- 2073 Bhadra · 4 marks
Individual freedom and societal goals
Short answer
Individual freedom is balanced with societal goals through responsible exercise of rights, adherence to laws, and limiting actions that harm public welfare. Engineers follow safety codes to protect community while freedom drives innovation. Rights come with duties, and freedom is limited for common good.
Explain how individual freedom balances societal goals.
Individual freedom is the right of a person to think, choose and act as he wishes. Societal goals are the common aims of the whole group, such as peace, security, equality, welfare and development. Both are necessary and must be balanced.
How freedom balances societal goals
- Freedom with responsibility: a person's freedom ends where another's begins; laws and norms keep freedom from harming others (e.g. free speech but no defamation).
- Rights and duties go together: constitution gives fundamental rights (speech, movement, property, profession) but also requires obeying law, paying tax and respecting others.
- Freedom drives social progress: free thinking, creativity and enterprise of individuals produce inventions, jobs and growth that achieve societal goals.
- Society limits freedom for common good: building codes, environmental rules and safety standards restrict individual choice to protect public.
- Democratic mechanisms: elections, courts and free media let individuals influence society goals peacefully.
- Collective needs vs personal gain: engineers may want profit but must follow safety and ethics, so that personal interest does not damage public interest.
Example
A builder is free to construct a house on own land, but must follow the National Building Code and set-back rules so that neighbours and the community are safe.
A healthy society gives maximum freedom consistent with equal freedom and welfare of all.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)