to have guns. This is a fairly straightforward example. Other issues, like abortion, get very complex. While at the center of the discussion is freedom to choose (positive) versus freedom from being aborted (negative), it gets bogged down in definitions, testimonials, religious views, etcetera.

Negative freedoms and positive freedoms work together as a way to eliminate fear. Our social contract grants us enough safety that we are able to exercise our freedoms. Fear limits our actions, restricts us, and takes away our liberty. The current state of the world, and America’s own politics are now at the juncture of freedom and fear. All sides are fighting with fear in order to limit freedom, and fighting for freedom in order to eliminate fear.