UPSC Previous Year Question | Prelims GS | 2018

Which one of the following reflects the most appropriate relationship between law and liberty?

  1. If there are more laws, there is less liberty.
  2. If there are no laws, there is no liberty.
  3. If there is liberty, laws have to be made by the people.
  4. If laws are changed too often, liberty is in danger.

Answer

Correct Answer

If there are no laws, there is no liberty.

Explanation

In liberal thought (notably John Locke), liberty is secured by law; without law there is no freedom, since laws protect individuals from arbitrary power and from each other's encroachments.

Topics: liberty and law, political theory, polity, relationship between law and liberty