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Full Idea
If the citizen is deterred from seeking his personal welfare in any way he chooses which is consistent with the freedom of others, the vitality of business in general and hence also the strength of the whole are held in check.
Gist of Idea
The vitality of business needs maximum freedom (while avoiding harm to others)
Source
Immanuel Kant (Idea for a Universal History [1784], 8th)
Book Ref
Kant,Immanuel: 'Political Writings', ed/tr. Reiss,Hans [CUP 1996], p.50
A Reaction
This is a rather American view of liberalism. Kant has been praising the virtues of aggressive competition.
| 5575 | An obvious idea is a constitution based on maximum mutual freedom for citizens [Kant] |
| 21080 | Actions are right if the maxim respects universal mutual freedoms [Kant] |
| 21055 | Our aim is a constitution which combines maximum freedom with strong restraint [Kant] |
| 21056 | The vitality of business needs maximum freedom (while avoiding harm to others) [Kant] |
| 22797 | In modern states an individual's actions should be their choice [Hegel] |
| 7217 | The main argument for freedom is that interference with it is usually misguided [Mill] |
| 18662 | Liberal freedom is the right to be separate, and ignores the union of man with man [Marx] |
| 23051 | Equality also implies liberty, because equality must be of opportunity as well as possessions [Green,TH] |
| 23869 | In the least evil societies people can think, control community life, and be autonomous [Weil] |
| 18632 | Liberalism tends to give priority to basic liberties [Kymlicka] |
| 23084 | Are egalitarians too coercive, or not egalitarian enough, or lax over morality? [Kekes] |
| 21049 | Liberal freedom was a response to assigned destinies like caste and class [Sandel] |
| 22596 | No government, or the whole nation, can control an individual beyond legitimate scope [Dunt] |