ABSTRACT
This chapter describes Berlin’s value pluralism with the objective of establishing how it affects the nature of the positive/negative freedom distinction. The positioning of value at the heart of freedom leads to an enlightening paradox. Positive freedom, seen as engagement with value, becomes the core, the mainstay, concept of freedom. Negative freedom, as the freedom of the value pluralist, becomes a noble but tough moral call. The discussion of value pluralism brings the theme of morality to the heart of Berlin’s discussion of freedom and thus opens a prominent place for positive freedom in the context of Berlin’s own ideas. The failure to uphold the internal freedom boundary for the sake of protecting negative freedom could result in loss of negative freedom, in terms of significant loss of personal well-being.
