 At the same time, Hook’s interpretation of a free and democratic society was consistent with the recognition that such a society could set limits to freedom of expression. Conceptually, this recognition of the limits of freedom related to pragmatic pluralism. Its philosophical justification rested on the belief that no single value was absolute and that every value was justified only as a result of a process of mediation, compromise, or balance with other values. Hook appreciated the pluralistic character of liberty as recognized in the later terminology of John Austin, according to which the “correlative opposites” of the term “liberty” are not only such terms as “slavery,” “repression” and “coercion,” but also such terms as “security,” “order,” “self-restraint” and “law.” The significance of this recognition of the duality of opposites of the concept of liberty is that it points to different contexts in the application of liberty. When “liberty” is opposed to “slavery” or “tyranny,” the realization of liberty involves the abolition of slavery or tyranny. When “liberty” is opposed to “security” or “order,” the realization of liberty involves a balance of values between liberty and security or order.