SDS 131R | week-3

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University of Waterloo

Triadic Model of Freedom

Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.

John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty," 1861

The Classical Liberal View of Freedom

Let's apply Gerald MacCallum's Triadic Model of Freedom to the Classical Liberal view of freedom:

Illustration of MacCallum's triadic model of freedom for Classical Liberalism. Description found below. — The agent is the rational individual who is aspiring to be free. The agent's goal is to live as one chooses (practicing religion, speaking freely, establishing a family). The goal is always "freedom," defined in a particular way. In order to attain this goal, the agent must overcome obstacles to gain this freedom (laws, customs, or conditions that impede individual choice).
Figure 3.1 | The Liberal View of Freedom. Ball et al., 2013, p. 41.

References

Ball, T., Dagger, R., Christian, W. & Campbell, C. (2013). Figure 3.1, The Liberal View of Freedom. In Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal (3rd Canadian edition). Toronto: Pearson Canada. p. 41.