... It is possible to identify three main strands of thought on the meaning and nature of liberty, although we must recognise that there are variations of beliefs about the specifics within each classification. First there is what David Miller calls the Republican family. Here liberty is set within a political framework. A person is free when there are certain political arrangements which allow for people to be self governed and for them to play an active role in this governance. Secondly, there is the liberal tradition which conceives of liberty as something people may possess when there is no interference or restraints place upon individuals. Here the government may play two roles. It may either act as a constraint on freedom if it acts to interfere with individuals too much or it may serve as a protector of freedom by ensuring that peoples liberties are not infringed upon. As ...

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