Advantages and disadvantages of freedom

Advantages and disadvantages of freedom

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Advantages and disadvantages of freedom

Freedom is the liberty to think, converse or act without restriction. Freedom according to Isaiah Berlins article ‘Two Concepts of Liberty’ can be viewed and comprehended from two political perspectives. First is ‘negative’ sense that deliberates over the extent and limits of freedom (Berlin, 1958). The negative sense aims to show the impossibility of absolute freedom due to the possibility of liberty abuse. From this abuse arise the disadvantages of freedom. This perspective argues the extent which persons or groups should be left to act talk or think without external interference (Berlin, 1958).

Second is the ‘positive’ perspective from which the importance and advantages of freedom emerge. Here, freedom eliminates barriers and enhance personal decision making and choice and creativity (Berlin, 1958). When people are free to think, creativity is not restricted promoting new innovations. For example, government manipulation of the market system in China was abolished in 1980 raising the standards of the citizens (Staff, 2004). However, freedom in the United States has thrived for ages heightening its prosperity dramatically (Staff, 2004). In other words, freedom has placed United States industrial evolution ahead of China’s.

Freedom is important because it provides individuals with a sense of independence (Berlin, 1958). In addition, freedom creates the ‘real’ and ‘dominant’ self .freedom offers human beings the ability to choose and make decisions they can claim are theirs alone. Freedom makes an individual the subject and not the object making them the boss of their world. In other words, freedom defines an individual. Individual freedom of choice carves ones identity and their sense of being creating the ‘dominant’ self (Berlin, 1958). Groupings are a part of the US society structure. Freedom is important to the collective state of being in that if a group is granted freedom, it members enjoy it collectively but if freedom is denied, the group individuals will equally not have freedom. This collective freedom creates the ‘real’ or ‘whole’ fr.............