Human Freedom in the US
I agree with classmate one’s argument that we all share the same American freedom. There is equal entitlement to rights and freedom to all children born in any state of the United States. The state of the economy does not compromise freedom. Freedom is a human well-being centered concept and not a definition of economic prosperity. Freedom provides everyone with choices and capabilities to work on the choices by removing the barriers (Jeffrey). Therefore, freedom offers people the option of whom they would like to be. Moreover, economic development does not enlarge human freedom.
Classmate 1 could have made the argument stronger by discussing American human development, which focuses on the human sphere opportunity and freedom. Human development disputes the notion that economic growth defines human liberties. It focuses on the real opportunities ordinary people can freely choose to pursue regardless of their financial capacity. On the American human development index, several aspects reveal that economic inequality does not define freedoms. For example, life expectancy in Chile is at par with that of the US at 78.6 years. However, Chile’s health budget is just one-tenth of that used in the United States (Jeffrey). Access to decent jobs depends on access to education.
Furthermore, the report indicates how workers’ income rapidly rose to $30,000 today, depending on individual efforts. Women who make a large number of all school enrollment also record this increase in earnings. Therefore, not only the rich can afford a decent standard of living.
However, Classmate 1 focuses on negative freedom, which is freedom from external restraint but excludes explaining positive liberties. Positive freedoms are the capacities to act on one’s will. Therefore, this would contradict the argument. Positive freedoms can limit human capabilities and choices. Moreover, Positive freedoms could be mistaken for economic inequalities where they are primarily dependent on individual free will to undertake a task