Freedom Archives - Intellectual Roundtable

What Is The Definition Of Freedom?

The word ‘freedom’ gets brought up a lot, by all kinds of people. But what does it even mean?

Regardless of your personal political leanings, you will likely have heard someone who agrees with you and someone who disagrees with you, talking about how their freedoms are being curtailed. Politicians of all stripes use the word frequently, often with a generic-sounding phase like, “I’ll fight for your freedoms!”

Certainly, this sounds good. We all want to be free, right? Free to say and do what we want without government interference. Of course, complete individual freedom immediately comes into conflict with other individual freedoms. My right to drive on the wrong side of the road conflicts with your right to have a safe commute.

What we say and do impacts other people, and so there have to be rules, and those rules place limits on our freedoms. The first amendment, for instance, guarantees free speech, but even free speech has limits.

Additionally, there seems to be some confusion about consequences. Free speech means you have the right to say any offensive thing you want. But other people then also have the right to think you are a jerk for saying them. Which might mean you get fired from your job, or friendships might end. You are not free from consequences of your speech and/or actions.

Most people agree that one person’s freedom does not permit them to injure or kill someone else. But what about injury to themselves? Or injuries to society as a whole? Most people seem to agree that requiring drivers to wear seatbelts is an overall good, for example, even though it limits the freedom of the driver.

How do you define freedom? Do you feel that our society is more free than not? In what ways are your freedoms being restricted? Are there times when that restriction is a good thing?

What Makes Something A Human Right?

Politicians and philosophers sometimes talk about a human right, a right we humans have merely due to our existence. But what makes that so?

The U.S. Constitution details a few of these rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At other times, individual rights like housing, health care, fresh air and clean water, and others have been mentioned.

The idea is that these are inalienable rights, that is, rights that confer on us as soon as we are born. They do not have to do with our status, our job, our family, or any other external factor. We have them because all people have them, regardless of race, gender, class, country of origin, or any other factor.

Of course, this is an ideal, or an aspiration. As a society, we believe individuals should have these things. But of course, there have been many times in many places throughout history where human beings have not had these rights.

Including the in the United States. Despite what the U.S. Constitution says, historically rights were not given evenly to people based on race and gender. That has evolved and changed over time. But today there are efforts underway to remove some of these rights for some accused of criminal behavior, or others who have questionable immigration status.

Fundamentally, it begs the question: what makes something a human right? Why did life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness make the cut, and others didn’t? Is health care a human right? How do we decide? And if we can have differing opinions, and if we, as a society can change our mind about it, is it a right that we are born with?

Can You Be Critical Of A Country You Love?

When it comes to showing your love for a country, is it better to have unconditional love, or are you allowed to be critical?

Unconditional love can be very powerful, indeed. Wedding vows are for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. In other words, unconditionally. A mother’s love for a child can stay strong regardless of the child’s behavior. And a pet doesn’t care about your looks, your job, or any other superficial characteristics.

However, those are all examples of the love one individual feels for another. Does that kind of love carry over to entities, like nations or brands? Should it?

On the other hand, being critical is, in it’s own way, and act of love. If you love something, like a country, you want it to be the best it can be. In order to improve, you might have to point out potential areas of improvement, and that may take the form of criticism.

But criticism doesn’t always come from a place of love. It can also come from resentment, or jealousy, or any number of other motivations. Is there an easy way to determine one way of being critical from another?

Some pundits and politicians denounce any criticism as being disrespectful. Is that valid, and/or is it helpful? Admittedly, it can be difficult to tell a loving critique from an attack, particularly when you are emotionally invested. If I love my country, and you offer a complaint against that country, doesn’t that complaint carry over to me, at least a little bit?

Can you be critical of a country that you love?

What Do You Love About Your Country?

Chances are, you love where you live. Or at least, you love some parts about it. What do you love about your country?

There are many general areas that someone could find appealing about the nation where they reside. For example, natural beauty, which might include a spectacular waterfall, a majestic forest, or stunning lakes (among others).

Security is yet another thing that might set one country apart from another. Do you feel safe, from both your fellow citizens as well as from other countries?

One thing that can vary drastically from place to place is political climate. Do you like yours? Why or why not? Do you feel represented in government? Do you feel free?

Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss a related question: ‘Freedom or security?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘Is technology neutral?’

Or perhaps you like the people all around you. What are some of the traits of people that are among the best? Generosity, an accepting nature, thoughtfulness, honesty?

Another option is opportunity, which includes literacy, education, jobs, housing, health care, and others. Are opportunities available to you where you live?

There are many other possibilities as well. What is it that you like best about your country?

How Do You Stand Up To A Bully?

Whether it is on a playground, in a board room, or in international politics, you are likely to find yourself, at some point, faced with a bully. How should you handle it?

There is one school of thought that the only language a bully understands is violence. The best way to deal with one on the schoolyard, as this theory goes, is to bloody their nose.

Of course, this is not universally applicable. If you punch a bullying co-worker in the nose, you are likely to be fired.

Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss the related question: ‘Where does authority come from?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘What does your favorite music say about you?’

Another possible way of dealing with a bully is to ignore them. Don’t let them goad you into an action you may regret. However, if an aggressive action goes unanswered, it might embolden more abusive behavior.

So what is the best way to handle this situation? How should you stand up to a bully?

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