Working Paper

Rethinking Intellectual Freedom: Beyond Negative Liberty

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Zakaria, M. (2026). Rethinking Intellectual Freedom: Beyond Negative Liberty. The Freedom of Thought Initiative. https://www.thefreedomofthought.org/publications/rethinking-intellectual-freedom

Abstract

This paper argues that prevailing accounts of intellectual freedom, framed almost entirely in negative terms, fail to capture the conditions under which minds actually become free. Drawing on classical and contemporary sources, it develops a positive account grounded in the practices and institutions of independent thinking.

Citation

Zakaria, M. (2026). Rethinking Intellectual Freedom: Beyond Negative Liberty. The Freedom of Thought Initiative Working Paper Series.

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