From Bondage To Freedom by Professor L.J.M. Cooray 28. And Institutions Of The Western Democratic Order Freedom is not an absolute concept. Freedom must be tempered by the laws necessary to preserve it. Freedom would be meaningless if any individual had the freedom to assault another.
Freedom is restricted by a complex of laws.
Freedom, it has been shown above, is tempered not only by law but by a series of values and institutions. The values and institutions of the western democratic order involve a balance between freedom and liberty on one hand and law and legal and social values and institutions which place restrictions on freedom on the other. It is a system which has gradually evolved over a long period rather than one which has been consciously created. In this sense it stands in contrast to the coercive systems in which a few attempt to mould individuals and institutions. The values and institutions of the western democratic order are under attack and the extent of freedom has gradually diminished in the last few decades.