Freedom and Social Political Philosophy - Essay Example

Freedom and Social Political Philosophy Introduction Social political philosophy just like philosophy lacks a specific definition. Social political philosophy can however be defined as discipline infrastructure considered as a sub branch of ethics. Analysis of constituent words can help explain the meaning of social political philosophy. A philosopher is a thinker who focuses on reality by asking questions that are fundamental in explaining the universal character. Politics is a social science associated with development and regulation of human coexistence that is considered peaceful through legal structures and laws aimed at ensuring the society remain a better and a safe place . Social political philosophy therefore refers to discipline infrastructure that aims to solve and discover problems that are deeply rooted in the society and affects human beings either directly or indirectly. It seeks to create a relationship between the society and man. Social political philosophy is considered universal, prescriptive or largely theoretical in context (Simon, 2002). The role of social political philosophy in the society Social political philosophy concerns existence of man in the society. It helps identify the nature of human beings and evaluates how they are able to relate with the society. It deals with man’s relationship and conduct with the society at large. The questions posed by social political philosopher’s targets issues such as democracy, rules and the purpose of the state. The person’s metaphysical orientation is one of the element s that determines political philosophy various questions that a social political philosopher asks are vital in the creation of rules and laws associated with man and aimed at establishing the re3lationships that coexist with the society. The culture and experience of a philosopher determines how they are able to respond to the many questions raised and targeting man and society (Russell, 2000). A philosopher relates their ideas to those who came before them and the current issues affecting the society as a man’s dwelling place. Social political philosophy and political science functions together though political science is associated with answers that are descriptive (it says, ‘what is not and what is’). Political philosophy on the other hand utilizes evaluative and analytical method in dealing with most of its issues. Freedom as a social political philosophy theme The paper seeks to discuss a social political philosophy theme in the society. Freedom and justice are some of the themes in the social political philosophy. The idea of freedom is recognized as ambiguous, indefinite and open to a lot of misconception. Since social political philosophy establishes the relationship between man and the environment, freedom is therefore one of the factors that affect man and the society. Freedom is one of the most powerful and common concept that is either misused or used by people in authority or individual human beings. Many people in the society have underrated the importance of freedom. Most people are falsely confident of understanding the meaning of freedom yet they have clue less about it. The false conception ahs made it difficult for people to investigate the real meaning of freedom. Investigation on the meaning freedom meaning is vital and should be done since most of the people in the world have failed to use freedom in ensuring people’s lives are well organized. Freedom is a social political philosophy theme since it affects man directly and is applied in the society (Schwartz, 1973) People all over the world require freedom. This is evidenced by their approach toward supporting policies, government, programs and candidates who are seen as fighting for their freedom. Absence of freedom in some countries and institutions has spurred resistance from the people. It has created bodies such as the human rights institutions that fight for the freedom of people. Freedom understanding among the people determines how they fight to protect it. The understanding of freedom among the people in the society determines the way the live. Philosophers have to contribute to the understanding of freedom among the people in the society. Freedom impacts on the way in which societies and various communities are structured. Better understanding of freedom among the people in all corners of the world is a vital component of making the world a better place to stay (Rose, 1999). The lack of understanding of freedom among many people in the world may be associated with diverse thinking of philosophers targeting the same topic. The philosophers in the world have different opinion targeting the meaning of freedom. Recent studies on freedom by Orlando Patterson and Eric Foner have explained the essence of freedom to the people. Most of the studies on freedom philosophy have focused on how people in the world understand it and the impact of their understanding on the world. Most of the studies should however, focus on explaining how freedom is to be understood by the people. They should give their opinion on how the world will be shaped after people get to know the real meaning of freedom. Freedom still remains a topic of interest due to its diverse meaning and understanding. Freedom presents a practical interest with some people wanting to understand how living in a society where freedom is permitted looks like. Philosophy influences freedom either directly or indirectly. Freedom is a product of philosophical thinking. Freedom means having control in doing what your mind desires without being affected by an external force. It is however true that the action of people may affect others in one way or the other. Peoples’ freedom actions should not affect other people’s actions. The state through use of laws affects people’s freedom in one way or the other. Even though the government may end up providing as with freedom towards various issues for example, freedom of speech, freedom of worship and the many others. We are still the slaves of the government and they keep on dictating what we do. The use of laws by the government simply control what its people do. Failure to do what the government demands usually lands the person in trouble. Many people in various countries in the world have been imprisoned for life for being against the oppressive nature of the government on the people. Dictatorial governments have infringed into the rights of their people. People have lost lives in their advancement for freedom. Philosophers have to come up with effective ways to help understand the meaning of freedom. Freedom has to be conceived and understood in a certain way (Rose, 1999). Understanding the meaning of freedom will help prevent many people who continue to suffer in the hands of the oppressors. Understanding of freedom has to be moved from one conception to the other with an intention of helping people to get to know the real meaning. Freedom does not only concern the developing certain political and social structures but also the liberating activity of the philosophers itself. Type of freedom Liberal freedom Hobbes a social political philosopher asserted that a free man is able to tackle or do things according to his