The Desire for Freedom and for Limitations on Freedom
People can have the desire for freedom as well as the desire for limitations on freedom. This is because freedom and limitations on freedom are both needed to live peacefully. Absolute freedom cannot be achieved because when you take away limitations you take away freedoms. With out rules governing our society, people would be able to do what they want to each other with out a certain punishment. When you examine the advantages and disadvantages of both arguments it becomes clearer.
I believe that one of the major reasons freedom is so desirable is because many the limitations on freedom are disallowing us the right to have control over our own bodies. Controlling our bodies is the only thing that we actually have power over. A large number of the prohibited freedoms are crimes were you make your self the victim. Such as using drugs, prostitution, suicide, vagrancy, minor in possession, dodging the draft, entering the country illegally, and age limits on the purchase of pornographic materials. All of these crimes are punishable under the law. What puts these apart from most crimes is that you choose to victimize yourself (except sometimes in the case of prostitution if they are being forced to prostitute against there own will). What people choose to do to them selves, in my opinion, is the least of our worries as a country. The last thing the government should have control over is what you choose to do to yourself. As long as you are not directly harming anyone else in the process, the government should not waste their time and money on something that is so trivial in comparison to crimes involving a victim. In general, people do not agree with the government controlling...
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...ne can ever have absolute freedom. Humans desire what they can not have. There can never be absolute freedom, because with out a fear of penalty we could not live harmony. Even if there were no laws, we still would not have absolute freedom, because other citizens would inflict limitations on our freedom.
Although our government has, many limitations on freedom these restrictions make it possible for us to be civilized. We are able to be free from slavery, and prejudices. Every human on this earth has the right to their opinions, freedom from oppression and a chance to prevail over limitations. Freedom is as desirable as limitations on freedom because with out both we would be at either end of the extreme. We would live either in complete chaos or in a police state. I am not saying that our system is immaculate, but is the best we can do, given the circumstances.
The subject of freedom often is the forefront of discussion when examining any sort of politics or government. The two basic sides include those for more freedom, and those
We have the right to any freedoms because of “The Declaration of Independence”, we can be who we want to be. Everyone is unique and has varying views on everything, independence is a widely accepted and preferred that has become necessary, but it doesn’t have to be like that all the time.
Most people would agree that having freedom includes the right of liberty, which is having the right to act according to your own will, as long as it doesn’t interrupt someone else’s liberty. You can see this right exhibited on the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson, the author of this quote, and the other founding fathers really wanted to emphasize the idea of liberty and freedom. So much that they dedicated a portion of the Declaration of the Independence talking about American liberty and freedom. When America was being founded, we were lucky to have people who believed in liberty, equality, and justice for all. They believed in it so much that they worked for it, and gave hope to minority groups who had previously felt constant pessimism. These people stood against the normative as they fought against tyranny when no one else would. They gave hope to those who needed
Freedom to me is the right to do what you want to do only if it's not breaking the law. This includes the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, not being forced to join the military ( unless you get drafted). Freedom is also the people in the united states, What i mean by that is people have rights many rights that makes them a part of freedom too. With freedom there are many responsibilities too. One of the biggest responsibilities is the right to bear arms. This is probably one of the biggest responsibilities because you screw up once with guns you can be banned for a period of time or you can be banned for life if you do something really horrible even if it was not on purpose. another big responsibility law is driving, if you get over the speed limit and you caught you can get fined
...ot want freedom under law, but rather freedom from law unless somehow the law begins to legalize license. Unfortunately, this is the exact direction our nation has been headed for decades and it continues down this slippery slope. True freedom lies within the parameters of why we are created. If we fall outside those parameters, we lose our freedom and ultimately our souls. Most people have chosen to be slaves to immorality and forsaken the freedom Jesus Christ offers. Without God, their lives ultimately have no purpose and they are “free” to do whatever they want to do. However, in reality, they are enslaved by their own passions and will eventually kill themselves and those around them by their greed. The declination of American society continues to manifest itself more clearly, as fewer people realize the importance of moral values and a genuine faith in God.
Freedom remains the sole basis for American society as we know it. Without freedom the great nation of America would have never been founded. To understand the true principles of freedom, one must understand the scope of the word. Philosophical freedom encompasses the ability to make choices without restraints, while political freedom is the state of being free rather than in physical confinement. Despite the importance of these ideas to our founding fathers, freedom has lost much of its importance in modern American society. The failure to stress the importance of freedom has diminished the quality of life for the entire American populous
To be totally free is an illusion. It can only be taken as far as the person is willing to take it. Everyone is bound by rules, whether they be of the land, or of personal belief. Every person illustrates what their own ideal freedoms are and as long as your need air, water and food, there can be no realistic perception of absolute freedom. Freedom to mosts people means the absence of fetters or bondage. But the true notion of freedom is an absence of dependency.
