It All Boils Down to Liberty
Understanding Positive, Negative, Egocentric, and Monocentric Liberty
Liberty, a word synonymous with freedom and independence, is a cornerstone of many societies including our own. It is the aspiration to live without arbitrary restraints, the ability to make choices, and the freedom to pursue one's goals. However, liberty is a complex concept, with nuances that extend beyond simply possessing rights. It is these nuances and often misunderstandings of how liberty works that makes for many political and personal arguments.
For me, as a youngster in 1976, I remember my parents providing me with the liberty to choose wallpaper for my room. On one wall, I chose red white and blue stripes and, on the other three, I chose a very patriotic red, white, and blue drummer boy with stars. As 1980 rolled around, I was introduced to the song “Freewill” by the Canadian trio Rush. The lyrics speak of having the freedom to choose one’s path and, as a pre-teen, I found myself on the pathway to being influenced by the concept of liberty.
To add to my liberty influence, as a product of a Generation X upbringing, I was a latchkey kid who pretty much came home from school, heated up a Hungry-Man TV dinner, then hopped on my bike and was gone until sundown. From college and through my adulthood, I have looked into and researched the concept of liberty. As a state representative, I have spoken to groups and my interns on the concept.
This article explores four distinct lenses through which liberty can be viewed: positive liberty, negative liberty, egocentric liberty, and monocentric liberty. It is my hope that by understanding these dimensions, we can engage in more thoughtful discussions about freedom and how it manifests in our interactions with others.
Positive Liberty: The Freedom to Act
Positive liberty, championed by philosophers like Isaiah Berlin, focuses on the individual's freedom and capacity to act. It's about having the ability to act and the power and resources to pursue one’s goals and achieve one's full potential. Positive liberty is more focused on one’s own limits or one’s own restraints. Whereas, negative liberty is more about external restraints.
Positive liberty includes things like opportunity or resources. Just because someone has the freedom to take an action, it does not mean that they have the opportunity nor the resources to take those actions.
Examples of where the government interferes with positive liberty is with taxes and education. By overly taxing individuals, the government removes resources from folks; thus, decreasing their ability to pursue their own goals. Government would be considered as extracting positive liberty from that individual.
Conversely, by using tax dollars to support public education, positive liberty is expanded for the majority of individuals by providing the resources and opportunity to learn and grow as an individual.
Negative Liberty: Freedom From Restraint
Negative liberty, as articulated by John Stuart Mill, emphasizes freedom from external constraints. It focuses on the absence of arbitrary interference by the state or others in an individual's decision-making.
Negative liberty is about what externally is preventing you from achieving one’s goals or exercising one’s freedoms. Examples often include laws, rules, or even standards or criteria one must obtain prior to taking action.
An example of government or public interference which extracts negative liberty would include an individual having to get permission from a HOA or local planning commission in order to make improvements on their own property.
Egocentric Liberty: My Freedom Over Yours
Egocentric liberty is a self-centered interpretation of freedom. It prioritizes the individual's liberty above all else, often disregarding the potential impact on others. Whenever I hear someone say “my right” or “I have the right”, it signals to me to lean in and listen to whether that person is, also, respecting the liberty of others when they speak.
We all function with an egocentric bias, but some folks operate solely for their own self interests at the expense of or disregarding others. I’ve often explained it to my interns as if one has the ability to shadowbox to their heart’s content. However, that liberty is restricted to entering my personal space and punching me in the nose.
Those functioning under an egocentric liberty perspective might view any regulation or social norm as an infringement on individual freedom, even if those norms are necessary for a functioning society. Imagine someone playing loud music late at night, arguing that their right to enjoy themselves trumps their neighbor's right to sleep. This prioritization of personal liberty, without considering the impact on others, exemplifies egocentrism.
Another example is the misinterpretation of freedom of speech. One may be able to speak as they wish, but one can’t libel or slander another person. Thinking only of their right to free speech without understanding the potential encroachment on another person’s liberty is egocentric in nature.
Monocentric Liberty: Discounting Other’s Rights
Monocentric liberty is similar to egocentric liberty, but focuses solely on one individual’s or one group’s rights, neglecting the potential consequences for others. Whereas egocentric liberty is focusing on one’s own rights, monocentric liberty prioritizes liberty for a single person or group, even if it restricts the liberty of others.
This perspective often arises in situations involving competing rights. Take the aforementioned shadow boxing analogy. If I am the shadow boxer and believe that I should be able to swing wherever I please and hit whoever is in my way, then I am focused on egocentric liberty. If however, I am watching a shadow boxer and I believe he has the right to punch another person in the nose simply because I believe shadow boxer’s rights are absolute, then I am practicing monocentric liberty.
Thus, a singular focus on a single person's or group’s freedom while ignoring or discounting the broader impact on the liberties or rights of others is monocentric liberty.
The Interconnectedness of Liberty: Putting it Together
These four perspectives on liberty are not mutually exclusive nor do they encompass the entirety of the concept of liberty. Positive and negative liberty have been discussed and written about for quite awhile. Egocentric and monocentric liberty are concepts that I have developed during my time as an elected official in order for me to better understand and protect the rights of citizens.
Understanding these concepts can help one work through complex, divisive or controversial issues such as school choice, transgender athletes, and DEI. Or even better understand and empathize with another’s point of view. Once one is able to identify that an individual is arguing from an egocentric or monocentric liberty standpoint or they are focusing on positive liberty at the expense of negative liberty, then one can provide better counter arguments or find better solutions.
Nearly fifty years later, the issues that I face and the decisions that I make are much more intricate and consequential than choosing patriotic wall paper. Little did I know then that I would be looking back on those days as they helped form much of my philosophy today. However, as my assistant and legislative interns will attest, the common phrase repeated in my office when working through issues and finding solutions is “it boils down to liberty”.
Terry’s Take is a personal and professional opinion publication from Bryan Terry, MD and paid for by Bryan Terry for State Representative, Cheryl Terry Treasurer. Hope you enjoy the content.