Freedom and Resources

A translation of https://dialoogid2.blogspot.com/2025/08/vabadus-ja-ressursid.html 

 

Freedom and Resources 

Karmo Talts 

 

Let's investigate whether a poor person has the freedom to buy things that he has too little money to buy. He does not have such freedom. Thus, the absence of external constraints may not be a sufficient condition for freedom, because the absence of resources is not included in what is usually considered an external constraint. 

Let's investigate now the freedom of a wealthy person to make purchases that he likes. In addition to the absence of external constraints, his freedom to make these purchases presupposes the economic resources with which to make these purchases. 

Let's generalize now the results of our investigation. Whatever conditions should also be met in order a individual to to be free, the fact that an individual has the resources to make choices and the fact that there are no external constraints that prevent the individual from using these resources are in any case among the necessary conditions for his freedom.