“Negative liberty,” he said, “is the freedom from external obstacles or constraints. An individual is free in this sense if they are not physically prevented from taking action.” I was reminded for a moment of Richard, who had always seemed able to recite with exactness anything he’d ever read. “Very good,” the lecturer said. “And the second?” “Positive liberty,” another student said, “is freedom from internal constraints.” I wrote this definition in my notes, but I didn’t understand it.
