Isaiah Berlin’s “Two Concepts of Liberty,” expounds on the concept of negative liberty, which he defines as the lack of force or interference from others. Berlin emphasizes that negative liberty refers to the freedom to act without external constraints. He contrasts this with the concept of positive liberty, which emphasizes self-control and self-determination. Berlin argues that pursuing positive liberty might lead to authoritarianism if people or groups impose their “true” self on others, limiting their negative liberty. The contrast between the two types of liberty lays the groundwork for his subsequent analysis.