own will without being prevented. Liberalism associated freedom person’s ability to do what they chose with less external forces minimized in the process. This type of freedom has been called negative liberty due to its belief that a free person is not affected by external constraints in doing what they wish to do. A free person should be unconstrained by convection laws and social ties. Negative liberation is associated to the freedom enjoyed by birds, since they are less likely to be constrained by gravity or geography. Animals are considered to posses more freedom than human beings since they are less likely to be constrained by external forces. The government has a mandate of protecting the freedom of the people. Such freedoms are protected by the law and policies prepared by the government (Ripstein, 2009). Liberalism asserts that people should choose what to do without being affected by other external forces. The United States government just like any other government in the world has a mandate of ensuring the people’s freedom is protected. The American government should protects the freedom of the people from international threat through national defense, and protection from threats that are perceived domestic through ensuring appropriate measures are put in place through the presence of prison and police. Liberal freedom has impacted on the politics of various countries especially with democratic government. In a democratic country people have freedom to choose the leaders they want. Some of the countries in the world have however failed in providing freedom of voting leaders in their countries. Some leaders for example in Africa have remained in power for many years through force. Some have ended up by people’s freedom of choice by bribing them to vote or even being declared leaders by force. The practice has sparked a lot of violence especially in the Arab world with the recent action observed in Libya where the dictator Muhamar Gadafi was ousted from power by youths fighting for a better government. The youths felt their freedom had been infringed by the poor leadership and they took to the street to fight for it. The same was reciprocated to other countries such as Tunisia and Egypt. Kantian freedom Freedom is considered a causality property of the human beings. Moral law will and free will is considered to be similar according to Kant. Kant has criticized liberal freedom claiming that it may be absolutely necessary for people to make their own choices with minimal external forces even though the actions is less sufficient. He asserts that people should be responsible for all their choices and action. He believes that animals lack freedom. Animals lack rationality and autonomy. He believes that animals act due to external influence or heteronomous instincts. He explains that without autonomous and rational will, freedom is not achieved. Kantian freedom subjects the person to moral law unlike liberal freedom that advocates for people to make their choices without external forces or constraints. The subject of Kantian freedom is the will unlike liberal negativity whose subjects targets the person in question. A person may end up not being free even though the liberal standards have been achieved. Positive liberty Positive liberty is a type of freedom that relies on an external force for it to be effectively done. Human beings cannot necessarily tackle nor do everything they want to do. Some of them need assistance from the government and the people. For examples the government has to build school for the freedom of education to be effective. Positive liberty freedom is the opposite of negative liberty since; negative liberty asserts that a person is to be allowed to do what they choose to do without any external influence. Individuality is another type of freedom that requires the action of both positive and negative liberty. The social norms exhibited by the mass culture and traditional community are an example of individuality. Another type of freedom is the freedom from manipulation. The type of freedom is present in the ethical communities. It involves a party suggesting that you do something together. It is the type of freedom that is present in various business fields. Equanimity freedom is based on dread, disquiet, doubt and sorrows that are the result of mortal and being vulnerable. It is usually difficult to achieve equanimity in the absence of positive liberty and negative liberty. Freedom allows people in the society to contemplate about their own action. Political philosophy aims at ensuring the society become a better place for the people to dwell. Freedom in the society is one of the ways that allows peaceful coexistence of people in the society. However, the action of an individual in the society should not negatively affect the other person. Karl Marx a philosopher indicated that such freedoms can only be achieved in the community. Freedom in the state can only be enjoyed with those associated with the ruling government. In some states the people affiliated to the opposition have been oppressed by the ruling government and even denied freedom (Russell, 2000). Only the rich people in a state that subscribe to capitalism enjoys freedom. The poor may have freedom is such a state even though most of them are usually restricted. Some freedoms are considered more essential compared to others. Freedom has continued to receive a lot of attention in the society and has developed in negative and positive lines. Freedom and politics Conservatives usually have a belief of being exiled from power yet their ideas have existed in the politics of America for almost 30 years. According to conservatives the government usually influences the freedom of the people. Their ideas have however been treated as politics of delusion and destruction. Government should not be the source of constraints that denies people from exercising their freedom. Even though the government has a mandate of protecting the freedom of the people from external threats and domestic threat through putting in places the right security measures, it should be able to allow people make their own choices as long as it doesn’t affect the others. People have a way of reacting if they realize their freedom is not of concern to the government. Security and equality are some of the vital roles in ensuring freedom are achieved. People will be able to act freely in a society or state that is secure. Insecurity in the society and country affects the way people act due to the fear they are exposed to. A good example occurs in states that are ruled by dictators. People in such states are oppressed if they do not obey the ruler of the land. However people have found ways of liberating themselves from such worse rulers (Rose, 1999). Countries that experience war on the hand, has impacted negatively on the freedom of the people. Young people are forced to join the military without their own consent and in the process freedom ends up losing meaning in them. Inequality in the society is another factor that has made it a challenge to achieve freedom. In capitalist sate for example the gap between the rich and the poor continues increasing (Rasmussen, 2001). The rich have got more freedom than the poor since they are