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Liberty Reader
For centuries past, the quest for liberty has driven political movements across the globe, inspiring revolutions in America, France, China and many other countries. Now, we have Iraq and the idea of liberation through preemption. What is this liberty that is so fervently pursued? Does it mean a private space for individuals, the capacity for free and rational choice, or collective self-rule? What is the difference between positive and negative liberty, or the relationship between freedom and coercion? Reflecting on these questions reveals a surprisingly rich landscape of ideas-and further questions. The Liberty Reader collects twelve of the most important and insightful essays on issues of freedom currently available. It is essential reading for students of social and political theory, political philosophy, and anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the variety of ideas and ideals behind perennial human strivings for liberty. Contributors Hannah Arendt, Isaiah Berlin, G. A. Cohen, T. H. Green, F. A. Hayek, Nancy Hirschman, Gerald C. MacCallum Jr., David Miller, Phillip Pettit, Quentin Skinner, Hillel Steiner, Charles Taylor.
- GenresPhilosophyPolitics
286 pages, Paperback
First published June 6, 1991
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About the author
David Miller
20 books26 followersDavid Miller is professor of political theory and official fellow, Nuffield College, Oxford. He is a fellow of the British Academy and the author or editor of fifteen books, including On Nationality and Principles of Social Justice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mi...
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Mi...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 16, 2016
Miller's book is a handy and concise collection of some of the most important essays in liberty in our time. The book spans about a hundred years - starting with T.H. Green and ending with Quentin Skinner - and it thus inevitably excludes a huge chunk of liberal writings from before that time.
From the libertarian side, it only features Hayek's useful discussion of freedom and coercion, but inexplicably it has nothing from Nozick, Rothbard, Narveson, Rand, or any of the other big thinkers in the important right-libertarian tradition.
But the upside is that the collection has a clear focus: all the essays seem to focus on the analytical distinction between "negative" and "positive" freedom, as made famous by Berlin and MacCallum (both of whom are included in this collection). This influential distinction is a good focus, because it allows for a wide net of contributors. The distinction has shaped most debates around liberty in the last 100 years. It has been variously expounded and criticized by people like the communitarian Charles Taylor, the feminist Nancy Hirschmann, the neo-Aristotelean Hannah Arendt, and the republicanist Philip Pettit, all of whom are featured here.
The collection also features G.A. Cohen's brilliant Marxist critique of market liberalism, and Hillel Steiner's passionate defence of negative freedom, while David Miller himself provides a short expository essay as well as the introduction. Overall, plenty of good stuff edited down to size.
From the libertarian side, it only features Hayek's useful discussion of freedom and coercion, but inexplicably it has nothing from Nozick, Rothbard, Narveson, Rand, or any of the other big thinkers in the important right-libertarian tradition.
But the upside is that the collection has a clear focus: all the essays seem to focus on the analytical distinction between "negative" and "positive" freedom, as made famous by Berlin and MacCallum (both of whom are included in this collection). This influential distinction is a good focus, because it allows for a wide net of contributors. The distinction has shaped most debates around liberty in the last 100 years. It has been variously expounded and criticized by people like the communitarian Charles Taylor, the feminist Nancy Hirschmann, the neo-Aristotelean Hannah Arendt, and the republicanist Philip Pettit, all of whom are featured here.
The collection also features G.A. Cohen's brilliant Marxist critique of market liberalism, and Hillel Steiner's passionate defence of negative freedom, while David Miller himself provides a short expository essay as well as the introduction. Overall, plenty of good stuff edited down to size.
January 5, 2021
Miller provides a very good structured summary and overview into the carefully curated essays he has selected in the introduction and helps us categorize a tripartite view of liberty.
Most of the essays I found them to be very relevant and helpful. However, there wore about two that at least for me were a drag to read and didn't find them interesting at all, thus the 4 stars instead of 5.
However, would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring the discussions around liberty.
Most of the essays I found them to be very relevant and helpful. However, there wore about two that at least for me were a drag to read and didn't find them interesting at all, thus the 4 stars instead of 5.
However, would still recommend this book to anyone who is interested in exploring the discussions around liberty.
January 26, 2020
a useful volume, but some essays are quite boring. The introduction is not bad although seriously biased towards Chinese politics, which is a typical mindset of the cold war.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews