Ultimately, Sen’s dictum scales down to the individual. Instead of seeking plaudits, assess whether your actions widen someone’s horizon—through clearer information, fewer arbitrary steps, or options that respect different needs. As with Berlin’s distinction between negative and positive liberty in Two Concepts of Liberty (1958), the aim is both to remove unjust barriers and to build enabling conditions. When dilemmas arise, choose the path that increases another person’s real options. Applause may follow—or not—but freedom created is progress either way. [...]
