# Positive and Negative Liberty

> 【EN】Negative liberty is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. One has negative liberty to the extent that actions are available to one in this negative sense. Positive liberty is the possibility of acting—or the fact of acting—in such a way as to take control of one’s life and realize one’s fundamental purposes. While negative liberty is usually attributed to individual agents, positive liberty is sometimes attributed to collectivities, or to individuals considered primarily as members of given collectivities. The idea of distinguishing between a negative and a positive sense of the term ‘liberty’ goes back at least to Kant, and was examined and defended in depth by Isaiah Berlin in the 1950s and ’60s. Discussions about positive and negative liberty normally take place within the context of political and social philosophy. … 【中】词条考察积极自由与消极自由的区分。消极自由是障碍、壁垒或约束的缺席；积极自由则是掌控自身生命、实现根本目的的行动之可能性或事实。消极自由通常归于个体，积极自由有时也归于集体或作为集体成员的个体。文章讨论两个自由概念、积极自由的悖论、共和主义自由这第三条道路、作为三元关系的自由，以及约束的分析。

- ID: m13237
- Category: culture
- Domain: 哲学

## Definition

消极自由是不存在障碍、壁垒或约束的状态，一个人在这种否定意义上可采取的行动越多，其消极自由就越大。积极自由则是如此行动的可能性或事实，即掌控自己的生命、实现自己的根本目的。 脚手架作用：- 自由度量：分清不受阻碍与自我主宰，避免混用两套标准。 - 强制审查：警惕以他人真正目的为名的强制，识别话语包装。 - 政策取舍：判断该减少外在干预还是提升行动者的自主能力。

## How it works

两种自由的分野在于把自由理解为“不被阻碍”还是“自我主宰”。前者只看外部约束的有无，后者还要求行动出于行动者真正的目的与理性；正因积极自由强调由真正的自我来主宰，它才可能被用来为强制辩护——以他人“真正的”目的为名。

## Practice

1) 明确所论的自由是“缺少外部阻碍”还是“自我主宰”；2) 列出约束来源，区分自然的、社会的与法律的；3) 追问自我主宰的判准由谁定，警惕以他人之名施加强制；4) 比较自由程度时说明采用哪一种尺度。

## Use

- 自由度量：分清不受阻碍与自我主宰，避免混用两套标准。 - 强制审查：警惕以他人真正目的为名的强制，识别话语包装。 - 政策取舍：判断该减少外在干预还是提升行动者的自主能力。

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