Law of equal liberty facts for kids

The law of equal liberty is a big idea in liberalism and socialism. It means that everyone should have as much freedom as possible. But there's a catch: your freedom shouldn't stop anyone else from having their own freedom. Many thinkers have talked about this idea in different ways.

Even though socialists and liberals sometimes disagree, some experts say their main goals are quite similar. However, they often have different ideas about what freedom, equality, and working together truly mean. This includes how they understand and use the idea of equal liberty.

What is Equal Liberty?

Many important thinkers have tried to explain what equal liberty means.

In 1689, John Locke wrote in his book Second Treatise of Government: "Everyone is equal. No one has more power or control than another. It's clear that all people are born with the same natural advantages and abilities. So, they should be equal to each other, unless a higher power clearly decides to put one person above another."

In 1774, Alexander Hamilton wrote: "All people come from the same origin. They share the same basic nature. Because of this, they all have the same basic rights. There's no good reason why one person should have power over others, unless those others freely give it to them."

In 1851, Herbert Spencer wrote in Social Statics that equal liberty is a natural law. He said it means "every person can use their abilities as much as they want, as long as it doesn't stop anyone else from having the same freedom." Spencer also put it this way: "Everyone is free to do what they want, as long as they don't take away the equal freedom of someone else."

Benjamin Tucker, an American thinker who believed in individual anarchism and libertarian socialism, defined equal liberty. He said it means "the most freedom possible, while still being fair and respectful of what others do in society."

Who Believed in Equal Liberty?

Many different groups and thinkers have supported the idea of equal liberty.

Land Rights and Equal Liberty (Georgism)

Everyone Should Have a Right to Land

In 1775, Thomas Spence wrote a pamphlet called Rights of Man. He based it on the law of equal liberty. Spence strongly believed that everyone has an equal right to land. He said we have equal rights to land, just like we have equal rights to life and freedom. If you deny someone the right to land, he argued, it's like denying them the right to live. This is because having land is often necessary for survival.

In 1795, Thomas Paine wrote Agrarian Justice. He explained that "Liberty and property are words that describe everything we own that isn't just an idea." He said property is two kinds:

• Natural property: This is what the Creator made, like Earth, Air, and Water.
• Artificial or acquired property: This is what people make or produce.

Paine focused on natural property. He believed that "Every person born into the world is born with a rightful claim to a certain type of natural property, or its value."

In Social Statics, Herbert Spencer based his political ideas on the law of equal liberty. He pointed out that if some people don't have an equal right to use land, they could be forced off the planet. This would go against the idea of equal freedom.

Later, land reformers, especially Henry George, pushed this idea further in his book Progress and Poverty. George wanted to solve this problem by taxing the value of land. George disagreed with Spencer that an equal right to land meant the government should own all land. George thought that to achieve equal freedom, all that was needed was a land value tax. This tax would make it less appealing for people to just hold onto land without using it.

Equal Liberty in Socialism

Freedom for Everyone, Together

The idea of equal liberty in anarchism and socialism is about having equal chances in politics, society, and the economy.

According to Saul Newman, equal liberty means that "freedom and equality are connected. You can't have one without the other." They both help people become free and work together. Equality is not less important than freedom, as some liberal ideas suggest. The demand for equality goes beyond just having equal rights on paper. There is no conflict between freedom and equality. Freedom is something shared by everyone, not something that gets smaller when more people have it. It can only be imagined when everyone is free. It also comes with social and economic equality.

The idea of equal liberty is a goal that can be explored in many ways. It is also closer to anarchist ideas about right and wrong. It suggests that freedom and equality cannot truly happen within a government system. It questions all forms of control and power differences.

Mikhail Bakunin famously said: "We believe that freedom without Socialism is special treatment and unfairness. And Socialism without Freedom is like being a slave and being treated badly." He also said: "I am truly free only when all people, men and women, are equally free. The freedom of others doesn't take away or limit my freedom. Instead, it is needed for my freedom and makes it stronger."

Benjamin Tucker's idea of equal liberty means that "each person is equally free to do what's best for themselves. They are only limited by 'mutual respect' for others." Tucker said this is a social agreement, not a natural right. He wrote: "Equal liberty itself is a social agreement. So, anarchism agrees that people can be made to follow one social agreement. But this doesn't mean it agrees that people should be forced to follow all social agreements."

Tucker believed that equal liberty should be protected by people working together voluntarily, not by the government. He thought the government actually goes against equal liberty.

John F. Welsh says that equal liberty was a main idea for Tucker. It was central to all his writings. Tucker clearly connected equal liberty with his ideas of anarchism and self-ownership. Even though Tucker said equal liberty was a social agreement, he talked about it using words like "rights," "duty," and "force." For Tucker, people have "a duty to respect each other's 'rights'." He meant that a "right" is the limit that equal liberty puts on power. He also said that "a person's only duty is to respect others' 'rights'" and that "a person's only right over others is to make sure that duty is followed."

Welsh explains that Tucker based his ideas of equal liberty on the difference between attacking someone and defending oneself. Tucker used the word invasion to mean when someone's actions go beyond their own freedom and interfere with others' freedom.

Paul Eltzbacher believed that people have the right to resist invasion and protect their personal freedom. Eltzbacher wrote that "The individual has the right to push back against anyone who invades their space of action." According to Welsh, Tucker suggested that "the law of equal liberty should have some power." He thought "defensive associations" could be created. These groups would act to protect the anarchist idea of equal liberty, stopping harmful acts and demanding fairness for them.

Richard P. Hiskes wrote in Community Without Coercion: Getting Along in the Minimal State that the criticism of individualism for not caring about community is wrong. He said that "individualism, as a way of organizing society, can protect individual freedom and take care of everyone's well-being in society."

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