ABSTRACT
The liberal always has an uncomfortable time as soon as he addresses himself to the problem of implementing his favoured ideal of freedom. To start with there is the wellknown ‘paradox of freedom’ which points to the necessity of acceptance of the rule of law to protect individuals in spheres where their pursuit of individual interest is vulnerable to interference from other arbitrary individuals or to group pressures. The levelling constraints of law have to be accepted by all to safeguard the individual against grosser interferences with his individual interests. Second, liberals usually accept other values such as those of justice and the welfare of others. On occasions, therefore, a case can be made for scaling down claims deriving from freedom because of considerations falling under these other principles. Third, individuals seldom pursue their interests in isolation. They take part in activities which demand certain ground rules. When these activities become institutionalized the rules necessary for the effective pursuit and perpetuation of the activity come to be felt as oppressive in relation to the point of the activity. Protesters jib at the constraints of protestantism. Thus the liberal is constantly confronted with difficulties and dilemmas arising from various features of situations in which he has to implement his ideal.
