Arbitrium and potestas in Ancient Rome: on Quentin Skinner's liberty as independence

Journal article

This paper engages with the contributions of ancient Roman sources, as reconstructed by Quentin Skinner, to the development of the idea of liberty as independence. Focusing on the notion of liberty as a status of non-subjection to the arbitrary power of any other person or institution, the paper concentrates mainly on two points: first, it examines the Roman understanding of arbitrium, which, contrary to the early modern understanding, emphasises the role of rational choice constrained by virtue and moral conformity to prevailing norms. Second, it considers the conceptual implications of the Roman juridical understanding of liberty, which having dominium rather than potestas as its definitional antonym, was conceived as self-ownership and realised only in the public sphere. A closer investigation of how the Romans elaborated and discussed these ideas may help clarify what they meant by liberty and, in turn, enable us to cast in sharper relief the use that later thinkers made of them.

Authors: Arena, V

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Journal: History of European Ideas
• Publication date: 2025-12-08
• Acceptance date: 2025-07-04
• DOI: 10.1080/01916599.2025.2584863
• EISSN: 1873-541X
• ISSN: 0191-6599
• Language: English
• Keywords: Roman liberty; Roman Republic; arbitrium; dominium; potestas