One other general point about the genealogy. This conception is probably less popular than the other two, but it has had some prominent defenders. According to this conception, being free consists in the ability to realise one’s true self. And then, moving to the extreme right (perhaps aptly) we have the more mystical concept of positive liberty. This was prevalent in ancient Rome, and underwent something of a resurgence in the latter half of the twentieth century (partly because of the work of Quentin Skinner). Moving to the left of that branch, we have the republican conception of liberty as non-domination. This has been subject to a number of analyses and elaborations over the years, but remains at the core of liberal theory. Starting in the middle, we have the dominant liberal conception of freedom as non-interference. That brings us to the second point, which is that those traditions are arrayed along the three major branches of the genealogy. This is because the major traditions in the history of liberty have all tended to differ with respect to how they fill out the particulars of that condition. And it is from the second condition that they grow. This two-condition analysis provides the root from which the rest of the genealogy grows. First, note that it starts with a basic two-condition analysis of freedom (throughout we’ll be using the term “freedom” interchangeably with the term “liberty” this tracks Skinner’s usage of the terms):įreedom: consists in (a) the power of an individual act and (b) the ability of the individual to exercise that power in a particular way. For now, just note three main features of the genealogy. We’ll be going through it step-by-step in a moment. The diagram below illustrates all the key components of Skinner’s genealogy.ĭon’t worry if this looks confusing. Its goal is not to criticise Skinner’s framework (though this could certainly be done) its goal is to share what I believe to be a valuable intellectual tool. But, at the same time, I have been disappointed to see that no one (to the best of my knowledge) has provided a detailed summary and illustration of Skinner’s genealogy. I encourage everyone to watch his lecture. The genealogy will highlight the resemblances and tensions between the different concepts, contextualise some of the important historic debates, and provide us with a rich landscape of conceptual possibility.Īs I say, I think Skinner’s take on this is excellent, the product of his long years of historical and philosophical scholarship. He thinks we can construct a genealogy of all the different conceptions of liberty that have been proposed, rediscovered and defended since the birth of liberalism. Are there any alternative approaches? In his excellent lecture “ The Genealogy of Liberty” (based on his scholarly writings), Quentin Skinner argues that there is. This method has a long and venerable history, admirable and frustrating in equal measure. They propose a definition - a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for the application of the predicate “liberty” - and then they defend this analysis from a range of counterexamples and counterarguments, some proposed by themselves, some proposed by their philosophical friends and enemies. The philosopher, from their privileged position in a comfortable armchair, thinks deeply about the nature of freedom. The traditional philosophical approach to this is to provide a conceptual analysis of what it means to be at liberty. It would help if they had some more detailed conception of liberty. Still, liberty is very important, particularly to those who have temerity to call themselves “liberal”. There are other important concepts - equality? well-being? - and somebody could no doubt make the case for them. What does it mean to be free? Liberty is the most important concept in modern political theory.
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