... other. Throughout this essay, we will examine the differences, and make cases for and against political freedom in terms of negative liberty. Berlin speaks of liberty, in the negative sense, as "the absence of obstacle to the fulfilment of a man's desires" (Berlin, 2002: 30). However, he explains that to be unfree is more than just being prevented by others to do what I want. If this was so, then to remove one's desires, "ignoring obstacles, forgetting, 'rising above' them, becoming unconscious of them" would in fact mean freedom. Citing the example of slavery, if the slave-owner was successfully able to remove a slave's desires or wishes, then it could be said that the slave was free, due to having no ambition to overcome his 'chains' therefore. Berlin talks about freedom when "the oppressor, or the oppressive institutionalised practice, curtails or destroys" (Berlin, 2002: 31). He also specifically defines civil ...

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