God has given us as human beings free will. Although if we make choices based on our own free will we must be willing to take the responsibility for the effects that our decisions have on ourselves, on the people around us, and on society itself. Freedom, I believe, is the way in which people live or behave without others annoying or interfering in his or her affairs. People should benefit from freedom, equality and justice. Absolute freedom is sometimes very dangerous and may destroy the basic principles of the society. A lot of people believe that freedom means doing whatever you want, whenever you want.
Many of the lessons that my family taught me deal with the idea of freedom. My father, mother, and brother taught me to always be myself, and to do what I want to do. Both of these ideas follow the concepts of a democracy, which we live in. In a democracy, the “good” is freedom, and the “just” is tolerance of diversity. While these are the values that shaped my fathers and brothers teaching, they are not correct. Freedom can be a bad thing, especially too much. Socrates says,” For extreme freedom probably cannot lead to anything but a change to extreme slavery, whether in a private individual or a city” (564a3). I may believe freedom to be the “good” and the way to happiness, but that is because I am stuck in the cave, believing the images
Perhaps the most exclusive aspect of American freedom is stated directly in the Declaration of Independence. It states, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" (Jefferson). This well-known statement truly incorporates all facets of what it means to be free in America. The citizens of this country have the right to live. They have the right to be free of restriction and control, to do what they please. And they have the right to be happy in whatever way that might be. These rights are...
In order to examine how each thinker views man and the freedom he should have in a political society, it is necessary to define freedom or liberty from each philosopher’s perspective. John Locke states his belief that all men exist in "a state of perfect freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and person as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man." (Ebenstein 373) Locke believes that man exists in a state of nature and thus exists in a state of uncontrollable liberty, which has only the law of nature, or reason, to restrict it. (Ebenstein 374) However, Locke does state that man does not have the license to destroy himself or any other creature in his possession unless a legitimate purpose requires it. Locke emphasizes the ability and opportunity to own and profit from property as necessary for being free.
Freedom is a human value that has inspired many poets, politicians, spiritual leaders, and philosophers for centuries. Poets have rhapsodized about freedom for centuries. Politicians present the utopian view that a perfect society would be one where we all live in freedom, and spiritual leaders teach that life is a spiritual journey leading the soul to unite with God, thus achieving ultimate freedom and happiness. In addition, we have the philosophers who perceive freedom as an inseparable part of our nature, and spend their lives questioning the concept of freedom and attempting to understand it (Transformative Dialogue, n.d.).
When referring to freedom these words are often associated with freedom: Liberty, independence, sovereignty, autonomy, privilege, immunity, and indulgence. Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and justice. Independence is granted by freedom in the sense that an outside party does not control you. To gratify ones desires by whichever ways they choose is freedom through indulgence. Privileges are g ranted through freedom. In some countries the dictator or ruler makes choices for their people on regards to what profession they shall have or to what religion they shall worship. In the United States we have special privileges that let the people of the country decide on their own religion and professions.
Taking this into consideration, the meaning of freedom can further be explored. Perhaps it can be defined as having the liberty to choose who/what the ruler is to be. For, since nothing can exist without having some form of rule, if people are not permitted to choose what the ruling factor is, then that would not be considered having freedom.
Locke (1995) claims that it is the living under the government which provides freedom through the use rules, no restraint besides the law, and free from arbitrary power. Liberalism tends to support the idea of limiting constitution government and their power. It was liberal thinkers James Madison and Baron de Montesquieu that designed the idea of the separation of powers, to equally distribute the power the government has (Young 2002). This then causes it to help to ensure that there are individual freedom, rights and that individuals have autonomy. Liberals tend to be suspicious of the government and the power that they possess which can be used to limit an individual and their freedom. By restricting the government, it makes sure that they are not using their power to target citizens and to constrain their liberty. Friedrich von Hayek (1960) debated for the rule of law, where individuals under this law can make choices and act upon them without constraint. With a rule of law and the separation of powers, it ensures that no single person can rule over the citizens and rob them of their freedom. Unless, of course, their state is a form of fascism to which there is an absolute power leadership. Although, while more modern forms of liberalism support the restrictions placed on governments they are still supportive of the continued use of services provided to ensure equal rights and freedom (Young 2002). Having personal liberty would be pointless if they lacked the supplies to be able to benefit from having these rights. Locke (1960) vowed that if a government truly breaches an individuals’ rights and liberty, these individuals may legitimately rebel against the government. Hence why liberalism rejects the idea of an absolute rule. As one of the main concepts of liberalism is freedom, there is no way they would have an absolute