Freedom: a collective or individual idea?

As a second wave of corona washes over Europe, clashes between the public and the government over the subject of freedom become a frequent occurrence. Can freedom only exist without government interference? Prof. Annelien de Dijn (History and Art History) answers this question in a blog for The Conversation.

Western freedom

De Dijn explains that throughout Western history, political thinkers have viewed effective government as essential for freedom. "In their view, freedom was a public good rather than a purely individual condition," she writes. Only in the early nineteenth century, this idea became contested. The expansion of democracy was seen as a threat by liberal elites, who feared for their freedom, which they saw as "the private enjoyment of one’s life and goods". Throughout the nineteenth century, radical democrats and socialists fought against this view.

Freedom in 2020

After 1945, the liberal conception of freedom finally triumphed. Our current situation, however, might call for a revisiting of the previous version. De Dijn: "If the coronavirus crisis has made one thing clear, it is that collective threats such as a pandemic demand decisive, effective action from government." As long as new rules are supported by the public and evaluated by representatives and the press, our freedom is still intact.