Social and Political Life - III

The term ‘liberty’ means the absence of restraints on the activities of individuals, and at the same time, providing opportunities for the development of individual personalities.

Liberty, as elaborated in the Preamble, is very essential for the successful functioning of the Indian democratic system. However, liberty does not mean license to do what one likes and has to be enjoyed within the limitations mentioned in the Constitution itself.

In brief, the liberty conceived by the Preamble or fundamental rights is not absolute but qualified. Hence in the above question the most appropriate definition of liberty is to provide opportunity to develop oneself fully.

Source: NCERT: Class 11 Political Theory

The term ‘liberty’ means the absence of restraints on the activities of individuals, and at the same time, providing opportunities for the development of individual personalities.

Liberty, as elaborated in the Preamble, is very essential for the successful functioning of the Indian democratic system. However, liberty does not mean license to do what one likes and has to be enjoyed within the limitations mentioned in the Constitution itself.

In brief, the liberty conceived by the Preamble or fundamental rights is not absolute but qualified. Hence in the above question the most appropriate definition of liberty is to provide opportunity to develop oneself fully.

Source: NCERT: Class 11 Political Theory

The term ‘liberty’ means the absence of restraints on the activities of individuals, and at the same time, providing opportunities for the development of individual personalities.

Liberty, as elaborated in the Preamble, is very essential for the successful functioning of the Indian democratic system. However, liberty does not mean license to do what one likes and has to be enjoyed within the limitations mentioned in the Constitution itself.

In brief, the liberty conceived by the Preamble or fundamental rights is not absolute but qualified. Hence in the above question the most appropriate definition of liberty is to provide opportunity to develop oneself fully.

Source: NCERT: Class 11 Political Theory

Committed judiciary i.e. a judiciary committed to the policies of the government. Such judiciary will never go against the government's policies. Therefore, will not be able to protect the liberty. So, option (a) is not correct.

Centralization of power refers to a setup in which the decision-making powers are concentrated in a few leaders at the top of the organizational structure. Decisions are made at the top and communicated to lower-level for implementation. This leads to authoritarian tendencies, impacting the liberty. So, option (b) is also not correct.

Elected government is representative of the people. It is expected to ensure liberty. This is not the best safeguard to ensure liberty.

Separation of power (executive, legislature and judiciary) checks the abuse of power by other organs. So, this helps in checking the authoritarian tendencies. This is the best safeguard to safeguard liberty. So, option (d) is the correct answer.

Source: NCERT

Social capital is a sociological concept that refers to the intangible relational assets that emerge from social interactions. These assets are generated through give and take and activate the norm of reciprocity, creating social obligations that connect and bind people and groups. The more social capital is used, the greater the benefits.

The concept of social capital is composed of three distinct but interrelated structural, emotional and behavioral components. They are, respectively:

• Networks
• Trust
• Collaborative cultural norms

In every society, some people have a greater share of valued resources – money, property, education, health, and power – than others. These social resources can be divided into three forms of capital:

1. Economic capital in the form of material assets and income;
2. Cultural capital such as educational qualifications and status;
3. Social capital in the form of networks of contacts and social associations (Bourdieu 1986).

Often, these three forms of capital overlap and one can be converted into the other. For example, a person from a well-off family (economic capital) can afford expensive higher education, and so can acquire cultural or educational capital. Someone with influential relatives and friends (social capital) may – through access to good advice, recommendations or information – manage to get a well-paid job.

Source: NCERT: Class XII Sociology Chapter – Patterns of Social Inequality and Exclusion