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The Idea of Freedom in Contemporary American Political Thought

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2009

Extract

In this paper I propose to examine and compare certain contemporary American conceptions of the central idea in American political thought—freedom and its synonym, liberty.

I should like to begin by recalling to your minds the Puritan Father John Winthrop's twofold definition of liberty as:

1) natural liberty, “the liberty to do as [one] lists”;

2) moral liberty, the liberty to do “only that which is good, just and honest.”

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © University of Notre Dame 1973

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References

* Twelfth Annual James Taylor Lecture, delivered April 12, 1973, at Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.