Wilmar C.

Jualo 12-Alcala

Freedom: An Innate Right For Everyone

Freedom can be defined starting from different aspects, according to different cultures, from
different points of view and even from different beliefs. Everyone was born totally free and all of us
must have the right to live freely because it is the right to do what we want, live where we want, eat
what we want, and learn what we want to learn. Throughout human history, freedom has been the
most important and challenging aspiration to reach.

But the big question is, what does freedom really mean? What is freedom? Is it absolute right?
If we ask this question to people around us, we will receive around a hundred different answers,
because everyone will understand this phenomenon in his or her own way. When asked to define
what does freedom mean, people usually have a difficult time coming up with a concrete definition.
The common answer of “freedom means doing whatever I want, whenever I want” generates many
conflicting questions. What if one’s “free” actions are harmful to others? Should he then still have the
freedom to keep acting that way? Freedom is too abstract of an idea to be defined accurately and
precisely. The notion that someone can be absolutely free is absurd. Most of the time, one person’s
freedom is another person’s restriction.

Many people claim to support freedom but the problem is that so few of them understand the
true meaning of the word. Freedom is almost like everything else in this world; it is what we make of
it. Hereafter, the true meaning of freedom for C. Wright Mills (1959): “Freedom is not merely the
opportunity to do as one pleases; neither is it merely the opportunity to choose between set
alternatives. Freedom is, first of all, the chance to formulate the available choices, to argue over them
and then, the opportunity to choose”.

Freedom as one of the main philosophical categories characterizes the essence of man and
his existence. Therefore, the meaningful definition of freedom as something of this kind in us that
does not depend on us; it never has any concrete grounds that we could find in any particular
individual culture that surrounds the individual. Dahl (1956) puts the word "settlement" next to the
word "freedom". Freedom is "its own will, its scope, its ability to act in its way: lack of restraint,
bondage, slavery, subjugation to the will of others. (Victorsson, 2018)

According to the American moral philosopher Susan Wolf, freedom is the ability to act in
accordance with the true and the good. According to people such as Saint Augustine and Confucius,
this kind of freedom can reach a point at which it always produces goodness. Thus historically people
have struggled not for abstract freedom for its own sake, but for the freedom to be good and do good.
 In western culture, philosophers have staked out two basic ways of thinking about freedom.
The older kind, associated with what is called “liberal” thinking focuses on the political issues (of
which property rights are a subset). In this view, you are free for expressing unpopular opinions, or
criticizing government officials, or trying to take part in government yourself, or engaging in
commerce, or pretty much doing as you please, so long as you don’t hurt anyone. Many influential
social thinkers in the 19th and 20th centuries thought that political freedom was not enough and
therefore created the so called “progressive” idea of freedom. They advocated freedom from the
“tyranny of necessity.” In this view, a person too hungry to work, or too poor to feed his or her family,
is not really free. A rich person, in contrast, seems “free” to do many things that a poor person is
unable to do. Freedom from hunger, freedom from disease, etc. necessitate a positive right to certain
important things, such as food, shelter, and health care. (Essays UK, 2018)

Freedom is the absence of restraints according to the most common usage of the word
worldwide. It actually encloses the four following types:

1. Physical freedom: the possibility for a person to go where he/she wants and do what he/she wants

2. Spiritual freedom: the privilege of being able to express one’s thoughts or to live according to one’s
outlook

3. Natural freedom: the authority which enables a person to identify and to live with others of his/her
people

4. State freedom: the ability of a person to live under a government of his/her choosing. Therefore, it’s
undeniable that these types help clarifying the idea and the concept of freedom.

Freedom is a magnificent word; not only because it covers all the above mentioned
subdefinitions, but also because it represents the ultimate target of all human actions and sciences.
According to Albert Einstein: “All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these
aspirations are directed toward ennobling man’s life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical
existence and leading the individual towards freedom”.

Because of its wide range of notions, freedom, thus, is a relative experience. Few people think
of freedom in very similar terms. To some, it is about political rights: the right to assemble, to free
speech, to participate in government (vote, run for office), etc. To others, it’s all about property rights:
to do with one’s land and possessions. To others, freedom means freedom from hunger, or health
fears, or other woes. To a few, freedom means total freedom to do anything – in some cases limited
only by other people’s freedom – and in other cases limited only by the individual’s will and ability to
exercise power.

At the present time, the struggle for freedom has turned into a sinister and melancholic path.
Herein the question concerning the relativity of freedom is no longer questionable. In fact, the
international political and social arena can provide us with some of the most suitable and expressive
examples. Unfortunately, the use of the word “freedom” has been nowadays over abused due to the
lack of a deep and thorough comprehension of its true meaning.

Freedom allows people to pursue their interests within the framework of law. It means that
people are not controlled and not part of someone else's plans and purposes. On the contrary as long
as they do not break the law, a system of general rules that apply to everyone, they can live where
they choose, follow whatever career they wish, buy, sell and trade without restriction, read and write
what they like, espouse whatever beliefs and opinions they hold, associate with whomever they wish
and form clubs, groups, parties and sects without seeking anyone's permission. In short the freedom
to follow their conscience. Such a person would naturally live within the moral law. Of course if a
person breaks the law committing murder or stealing they can expect a fair trial followed by an
appropriate punishment. The social order that develops in a free society is self-generated. It is not
designed or the product of a central plan but is incredibly complex with many different types of
relationships. Each person and institution freely makes make their own plans and self-coordinates
them with others. It has been called a catallaxy by F.A. Hayek (2007).

These relationships are primarily regulated by manners, tradition, custom and in the last resort
by laws which describe the limits of acceptable behavior beyond which the state will intervene to
punish transgressors. Freedom within the law is thus the basis for a peaceful society as it makes it
possible for people with incommensurate religions and opinions to live side by side as neighbors.
(New world Encyclopedia, 2017)

For conclusion, freedom is an innate right, something that humans are born with. Nothing in
this planet can threaten our freedom, deprive us from our rights. As mention before, our right of
freedom must never cause harm to any other human being, directly or indirectly. We must respect
freedom as everyone in the world/society has it, if you want others to respect your freedom, firstly you
must learn to respect them. And following this ways, we can enjoy and live our freedom through our
life. The more freedom you have, the more responsibilities you face. So, freedom acts as a universal
value. People are striving for freedom, for only in it and through it can the creative human potential be
realized.
 References

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Philosophy of Freedom. Retrieved from

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/freedom-can-be-defined-philosophy-essay.php?vref=1

Essays, UK. (November 2018). Ethics Of Human Freedom Philosophy Essay. Retrieved from
https://www.ukessays.com/essays/philosophy/ethics-of-human-freedom-philosophy-
essay.php?vref=1

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in
accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Freedom_(philosophy)

In Delph Philosophy: Study Philosophy Simply by Hor Victorsson

http://scalar.usc.edu/works/in-delph-philosophy/philosophical-concept-of-freedom