What does freedom mean for people who don't want to rule, just to live their lives?

Benjamin Constant was born on October 25, 1767, in Lausanne, Switzerland. A novelist and political thinker in France, he defended individual liberty, freedom of religion and of the press, private property and the rule of law.

In a famous 1819 essay he contrasted the liberty of the ancients, sharing directly in collective power, with the liberty of the moderns, the right to a private life protected from the state. His novel Adolphe is seen by some as one of the first Romantic novels.

Why it still matters: his ideas helped shape modern liberal democracy and constitutional government.

Which freedom do you value most in your daily life?

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