What is Positive: Definition and 983 Discussions

Positive liberty is the possession of the capacity to act upon one's free will, as opposed to negative liberty, which is freedom from external restraint on one's actions. A concept of positive liberty may also include freedom from internal constraints.The concepts of structure and agency are central to the concept of positive liberty because in order to be free, a person should be free from inhibitions of the social structure in carrying out their free will. Structurally, classism, sexism, ageism, ableism and racism can inhibit a person's freedom. As positive liberty is primarily concerned with the possession of sociological agency, it is enhanced by the ability of citizens to participate in government and have their voices, interests, and concerns recognized and acted upon.
Isaiah Berlin's essay "Two Concepts of Liberty" (1958) is typically acknowledged as the first to explicitly draw the distinction between positive and negative liberty.

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  1. X

    Is binding energy positive or negative?

    Hey Everyone, This is a quick question.. is binding energy positive or negative? I'm pretty confused now, because in some places the definition was: The energy released when the nucleus of an atom is formed by combining neutrons and protons. And in other places: the energy required to...
  2. T

    A positive definite Hermitian Form

    In this question I let "x1t , x2t, x3t " be the conjugate of x1, x2, x3 The hermitian form Hc(x) = c*x1t*x1 + 2*x2t*x2 - i*x1t*x2 + i*x2t*x1 + x1t*x3 + x3t*x1 +i*x2t*x3 - i*x3t*x2 (sorry, it`s a bit messy) For which value of c is Hc ositive definite? I have tried to find the...
  3. K

    Reciprocal Series of Positive Integer Factors: Convergence & Sum

    The terms of this series are reciprocals of positive integers whose only prime factors are 2s and 3s: 1+1/2+1/3+1/4+1/6+1/8+1/9+1/12+... Show that this series converges and find its sum. this is my first time writing here. i hope someone can help me with this question.
  4. O

    How many pairs of positive integer a, b

    How many pairs of positive integer a, b are such that a^2 + b^2 = 121?
  5. D

    Find all positive integers c such that it is possible to write c = a/b + b/a

    Find all positive integers c such that it is possible to write c = a/b + b/a with positive integers a and b. Please help me :smile:
  6. N

    A Drunkard's Walk: Proving Positive Average Displacement

    There's an old problem concerning an old drunken person who is so sloshed he can't walk properly: he's got a 50/50 chance of stepping a metre forwards; otherwise he moves a metre backwards. It can be shown that he winds up where he started infinitely many times and that his average displacement...
  7. B

    Mag. component of positive charges

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  8. G

    Positive polynomial in two real variables

    Does every positive polynomial in two real variables attain its lower bound in the plane? :yuck:
  9. M

    Should positive and negative charge be termed opposites?

    Should positive and negative charge be termed opposites? Maybe they are merely complimentary and this is why they seek each other and are not opposites?
  10. Z

    Max Value of f(x) for Positive x

    For the function f(x) = 3sin bx + d where b and d are positive constants, determine an expression for the smallest positive value of x that produces the maximum value of f(x). :confused:
  11. 1

    How many positive integers are not divisble by 12 or 15?

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  12. M

    News Does self interest negate the positive effects of a country's actions?

    Does self interest negate the positive effects of a country's actions? The USA is constantly claimed to be selfish, despite the result of 'selfish' acts being HIGHLY positive for others (The marshall plan is a great example). Currently, it could be argued that we would like to develop oil...
  13. K

    Why are protons positive. Why are electrons negative? Why do they attract?

    Despite studying chemistry I've never actually been given this information, any explanations/theories that could possibly explain why?
  14. P

    Why Do My Outlets Have a Positive, Negative, and Ground?

    Just curios. Why do the electrical outlets in my home have a positive, negative, and a ground? With circuits that I am familiar with, if you have a positive and a negative connected, there is no need for a ground. Does anyone have an explanation? Pan
  15. W

    Is 0 is an even and positive number?

    A friend of mine told me that (by his teacher) 0 is an even and positive number, how can it be?
  16. S

    Twin positive voltage senser HELP

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  17. P

    Positive terminal of a battery is at a higher potential

    What does it mean when it's said that the positive terminal of a battery is at a higher potential than the negative end? How does electric potential (voltage) relate to electric current/electric fields?
  18. D

    Attraction between positive charge and negative charge

    Opposite charge always attract and same charge repel each other. Will proton and electron crash on each other? What will happen if they do so?
  19. Vadim Matveev

    Positive solving Zeno’s Achilles paradox?

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  20. SDNess

    Positive aspects of using Linux?

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  21. C

    Explaining Edwin Gray & Stefan Hartmann's Circuit Layout

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  22. P

    Find the 9 Values of a Set of Positive Integers

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  23. J

    Does |A| = k When a is a Complex Number and k is a Positive Integer?

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  24. lavalamp

    Does a photon lose potential energy and momentum when approaching a mass?

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  25. S

    Buoyancy and Positive Lift

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  26. Ivan Seeking

    John Edwards: An overall positive or negative?

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  27. G

    Sexual Energy & Positive Endeavours: My Reflections

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  28. H

    Making a metal permanently positive and permanently negative

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  29. P

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  30. T

    98.75% positive = negative? DNA paternity testing

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  31. S

    Two positive point charges Q are held on the x-axis at x = a and at x = -a

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  32. R

    Positive and negative charges(mainly relating to copy machines)

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  33. C

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    If matter is positive energy,and spacetime is charged with positive energy from the matters energy that collapsed into a black hole,gravity would attract energy from spacetime.matter could use this energy to produce electromagnetic field.this would also mean that gravity is not a force that acts...
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