ABSTRACT
Basic to all rational thinking about social affairs is the realization that freedom is not an end it is realistically possible to pursue. Looking next at individuals in relation to one another, it is clear that people cannot be free for the simple reason that freedoms conflict with one another. What are usually called freedoms are in fact certain privileges of citizenship which are always contingent and always liable to withdrawal. Beyond sheer bodily freedom and general citizenship privileges, other more specific privileges that make life pleasant or even worth living are also contingent on performance of certain duties. Three distinct categories of people in any reasonably large and complex society often become the foci of special concern with issues of freedom and justice. They often become objects of 'prejudice' and 'discrimination' or even a demeaning kind of patronizing condescension by members of a dominant category who tend to apply their own Procrustean cultural standards to everyone.
