Differentiate between Freedom and Liberty. Discuss Marx's notion of freedom. (UPSC CSE Mains 2017 - Political Science and International Relations, Paper 1)

Liberty can be defined as the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views. It emphasizes the rights of individuals to be left alone and make their own choices without interference from the government or other institutions. The idea of liberty is enshrined in the Indian Constitution, which guarantees a number of fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.

Freedom, on the other hand, refers to the ability to act or think as one wants without being hindered by outside forces. It is often associated with the idea of self-determination and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom is a more general concept that can be applied to a wide range of activities, from economic freedom to personal freedom.

Liberty

Freedom

Liberty is defined as the situation in which a person has the right to act according to his/ her will.

On the other hand, freedom is defined as the situation in which a person has the right to speak, act, and think in his/ her own way.

Liberty can be considered as a situation wherein one is able to govern themselves, thereby taking responsibility for their action

Freedom is also known as free will. The ability of a person to make choices for themselves without being under oppression is called as freedom.

Freedom is the state of being free from any oppression, while liberty is the freedom to act in one''s own way. Liberty is a significant concept because people enjoying liberty have to take responsibility for their actions performed. Freedom, on the other hand, is a concrete concept. Freedom is synonymous with independence.

Marxist concept of freedom

Marxist view of freedom is freedom as emancipation or freedom from exploitation. For Marx in a Capitalist system no one is free , everyone is alienated from their species and human nature , and freedom would mean freedom from alienation .Alienation is a limit on freedom of Humanity (which is emancipation ) , because of alienation workers can not realize all their potentials and interests in a Capitalist system , because they have to work continuously for their survival , they cannot use their own produce , they have to deal with other beings either as fellow labourer (who is a competitor ) or as a bourgeosie ( who exploits and employs ) which is against Human Nature that is social ; they do things just for survival ( for Marx human beings are different from animals in that they don''t do things just for survival but also for nothing , for fun (i.e) painting , singing , writing) , thus real freedom would mean the restoration of humanity which would be possible in a communistic society (because capitalism is the cause of alienation).

In the later period of his life, Marx emphasized more on structural factors thus later his idea of freedom to because freedom from structures of exploitations (i.e.) State and Capitalist economy which would be achieved through class struggle and revolution.

Marx severely criticized the capitalist system for its dehumanizing effect, which negates freedom. Doing away with the causes of different forms of alienation of man leads to the realization of freedom. Marxist theory postulates a transformation of the capitalist system itself to secure the conditions of freedom.



POSTED ON 23-10-2023 BY ADMIN
Next previous