Question I'm a person living in a muslim country. There are lots of problems/discussions between religious and non-religious people about the limits of freedom. For example, some religious people say that they feel offended when someone nearby drinks a alcoholic drink. On the other hand the non-religious people say that it is their freedom to drink alcoholic drinks. There are many other cases of this type, that is, one say that they get offended (generally the religious ones) and the other say that it is their freedom to do such and such. My question is how should we think about such issues? Are there general principles about limits of freedom that we can use to solve such cases? Also, can you suggest introductory reading material on this issue? Thank you. Ahmet

Accepted:
September 24, 2008

Comments

This is a terribly and increasingly important issue, isn't it. Luckily, there has been quite a lot of work done on the topic. Two general principles to consider are these: (1) With regard to personal conduct like food, drink, sex, ornament, dress, etc., one should be at liberty to do whatever he or she pleases so long as no one else is harmed by the conduct; and (2) liberty should be maximized. One of the sticky bits here is the notion of "harm." Isn't being offended a kind of "harm"? Yes, I think it can be, but things get complicated here. In some cases, the concept of "offense" is misused. It may be in the case you describe. Can one be properly said to be offended by conduct that is not directed at one or a group to which one belongs? One can be upset, one can be disgusted, one can be outraged, but I'm not sure that offense is the right concept to use in the case you describe. It's also unclear why even if one can be said to be offended by conduct not directed at oneself or a group to which one belongs that drinking alcoholic beverages should be regarded as counting as offensive. Aside from the fact that many Muslims around the world find the practice to be consistent with Islam, shouldn't the faithful instead of offense feel pity or sadness for those who consume alcoholic beverages? Should Christians be offended that Muslims don't take communion or use the Qu'ran in worship? No. There's nothing, so far as I can see, offensive in people not practicing one's religion or in practicing no religion at all. Is there harm of another sort? For example, does the practice of other religions or refusing to practice any religion harm the adherents of one's religion by making it easier for that religion to fade and go extinct? Does an atheist's drinking alcohol in public encourage non-drinking Muslims to abandon or weaken their faith? Does blasphemy and anti-religious discourse pose a threat to the faith? I think it might. But I don't think that can be regarded as a harm to an individual believer. It's not a harm to change someone's mind about an issue, and it's not a harm for one religion to go out of favor or for all religions to come to be regarded as nonsense--no more so than it is a harm to the losing candidate in an election that he or she loses. In the contest of ideas and practices among ideas and practices in a free society, some will prevail and persist; others will go extinct and cease to exist. If the religious wish their beliefs and practices to persist, they should try to persuade others to adhere to them. They should not, however, use force or coercion to prevent those who disagree from acting otherwise. And they should accept the possibility that even present adherents to the religion will change their minds, join other religions, or abandon religion altogether. Accepting these possibilities is a precondition for life in a fee society. And accepting these possibilities makes for a much happier society, too.