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| Moral Rights |
| Vera
Speaking
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 The
philosopher Virginia Held has pointed out that the idea of liberty as negative liberty or freedom from interference was based on a certain image of society. The idea was that society was composed of sturdy, independent individuals who could farm
the land, carry on business, or make a living as craftsmen. The image hardly included women, children, servants, and those who are dependent on others. Perhaps
all those independent types needed was to be left alone and they would do reasonably well.
I doubt it, but maybe it was true.However that may be, this image always excluded a lot of people and has little relevance to today's society. The assumption that a person left to himself or herself can make a decent living is demonstrably false for many millions of people. Worse yet, this image and the half-truths about the value of negative liberty serve to protect and advance the interests of those who have the most of what there is to have. In other words, while claiming to provide for all, this philosophy of liberty actually helps some and hurts others. |
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