Mid-Term practice (13)

-----America, land of Liberty and Freedom. Something that all people of the world see when they look at us, and due to this "city on a hill" status, we defend this right whenever necessary. We have survived so long with liberty as our main governing attribute, but what if this founding principle of our nation was being attacked? This attack on liberty is widespread and constant, while being directed from the place we would least expect it, ourselves. We are in constant need of things to keep alive, government being one of them. According to Thomas Hobbes, Necessity and Liberty coincide, and therefore are inseparable. Fear and Liberty are also consistent, since the fear of our laws keeps us in check. The way I see it, Necessity drives Liberty, but in the process takes from it.

-----Liberty cannot exist without Necessity, and therefore, Fear. As human beings we need things to stay alive. By being alive, we create liberty for ourselves to do whatever we please, but in order to maintain it, we must satisfy our needs. Needs such as protection, secure food sources, and shelter are never assured to us if we have pure liberty, and so we must create a government to protect and supply these needs. The government must create laws to hold these needs in place, but in making laws, they are restricting liberty. Since we are the ones to set up and folow the government, we are the main culprits of liberty supression. Hobbes saw this problem and adresses it in his writing.

-----Hobbes realized that Liberty is held by Necessity. Hobbes realized the pattern of Liberty-Necessity-Government-Liberty. This section of his writings tells us of how he figured this out, “Fear [sic], and Liberty are consistent . . . . And generally all actions which men do [sic] in Common-wealths, for fear [sic] of the law, are actions, which the doers had liberty to omit […]. Liberty and Necessity are Consistent [. . .]. [B]ecause they proceed from their will, proceed from liberty; and yet, because every act of man’s [sic] will, and every desire, and inclination proceeds [sic] from some cause, and that from another cause, in a continual [sic] chain [sic], (whose first link in the hand of God the first of all causes,) they proceed from necessity” (Thomas Hobbes). His first idea of Fear+Liberty is in the environment of a government, where the liberty to do anything is suppressed by the laws and the fear of the government. This shows the third phase of the repression cycle. The second part shows the remaining two parts of the repression cycle, Liberty requires Necessity, which requires Liberty to preform. Together, Hobbes was displaying the message that Liberty is fed by Necessity and is also needed to maintain ones Necessity. Liberty cannot do this alone though, and so the law must be introduced to ensure and protect the needs of the person. The cost of this cycle is repressed Liberty due to fear of the government's laws, like what was stated in the first half of Hobbes writing. With the knowledge that Hobbes knew of this repression cycle, one can deduce that the cycle has basis to it.

-----The repression cycle fully adresses the issue of repressed liberties, like in America. We must satisfy our needs to keep our liberty. In order to protect these needs, and therefore the existance of liberty, we must make a government to protect the needs. The government must become successful by restricting our liberties with laws which is the only way to protect and ensure the needs that supply our liberty. Following this cycle, you see that the result is repressed liberties due to the supporting of actions that protected our neccesity, which we were doing to keep our liberty in the first place. In the long-run, you will never be able to have pure liberty your whole life, because either you won't be able to protect your needs, or you'll protect your needs, but respress your liberties.

-----As Americans, we will always protect our Liberty. Unforunately, in order to do so, we must give some of that which we are protecting. Our own Neccesity dictates a sacrifice of these pieces of our liberties, and in turn allows us to keep what we have left as our new liberty. This repression cycle is the only way to ensure our liberty, and our lives. Without it, liberty would be dying because of dying neccesities. With it, the fear of the tool which is put in place for protection, prevents our full Liberty. As Hobbes said, Liberty+Fear, Liberty+Neccesity.