Abstract

The concept of freedom has a central role in Marx's thought. This essay aims at discussing the meaning this concept has for Marx by starting from a specific point of view: from the critique he addresses to the liberal concept of freedom, that according to him characterizes the Declarations of Rights of the French Revolution and similar strands in political thought (see in particular "The Jewish Question"). The thesis of this essay is that Marx is to be defined as a critic of the so-called liberal «negative freedom » (according to the expression used by Berin and Bobbio) and as a supporter of «positive freedom», understood as the actual power of governing one's life. The essay, moreover, maintains that the arguments presented by Marx in order to defend his point of view still are partially valid today.