Freedom is widely regarded as a basic social and political value that is deeply connected to the ideals of democracy, equality, liberation, and social recognition. Many insist that freedom must include conditions that go beyond simple “negative” liberty understood as the absence of constraints; only if freedom includes other conditions such as the capability to act, mental and physical control of oneself, and social recognition by others will it deserve its place in the pantheon of basic social values. Positive Freedom is the first volume to examine the idea of positive liberty in detail and from multiple perspectives. With contributions from leading scholars in ethics and political theory, this collection includes both historical studies of the idea of positive freedom and discussions of its connection to important contemporary issues in social and political philosophy.
Edited by:
John Christman (Pennsylvania State University)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9781108738217
ISBN 10: 1108738214
Pages: 286
Publication Date: 19 October 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Introduction: The Multiple Dimensions of Positive Freedom John Christman; 1. Unity and Disunity in The Positive Tradition Michael Garnett; 2. Positive Liberty as Realizing the Essence of Man Michael Quante; 3. Moral and Personal Positive Freedom Maria Dimova-Cookson; 4. Positive Freedom and Freedom of Contract: Fairness, Fairing Well, and Freedom Avital Simhony; 5. Recognition and Positive Freedom David Ingram; 6. Self-Mastery and the Quality of a Life Steven Wall; 7. Basic Freedom in the Real World John Christman; 8. Reframing Democracy with Positive Freedom: The Power of Liberty Reconsidered Carol C. Gould; 9. Positive Liberty, Feminism and Disability Nancy Hirschmann; 10. Positive Liberty and Paternalism Horacio Spector; 11. Beyond Positive and Negative Liberty: Habermas and Honneth on Freedom in the Political Public Sphere Maeve Cooke; 12. Property and Political Power: Neo-Feudal Entanglements Rutger Claassen; 13. Public Reason, Positive Liberty, and Legitimacy Chad Van Schoelandt.
John Christman is Professor of Philosophy, Political Science, and Women's Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He is author of The Politics of Persons (Cambridge, 2009) and Social and Political Philosophy: A Contemporary Introduction (2002, 2017), and editor of Contemporary Debates in Political Philosophy (with Thomas Christiano, 2009), among other works in social and political philosophy.
Reviews for Positive Freedom: Past, Present, and Future
'This is a very rich volume exploring the notion of 'positive freedom' from a variety of angles: historical, conceptual, normative, and related to applied debates. Highly recommended to any reader who wants to know what thinking about 'positive freedom' has to offer us.' Ingrid Robeyns, Utrecht University
