2010•Mianyang Shifan Xueyuan xuebaoRequires access
Benjamin Constant:Seeking for the Harmony of Political and Individual Liberty
Qianqian Chen
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Abstract
Benjamin Constant ( 1767-1830) ,a French thinker,holds that there are two kinds of liberty in the human history,namely,liberty of the ancients and that of the moderns. The former is an active political liberty,while the latter is a kind of individual liberty under the control of laws. There exists certain inner tension among these two kinds of liberty,but none of which can be emphasized at the expense of another. Political liberty should be based on the individual liberty,and the realization of the individual liberty should be guaranteed by the political liberty. The harmonious co-existence of political and individual liberty relies on the perfect political system of representatives.