The Partially Examined Life (Citizens): (Protected Content)
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Mark and Wes read through the beginning of “Two Concepts of Liberty” (1969). What are the various ways we can conceive of freedom, and is the concept necessarily political? Can you legitimately say you’ve been deprived freedom because, e.g., you can’t afford some necessity?
Watch it, if you choose:
The opposite of liberty (as you point out or imply) is not only coercion. The concern is not only other’s intention (this is the Liberal Self where self is reduced to conscious intention).
Unfairness and bias can be quite unintentional – that doesn’t mean they are not of concern.
Are those at the top the most gifted? It is possible to examine the abilities of those at the top compared with the next down or even those at the bottom. Not all equality is natural. As the meme has it: if it was effort that was rewarded, every African woman would be a millionaire.
One text rarely mentioned is by St Paul – in 1Corinthians ch.12. He is talking about relations among Christians – his standard is equality of care. This takes account of diversity (his metaphor is the different parts of the physical body). I think this is a possible way forward.
Individual agency (ability to do) is surely relevant to political freedom.