Philosophical Definition of Freedom as Opportunity Sets

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Date

2018-08-27

Authors

Tsarev, Denis

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Volume Title

Publisher

University of Guelph

Abstract

This work addresses the problem of the ambiguity and porousness of most of the traditional definitions of freedom, a concern that was raised most notably by Isaiah Berlin. The solution suggested in this work is that the concept of opportunity sets, which has been extensively discussed by economists, can be used as a philosophical definition of freedom. Under this definition, the concept of freedom is significantly more precise and less vulnerable to misinterpretation than most of the existing traditional definitions. Most importantly, freedom defined as opportunity sets can be measured and be proven to have value, in particular non-specific instrumental value.

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Keywords

freedom, opportunity sets

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