On the record
Freedom is in an important degree a matter of law; but in a degree not less important it is a matter, also, of the mores of the society outside the sphere within which law can operate.
Said by
Harold J. Laski
Source
gutenberg.orgHarold J. Laski: “Freedom is in an important degree a matter of law; but in a degree not less important it is a matter, also, of the mores…”
Editor's note · Context
Laski discusses the dual nature of freedom, highlighting the roles of law and societal norms.
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More from Harold J. Laski
The essence of the persecuting position is always that the persecutor has hold of truth and that he would betray its service by allowing it to be questioned.
He is able, accordingly, to indulge in the twofold luxury not only of preserving his own authority, but also of assisting the persons attacked to enter, if they so choose, the way of truth.
The only way to deal with novelty is to understand it, and the only way to deal with grievance is to seek a remedy for the complaint it embodies.
Each age makes some idol in its own image and sacrifices upon its altar the freedom of those who refuse it worship.
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