Notions of Liberty: Universalism and Сultural Particularity

Abstract

The author outlines the problem of historical explications of the notion of liberty. On one hand, the historical analysis leads to semantic pluralism and pluralism of contextualization of the notion of liberty. Liberty as the universal norm and anthropological constant is the reaction to these pluralisms. On the other hand, the thesis on the normative universalism of liberty remains a postulate, if it does not rely on a social consensus on the central value of liberty. The analysis of these forms of consensus is described as a “hermeneutics of liberty”. Its task is to show the formation of the conceptual differences in the notion of liberty in the different cultural contexts. Another task is to show the intersection in the public discussion, where the consensus on the main aspects of liberty emerges.