Rule of Law II: Liberty & Types of Liberty – SS1 Civic Education Lesson Note (Second Term)

Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s behaviour or political views. It means freedom from restraint and freedom to act as one likes, but no one can have absolute liberty. People maximise their freedom by accepting limits that protect the freedom of others.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define liberty;
• explain why absolute liberty cannot exist in society;
• list and describe the types of liberty: natural, civil, political, individual, national and moral;
• state the rights that make up political liberty.

What is liberty?

Liberty can be defined as the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s behaviour or political views. In this sense, liberty means freedom from restraints and the freedom to act as one likes.

We must understand that we cannot have absolute liberty in our social relationships with one another. If a person has absolute liberty, then he is free to limit or even eliminate the freedom of another. The best we can do is to maximise our freedom by accepting certain limitations on it, so that we do not infringe the freedom of others.

What are the types of liberty?

1. Natural liberty

Traditionally, the concept of natural liberty has been very popular. Natural liberty is taken to mean the enjoyment of unrestrained natural freedom. It is justified on the ground that since man is born free, he is to enjoy freedom as he will. All restraints negate his freedom. It is popularly believed that man has inherited the right to liberty from nature, and that natural reason is the basis of liberty.

2. Civil liberty

The liberty which each individual enjoys as a member of society is called civil liberty. It is equally available to all individuals. All enjoy equal freedom and rights in society.

Civil liberty is not unrestrained liberty. It is enjoyed only under some restrictions (laws and rules) imposed by the state and society. Civil liberty is the very opposite of natural liberty.

3. Political liberty

Good and adequate opportunities for the people to use their political rights are defined as political liberty. When people have the freedom to participate in the political process, they are said to enjoy political liberty.

Political liberty involves the freedom to exercise:

• the right to vote;
• the right to contest elections;
• the right to hold public office;
• the right to criticise and oppose the policies of the government;
• the right to form political parties, interest groups and pressure groups;
• the right to change the government through constitutional means.

4. Individual (personal) liberty

Individual liberty means the freedom to pursue one’s desires and interests as a person, provided they do not clash with the interests or desires of others.

5. National liberty

National liberty is another name for the independence of the nation. It includes the freedom of the people to have a constitution of their own, to organise their government freely, and so on.

6. Moral liberty

Moral liberty means the freedom to act according to one’s conscience. It stands for the liberty to work for secure moral self-perfection. Freedom to pursue moral values is moral freedom.

Evaluation

1. Define liberty.
2. Why can a person not have absolute liberty in society?
3. Distinguish between natural liberty and civil liberty.
4. List four rights that make up political liberty.
5. What is national liberty?

Assignment

Explain any three types of liberty in your own words, and say how each one is limited so that it does not infringe the freedom of others.