How many Concepts of Liberty are there?

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Theory of Politics Sonali Peiris

How many Concepts of Liberty are there?

Liberty or freedom is arguably one of the most valuable things to man. Those without it may be willing to argue, fight or even lose their lives in pursuit of what they feel is so vitally important to their lives. In general when talk of liberty we mean the right to live our lives on our terms, not under the power of some external agent. That liberty is considered such a significant value is not called into question. The fact that it is thought to be so important to so many people however has meant that there has been a great deal of discussion on what exactly it is we mean by the term liberty, and under what conditions would we consider people to be 'free'. Political philosophers have many theories in response to this and it is necessary to analyse some of the main arguments and concepts to get a clearer idea of how to be more precise about the idea of liberty.

It is possible to identify three main strands of thought on the meaning and nature of liberty, although