Political ideas, under international relations Essay

Political ideas, under international relations - Essay Example He argues out that the diversity that existed in the human values defines the origins of political theories that extend to today’s political set up. A critical examination of the possible approaches of dealing with the diverse human values in a society leads to two kinds of liberty namely positive and negative liberty (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). The two concepts of liberty were initially considered to be closely related but later appeared to be taking different destinations. There have been efforts by philosophers to examine the main differences that exist between positive and negative liberty. There has also been a debate on whether one concept of liberty is superior to the other or not. Some of the rights and freedoms that we enjoy are those that are imposed by some legislation. Some other freedoms are enjoyed simply because there are no legislations that are contrary to them. However, it is important to note that freedom is freedom and regardless of its nature, it can be hazardou s if poorly misused or misinterpreted. Definitions By definition, positive freedom is that freedom that is guaranteed by some form of legislation. It refers to considering freedom as ‘the capacity for self rule, or self mastery especially on a collective level’ (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). ... The other one could be the right to own a property. Every one is absolutely entitled to the right to own property by most of the legal provisions worldwide. On the other hand, negative freedom is that freedom we enjoy because no kind of legislation forbids it. They are the kinds of freedoms that allow an individual to carry out his or her private affairs independently (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). This calls for the moral and ethical codes of conducts in the individual. For instance, there are particularly no legal provisions on how and whether one should enjoy his/her Christmas holidays. There are no provisions either that a bereaved family should have a memorial ceremony in honor of their deceased member. The celebrations in such occasions are carried on simply on the basis that there are no restrictions. In other words, a negative freedom is enjoyed at an individual’s own discretion. Arguments on positive liberty The kinds of governments that existed in the olden times were mainly a hereditary system in which one would have predefined successor, usually a son. In such cases, the rulers were mainly opposed to the ruled and what existed was a system of two conflicting forces with the ruled being unable to confront the rulers. In fact, the rulers often used their hereditary authority as weapons against complains from their people (Mill, 1859). There was thus a need to reduce the powers of the rulers and set certain limits beyond which the people were protected against such humiliations. This called for the need for the establishments of rights and freedom of the citizens in a given government. The rulers were forced to submit to such