Glossary
Negative liberty
Freedom understood as the absence of interference or coercion by others, especially by government.
Also called: freedom from, negative freedom
Negative liberty is the idea that a person is free to the extent that no one stops him from doing what he wishes. It focuses on the absence of external obstacles, such as laws, threats or force. The political philosopher Isaiah Berlin used the term in his 1958 lecture "Two Concepts of Liberty."
It is the form of freedom stressed by classical liberalism and libertarianism. The U.S. Bill of Rights is largely written in negative terms, since it limits what government may do, for example, "Congress shall make no law." On this view, government threatens liberty by interfering and should be restricted by limited government, while a lack of resources is not itself a lack of liberty.
Critics argue that the concept is too thin: someone who is poor, ill or uneducated may be formally free but unable to act, a point made by advocates of positive liberty. Defenders respond that merging freedom with ability leads to a growing role for the state, and that clarity about coercion is important. Berlin warned that positive liberty can be twisted to justify domination. In practice, most political positions combine the two concepts.
Last reviewed November 8, 2026