LIBERTY

Essay by Inga Makusheva

Where Slavery is, their Liberty cannot be

and where Liberty is there, Slavery cannot be.

Charles Sumner

The idea of freedom has so strongly taken roots in all of us that during long time nobody dared to put it under doubt. People have got used to speak always about freedom with the greatest respect. Such attitude to freedom is achievement of liberalism though this fact is forgotten. The term "liberalism" occurs from a word "freedom", and the name of the party, oppositional to liberals (both designations have arisen in a course of the constitutional struggle of the first decades of XIX century in Spain) was primary "slavish" ("servile").

Before occurrence of liberalism even wise philosophers, founders of great religions, the clergy, inspired with the best intentions, and statesmen who sincerely loved people, looked at slavery of the certain part of human race as on fair, in general useful and obviously salutary system. To some people and peoples (as it was considered), freedom was granted by the nature, others "were condemned" for slavery. Not only owners thought in such way, but also the great number of slaves. They were reconciled with the slavish position not only because they had to submit to the superiority of owners in force but also, that they were founding a certain blessing in it: the slave has been released from cares of the daily bread as the owner has been obliged to supply him with all vital things.

Liberalism arisen in XVIII and in the first half of the XIX centuries emphasized on protection and validity of civil freedom. It consisted of freedom of the private initiative, business, contracts, freedom of speech, conscience, opinions and a seal. The state in opinion of liberals should provide only the safety of a person, a private property, protect a society, but should not limit it. Liberalism asserted non-interference of the state in to an economic life especially persistently. It was express by known formulas such as "free trade" and "laissez faire, laissez passer" those days in bourgeois political economy.

However, when liberalism appeared to destroy the serfdom and submission of the country population of Europe and slavery of Negros in transatlantic colonies, many sincere humanists have declared themselves opponents of it. Not free workers have got used to the dependence and did not perceive it as evil. They were not ready for freedom and did not know what to do with it. The termination of master's care would be fatal for them. They were in capable to operate the affairs to provide themselves with necessary amount of livelihood. They shortly would run into poverty and a need. Thus the emancipation would not give them anything having real value and would worsen their material well being seriously.

It was amazing, that it was possible to hear, as even slaves expressed these sights. To resist to such judgements, many liberals considered that it would be better to represent (and even in the exaggerated kind) unusual cases of cruel treatment as the general rule. These extremes were not a rule at all. There were, certainly, separate examples of the bad reference, and that fact, that such cases existed, were the additional basis for the destroying this system. As a rule, however, the owners' attitude to their slaves was human and soft.

Some people were recommend to destroy compulsory dependence from the side of universal humane grounds. They did not know what to answer when they were said that preservation of this system was as well in interests of slaves and serfs. There is only one reason for against this argument in protection of slavery which can deny and really denied all others, - namely, that free work incomparably more productive, than slavish. The slave is not interested in trying very much. He works equally so much and so assiduously as far as it is necessary to avoid punishment for an outstanding minimum of job. On the other hand, the free worker knows that the greater result he achieves, the more to him will be paid. He strains all his forces to increase the income.

One more reason against slavery is that it breaks the natural right or the natural law. The theory of the natural right is base on recognition of all the people to be equal (by nature) and to have natural passions, aspiration, mind.

Nobody can be the slave. But for Libertarians, whenever someone's labor is stolen by force, it is slavery Thus, black slavery, being forced to spend time filling out government forms, or to pay taxes from the earnings of your labor, are different in degree, but not in principle. The principle of slavery is that someone else owns your body, and therefore what you produce with the labor of your body. Partial slavery may not be as bad as total slavery, but it is still slavery, and it is still immoral. Libertarians are against slavery in any form.

One axiomatic truth - that the most important thing for the individual, is his life without which there will be nothing. Ability to argue, to study on the mistakes and to collect experiences - that what distinguishes the person from other forms of a life. A person should use mind, as he does not have instincts, which can lead him through the life in order to survive and have an opportunity to study.

For the person the life has another value, than for example for an animal. A human life not simply a biological existence. The person lives as the self-directed being who has the purpose in the life.

Imagine that a person will put in to "four walls", food will given out to him, and he will provided with everything. In such case, his life will not be self-sufficient. He certainly will not know neither such concepts as famine, fear, suffering, (I assert it even with full confidence) nor such feelings, as pleasure, love, happiness, pride, etc. He would be deprived human identity. It would be possible to say that he does not live, but only exists.

The life without freedom is senseless.

The same with the slavery. No one can be the slave of other person or system in any form. So, if you are free you can express bravely the opinion, you can use the work for to making something you need and to use it purpose. Only you have the right to solve, what is good for you, and what is bad.