Final answer:
Classical liberals define liberty primarily as negative freedom, which is the absence of external interference in one's life, focusing on individual autonomy and property rights while advocating for a laissez-faire economic system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Classical liberals define liberty primarily in terms of negative freedom, meaning the absence of external interference in an individual’s life, allowing them to act unobstructed by others. This notion of liberty is focused on protecting individuals from undue government intervention and ensuring the right to engage in voluntary transactions without coercive constraints.
Classical liberalism places a high value on individual autonomy, freedom, and property rights, and advocates for a laissez-faire economic system. English political thinker Isaiah Berlin conceptualized negative liberty as "the area within which a man can act unobstructed by others" and viewed positive liberty as an individual’s desire to be self-directed, without domination by external forces. While positive freedom, which enables individuals to pursue their goals, and economic freedom, which permits voluntary transactions, are also aspects embraced by classical liberalism, the core of their liberty definition leans towards negative freedom—freedom from external interference.