Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry, and Hope

by Sarah Bakewell

If the state imposes moral principles by diktat, it obstructs their natural development. Thus, in effect, a state that enforces a particular belief is denying people the right to be fully human. So Humboldt advises the state to limit itself, at least where matters of individual humanity and morality are concerned. People should be able to explore these things in their own way—with one proviso, however. If their actions lead them to encroach on the development or well-being of others (say, through violent or destructive behavior), then the state should intervene to stop them. Humboldt thus asserts the key principle of political liberalism. The government is not there to tell people whom to marry, or what to believe or say, or how to worship, but mainly to make sure their choices do not harm others. We do not need a grand moral vision from our state; we need it to provide the underlying conditions for a decent life, and for our freedom.