Right to Privacy in Liberal Philosophy of the Modern Era

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of the right to privacy, which was first themed in the philosophy of the modern era which raised the issues of human rights and freedoms, private property, the nature of relations between an individual, society and the state which have not lost their relevance in our time. The study is based on an integrated approach which includes logical, hermeneutic and comparative methods. We show how the right to privacy is substantiated in liberal theories starting from T. Hobbes, who believed that in exchange for protection the individual should transfer his rights and freedoms to the state. However, at the same time he remains a certain area where the state does not intervene, namely faith and personal beliefs. According to the theory of J. Locke, inalienable human rights include the right to life, liberty, and property which, as a result of labor, turns from the general into the private. The state is needed in order to protect the individual and his property from illegal encroachments. In the philosophical concept of I. Kant, the individual has dignity, because it represents all of humanity. A man, a master to himself, has the ability to make decisions independently and bear responsibility for them. According to J. Mill, a person can independently choose a lifestyle, since he knows better than others what is good for him and is not obliged to give an account of his actions to others. The study concludes that liberalism is a philosophical basis for the justification of the right to privacy, which includes the right to autonomy of the individual, private property and protection from state interference, if the actions of the individual do no harm to anyone.

Keywords

• liberal philosophy
• privacy
• publicity
• t. hobbes
• j. locke