During the age of enlightenment many philosophes had different views on the definition of liberty. In the opinion of the philosophes , Voltaire, Smith, Montesquieu and Rousseau the four ideals were almost identical. Voltaire stated, "Liberty is the life of the soul." Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated, "Liberty is obedience to the law one has laid down for oneself." Adam Smith stated, "Every man, as long as he does not violate the laws of justice, is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest in his own way..." Also, Montesquieu stated, "Liberty is the right to do whatever the laws permit." They thought that people could truly be happy in a society with liberty.
Voltaire's statement reflected his idea. His soul was full
Montesqieu's definition of liberty reflects his ideas because he dealt with obeying laws and setting laws. The basis of the United States Constution is what about his ideas.
Smith's definition of liberty greatly reflects to his ideas. He had many different ideas of law, like the law of self-interest, the law of competition, and the law of supply and demand. These all were supported on his idea of liberty, his laws were not always moral but they were not against the law and people were free to do these things without breaking the law. They pursued their own interest in their own way without breaking the law and this was what he thought liberty was.
Smith's idea was a very useful definition of liberty because it covered most areas so
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