Liberty and Government

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how it is the role of the government to protect people from having their freedom deprived. It puts forward three arguments to illustrate that the government has the right to act paternalistically and pass laws for the good of the people and with this a means of supplying people with freedom. It evaluates how this gives people the freedom to pursue their own goals, provided it does not deprive others of their freedom. It analyzes how this is not a case of people having unlimited freedom, since this is not a reality in a society where many people live together. However, it is a case of people attaining the maximum amount of freedom based on the limitations that are inherent to society.

From the Paper:

"The first argument relies on distinguishing between the concept of complete and unconditional freedom and the concept of conditional freedom. Many argue that government laws infringe on a person's personal freedom. The important point is that Mill does not argue that people should have complete freedom. He includes that people should only be allowed to pursue freedom if their actions do not reduce the freedoms of others. Based on this idea of individual freedom, the laws made by government can be looked at slightly differently. The main distinction is that Mill is referring to individual freedom within society as a whole. This approach extends to the concept of the role of the government. The government is focused on creating laws that govern society as a whole, but the intention of these laws is based on individual freedom. "

More papers on Liberty and Government:

• Comparison Essay # 5356 : "Personal Liberty within Government"
• Analytical Essay # 111598 : "John Locke, Life, Liberty and Property"
• Essay # 56425 : "Liberty and Tyranny"

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