Taking Liberties

Liberties in Nature

The concept of liberty is introduced and the weak causality principle is formulated after some analysis of physical theories is carried out to motivate these steps. The principle is compatible with a version of general relativity that differs from the usual one by a reinterpretation of spacetime. Some aspects of our concept of time are elucidated. Then, the notion of freedom of living organisms...

Civil liberties and economic development

Skepticism prevails among a substantial number of economists over a possible connection between civil liberties and the level of economic activity. Until now, empirical research on economic growth has found mixed evidence on the influence of civil liberties. Disaggregation of the Freedom House Civil Liberties Index allows a fresh empirical look at the effect of human rights on long-term growth ...

Behavior therapy and civil liberties.

For the past two hundred to three hundred years, science has played a major role in the development of western culture. Societies have capitulated to the demands of "progress" and have disregarded the costs as expedients to the industrial revolution (Etzioni, 1968, p. 208). Unfortunately, the costs have mounted quietly, and perhaps because the awareness has been so long delayed, there is a stro...

Public health and civil liberties

The opinion pieces that constitute this month’s ‘Talking Point’ address the old conflict between the enforcement of public health measures and the inevitable infringements of individual rights and liberties that are the result. The task of the ‘neutral commentator’ is made difficult by the fact that the authors are not particularly at odds with each other. George Annas argues that compulsory en...

A civil liberties analysis of surrogacy arrangements.