Freedom as Non-Constraint: Beyond Non-Interference and Non-Domination

Rainbolt, George W.

When is a person free to do something? The focus of much of the recent work on this question has been the debate between those who defend freedom as non-interference (aka liberals) and those who defend freedom as non-domination (aka republicans). This book defends a new answer to this question, freedom as non-constraint. According to freedom as non-constraint, both interference and domination cause unfreedom, both human and natural constraints cause unfreedom, and both controlled and uncontrolled interference cause unfreedom. Compared to liberal and republican theories, freedom as non-constraint provides a better account of systemic and structural threats to freedom, a better picture of how market forces and governments impact freedom, and a better understanding of how the natural world constrains freedom. Freedom as non-constraint also provides a new account of the scalarity of freedom and points to the limits on our ability to measure freedom with precision.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2024-07-09

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9783031611803

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-61181-0

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 216