CIAO DATE: 03/02


Critical Review

Critical Review

Summer 1997 (Vol.11 No.3)

Freedom, Liberty, and Property

By Jonathan Wolfe

Abstract

If one values freedom, what sort of regime of property should one favor: libertarianism, socialism, or something else again? Debate on this topic has been hampered by a failure to distinguish freedom and liberty, which are both of great value, but can come into conflict. Furthermore there are many similar concepts--distinct from both liberty and freedom, yet each representing something we rightly value--which may also come into conflict with each other and with freedom and liberty. Consequently the question posed above has no easy answer.