what is freedom?

Question

my teacher asked us to write a 3 minute essay on freedom...and when i started to think about it...i asked myself "Do we really have freedom?"

Answer 1

Real Freedom is the ability to do what you want, when you want how you want, We are all, or most of us free or have some sort of freedom, freedom can have different meanings for different people. The right to work and study can be freedom for some, practicing religion is freedom to others, but real freedom is just far off dream that can never materialize as long as there is laws, politicians, governments and dictators. Do we have "freedom"?, in a sense yes, in reality no. So enjoy the freedom you have, as you are much more fortunate with what you have, than millions others that don't even have that. Enjoy your day and your "freedom" while it last. Cheers

Answer 2

Freedom is that thing that people consider once they have food, shelter, meaningful work and a decent community in which to rasie their children.

Freedom can be many things. In America we enjoy freedom from religious oppression, freedom from government tyranny, freedom from many diseases that plague other parts of the world, freedom from hunger (for most of us).

We enjoy the freedom to come and go as we please within our nation and can leave and return. People in North Korea for example do not have such freedom.

Freedom can often be difficult to pin down, because we speak of it so often, but so rarely put into tangible terms what freedom is.

That is of course a blessing...we have so much freedom that we can't describe it in only a few words.

As to whether or not we really have it...yes we do. I have been in East Germany once many years ago and I can say to you that yes we do have freedom.

Answer 3

Freedom is the absense of coersion: people can't force other people to do anything. Almost nobody wants a system of 100% freedom: I think I've got a right to force you to stop punching me in the face, stop you from stealing from me, etc.

But some people want to further restrict freedom: stop people from doing things that are "offensive" (swearing in front of old ladies, taking the wrong kind of drugs, etc.), force people to pay for stuff they want (taxes to pay for parks, farm subsidies, etc.) So they set up a government and pass laws that let the government force people to do/not do things. So depending on where you live, you have some freedom, but not 100%. And in some places (North Korea, etc.) it's pretty close to 0%.

Answer 4

How much time to you have to write this essay? I strongly recommend a speech by Judge Learned Hand which was transcribed for his book "The Spirit of Liberty." That book was published in the 1950's. If you can find that book then you'll have one of the most eloquent speeches ever made about the concept of "liberty."

Answer 5

what grade are you in? high school, college..?

I would talk about liberty. consider this:

liberty for ancient democracies meant giving up personal freedoms for the good of all society; for modern democracies (which are more republics actually) consider private liberties to be foundational.

in America, liberty means the right to spend our time in which ever way we wish as long as no one else is harmed. in ancient athens, this wasnt neccessarily the case.

example: we choose our religion, if we choose any at all; ancients respected the state gods in order to preserve what was percieved as a divine covenant.

some things to consider.

Answer 6

Freedom is that thing that people consider once they have food, shelter, meaningful work and a decent community in which to rasie their children.

Answer 7

Liberty

Answer 8

freedom of what.depends what you are talking about,and it depends on your ideas of freedom.