able to make use of the money in doing whatever they want. The money too can be used in oppressing the poor, especially the ones who are employed in their states. The issue of equality in communism states does not occur. All people are considered the same. In such states the people are free and negative liberty can take place. Dealing with the relationship between political government and freedom is difficult. Government policies, regulation and laws affect the freedom of the people in one way or the other. The state is run by the government or the ruling party. The policies passed by the ruling party are to be followed by the people living in the state. Such policies may impact negatively on the way people act. Liberal freedom no longer exists in such situations. Most of these policies are passed without necessarily consulting the people. Importance of freedom in the society Freedom in the society and the state permits that, people are able to pursue happiness, speak, and act without external restrictions. Freedom is so essential our societies since it promotes and enhances original thought and creativity. It has been found out that freedom increase quality of life in the society by increasing productivity. Freedom idea is however complex and should be redefined and made even better in the coming generation. The implementation of freedom in the society has been found to be a challenge due to lack of understanding. Those people who never experienced it in the past have found it difficult to apply while those born in a society where freedom was a concern are taking it for granted. The government and the state have influenced the people’s freedom in one way or the other (Mill & Ashley, 1965). The laws and regulations have been found to influence the rights and freedom of the people either directly or indirectly. Absolute freedom is therefore difficult to be achieved. Many countries around the world have come up with strategies to help protect the rights and freedom of the people (Mendieta, 2005). In the United States of America for example, most well known rights are the freedom to religion, the press, speech, petitioning and peacefully assembly. Freedom is essential for one’s life and should be a matter of frequent discussion since most people in the world are still denied it. The people should be able to understand the vital role of freedom to the people and society at large. Through understanding its important people will be able to get to know its meaning. Pointing out the different ways, in which someone may not be able to achieve freedom, can help indicate its benefits to the people in the society. The law may prevent people from doing certain things in the society. a good example is a state that prevent people from criticizing it. The citizens of such country lack freedom to bring the necessary changes when compared with countries that involve the citizens in decision making process and allow them to criticize if necessary. Some countries such as North Korea have strict rules that make it difficult for people to exercise their freedom. Some countries are insecure due to civil wars. In such states, people are unable to exercise their freedom and some of the freedoms such as education are difficult to achieve. Issues such as freedom of movement, free choice, bodily freedom and legal freedom are so important to the people in a certain country or society and should be treated with the seriousness they deserve. Freedom is important because it enable people make choices and decisions without restrictions. Freedom of expression in the society cannot be underrated. Freedom of speech is effective in decision making process in various level of the society. Countries that allow freedom of expression among its citizens are entitled to prosper. Understanding and taking care of the demands of the people is vital in directing and ruling them. A decision sought after people express their opinion has been found to be effective for the government (Rose, 1999). Democratic states for example permit people to express their freedom of choice and expression. People are allowed to express their opinions by being allowed to vote in the candidate of choice. Such democracies are usually peaceful and provide their citizens with the right environment to exercise their rights. Undemocratic states on the other hand deny people their freedom of choice and expression. Such countries are usually less peaceful and full of insecurity. The lack of security imparts fear in the people and other freedoms are infringed. A government that is unaware of people’s feelings and thoughts is a dead government and usually bad position. The people in such states may decide to liberate themselves from the kind of leadership and in the process spark which ends up worsening the situation. When people are allowed to criticize the government through the freedom of expression accorded to them, it gives the government a chance to change and respond to their criticism (McGary & Lawson, 1993) Conclusion Better understanding of freedom as one of the theme in social political philosophy is vital for a better society. Philosophers should ensure better understanding of freedom among the people. People with freedom are able to contribute well to societal development. Governments that accords its people freedom of expression have known to experience less resistance from the people. When people are denied freedom of speech by the government, unfair criticism, rumors, comments and false hood are circulated through the word of mouth (Farneti, 2010). A government that is less aware of the thoughts and feelings of the people is likely to experience resistant from the citizen with can end up resulting to war. Insecurity in a country imparts fear among the people and in the process and in the process freedom is infringed. References Farneti, R. (2010). Philosophy and the Practice of Freedom: An Interview with Joseph Raz. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 71-84. McGary, H., & Lawson, B. (1993). Between Slavery and Freedom Philosophy and American Slavery. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Mendieta, E. (2005). Communicative freedom, citizenship and political justice in the age of globalization. Philosophy & Social Criticism, 739-752. Mill, J., & Ashley, W. (1965). Principles of political economy, with some of their applications to social philosophy. New York: A.M. Kelley, bookseller. Rasmussen, D. (2001). Social & political philosophy. Bowling Green: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State University. Ripstein, A. (2009). Force and freedom Kant's legal and political philosophy. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Rose, N. (1999). Powers of freedom reframing political thought. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. Russell, B. (2000). A history of western philosophy, and its connection with political and social circumstances from the earliest times to the present day. New York: Simon and Schuster. Schwartz, T. (1973). Freedom and authority; an introduction to social and political philosophy. Encino, Calif.: Dickenson Pub. Simon, R. (2002). The Blackwell guide to social and political philosophy. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell. Read More