Alan Ryan explores questions about what freedom has meant at different times in history in this Philosophy Bites podcast interview with Nigel Warburton.
Listen to Alan Ryan on Freedom and Its History
Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy
Interesting how the meaning of "freedom" has changed, which makes it a very contemporary debate.
I think today this might be reflected in liberal, conservative and libertarian versions; freedom from oppression vs. freedom from "Big" Government vs. individual autonomy. I have liberal friends in the US for whom the latter 2 are anathema - the withdrawal of welfare etc. Here I think here the "Big Society" is pro freedom from big government, but is trying to shift us out of our libertarian-autonomy.
Freedom for me is to pay high taxes for a well managed welfare state, and then be left alone. Politics is such a dirty game, unless certain core values become threatened, and I must act to defend them, I want to focus on anything else. I always vote, but feel it would be a denial of freedom to make it compulsory (as in France). Yes, I want the pilot to be competent, for which I want to choose the airline, but only so I can watch the in-flight movie.
I am struck how fiercely I want to defend that freedom NOT to get involved.
Posted by: Jim Vaughan | December 13, 2012 at 10:50 AM