Texts on British Politics
| Published date | 01 June 1969 |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1467-9248.1969.tb00639.x |
| Date | 01 June 1969 |
| Author | K. Tite |
| Subject Matter | Article |
NOTES AND REVIEW ARTICLES
223
‘Freedom of choice’ is used in at least three different senses. It sometimes refers to the number
of alternatives between which a person may choose. Thus we may say that there is little
or
plenty
of
freedom of choice at a shop. It is also used to indicate that an agent’s choice was not
itself wholly determined by antecedent causes, by factors beyond his control. Thirdly, it is used
to denote the absence of certain forms of human intervention, such
as
threats
or
impediments
or
physical force. It was in this sense that
I
said that successful coercion limits
or
destroys freedom
of choice. But at one place in his argument Price appears to think that
I
was using ‘freedom of
choice’ in the
first
sense,
for
he writes: ‘what, in Crespigny’s opinion, would be a sufficient
reduction of the number of courses open that would compel one to say that the choice was not
free?
Finally, Price complains that
I
unduly narrow the conccpt of coercion when
I
say that
it
involves ‘the attempt.. .to limit
or
to destroy freedom
of
choice’. He distinguishes between
freedom
of
choice and freedom of action and argues that some forms of coercion-physical
coercion, for example-are more concerned with limiting
or
destroying freedom of
action
than
freedom of
choice.
But I would not want to accept this distinction. Price thinks that ‘choosing to
act and acting are two different things,’ and presumably believes that choices are mental acts
or
mental events which are temporally prior
to
actions. For obvious reasons, however,
I
prefer the
view that choices are overt actions performed in a context of alternatives and in circumstances
where the performing agent has preferences amongst these alternatives. To choose
x
is to do
x
rather than
y.
It
is true, of course, that we sometimes speak
of
choosing in advance, but in these
contexts it would be less misleading
if
we spoke of decisions rather than choices.
TEXTS
ON
BRITISH
POLITICS’
K.
TITE
Magdalcn College, Oxford
THE
timely textbooks
by
Messrs. Punnett and Stacey are both welcome, but the reviewer should
assist (though not encourage) students compelled
to
choose. Ms. Punnett covers more ground in
more constant focus, and includes local government, nationalized industries, and an outline of
I
BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS.
By
R.
M.
PUNNETT.
(Heinemann.
1968.
THE GOVERNMENT OF MODERN BRITAIN.
By
FRANK
STACEY.
(O.U.P.
1968.
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS IN GREAT BRITAIN.
By
S.
A.
WALKLAND.
(George Allen
THE BRITISH CABINET.
By
JOHN P. MACKINTOSH.
(Methuen,
2nd ed. 1968. University
BRITISH CABINET GOVERNMENT.
By
KARL LOEWENSTEIN.
(0.
U.P.,
New
York.
1967.
THE POWER OF THE PRIME MINISTER.
By
HUMPHRY BERKELEY.
(George Allen
&
THE REFORM OF PARLIAMENT.
By
BERNARD
CRICK.
(Weidenfeld
&
Nicolson,
2nd ed.
THE LIFE
OF
POLITICS.
By
HENRY FAIRLIE.
(Methuen.
1968. Pp. 271. 36s.)
Pp. xii+488. 45s.)
Pp. xiif419. 45s.)
&
Unwin.
1968. Pp. 109. 25s.)
Paperback. Pp. xvf651. 25s.)
Paperback. Pp. xvS207. N.P.)
Unwin.
1968. Pp. 128. 24s.)
1968. Paperback. Pp. xx+320.
18s.)
CMSIs
IN
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
By
THOMAS BALOCH, ROGER OPIE UndDUDLEY SEERS;
edited
by
HUGH
THOMAS.
(Anthony Blond.
1968. Pp. 139. 30s.)
and
ROBERT
E. DOWSE.
(University of London Press.
1968. Pp. 284.
25s.)
(George Allen
&
Unwin.
1967. Pp. 299. 37s. 6d.)
READINGS ON BRITISH POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT.
Ediredby
ROBERT
BENEWICK
POLITICS
AND
GOVERNMENT AT HOME AND ABROAD.
By
WILLIAM
A.
ROBSON.
ESSAYS ON REFORM, 1967.
Edited by
BERNARD
CRICK.
(O.U.P.
1967. Pp. viif222.
30s.)
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