Editing Politics (section)

=== Freedom ===
{{main|Political freedom}}
Political freedom (also known as '''political liberty''' or '''autonomy''') is a central [[concept]] in political thought and one of the most important features of [[Democracy|democratic]] societies. [[Negative liberty]] has been described as freedom from oppression or coercion and unreasonable external constraints on action, often enacted through [[civil and political rights]], while [[positive liberty]] is the absence of disabling conditions for an individual and the fulfillment of enabling conditions, e.g. economic compulsion, in a society. This [[capability approach]] to freedom requires [[economic, social and cultural rights]] in order to be realized.

==== Authoritarianism and libertarianism ====
[[Authoritarianism]] and [[civil libertarianism|libertarianism]] disagree the amount of individual [[Freedom (political)|freedom]] each person possesses in that society relative to the state. One author describes authoritarian political systems as those where "individual [[rights]] and goals are subjugated to group goals, expectations and conformities",<ref>{{harvnb|Kemmelmeier|Burnstein|Krumov|Genkova|Kanagawa|Hirshberg|Erb|Wieczorkowska|Noels|2003|pp=304–322}}</ref> while libertarians generally oppose the [[Sovereign state|state]] and hold the [[individual]] as sovereign. In their purest form, libertarians are [[anarchism|anarchists]],<ref>{{cite web |title=An Anarchist FAQ: 150 years of Libertarian |url=http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/150-years-of-libertarian |website=Anarchists Writers |date=April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925141951/http://anarchism.pageabode.com/afaq/150-years-of-libertarian |archive-date=25 September 2018 |access-date=25 September 2018}}</ref> who argue for the total abolition of the state, of [[political parties]] and of [[Political organisation|other political entities]], while the purest authoritarians are, by definition, [[totalitarianism|totalitarians]] who support state control over all aspects of society.<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|totalitarian|access-date=25 September 2018}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20180925142146/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/totalitarian?s=t Archived] from the original on 25 September 2018.</ref>

For instance, [[classical liberalism]] (also known as ''[[laissez-faire]] liberalism'')<ref name="Adams">Adams, Ian. 2001. ''Political Ideology Today''. Manchester: [[Manchester University Press]]. p. 20.</ref> is a doctrine stressing individual freedom and [[limited government]]. This includes the importance of human rationality, individual [[property rights]], [[free market]]s, [[natural rights]], the protection of [[civil liberties]], constitutional limitation of government, and individual freedom from restraint as exemplified in the writings of [[John Locke]], [[Adam Smith]], [[David Hume]], [[David Ricardo]], [[Voltaire]], [[Montesquieu]] and others. According to the libertarian [[Institute for Humane Studies]], "the libertarian, or 'classical liberal', perspective is that individual well-being, prosperity, and social harmony are fostered by 'as much liberty as possible' and 'as little government as necessary'."<ref>IHS. 2019. "[http://www.theihs.org/about/id.1084/default.asp What Is Libertarian?]." ''Institute for Humane Studies''. [[George Mason University]]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324231417/http://www.theihs.org/about/id.1084/default.asp|date=24 March 2007}}</ref> For anarchist political philosopher [[L. Susan Brown]] (1993), "liberalism and [[anarchism]] are two political philosophies that are fundamentally concerned with individual [[Freedom of will|freedom]] yet differ from one another in very distinct ways. Anarchism shares with liberalism a radical commitment to individual freedom while rejecting liberalism's competitive property relations."<ref name="ReferenceA">[[L. Susan Brown|Brown, L. Susan]]. 1993. ''[[The Politics of Individualism: Liberalism, Liberal Feminism, and Anarchism]]''. [[Black Rose Books]].</ref>