Freedom
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Freedom refers, in a very general sense, to the state of being free (i.e. unrestricted, unconfined or unfettered). Also, liberation from restraint or from the power of another: independence.
[edit] In philosophy and history
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that the condition of freedom was inherent to humanity, an inevitable facet of the possession of a soul and sapience, with the implication that all social interactions subsequent to birth imply a loss of freedom, voluntarily or involuntarily.
Freedom has often been used a rallying cry for revolution or rebellion. For instance, the Bible records the story of Moses leading his people out of slavery, and into freedom. In his famous "I Have a Dream" speech Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted an old spiritual song sung by black American slaves: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"
The ama-gi, a Sumerian cuneiform word, is the earliest known written symbol representing the idea of freedom.
[edit] Usage
- Political freedom is the absence of political restraints, particularly with respect to speech, religious practice, and the press.
- Personal liberty can refer to not being in prison (including not being a victim of false imprisonment). It may also refer to the enjoyment of all of the privileges of membership of a place or club (as in the honour, the Freedom of the City), financial freedom or anarchism.
- Freedom of choice, i.e. free will.
- Freedom of speech is similar to freedom of information, but refers to a general lack of such restrictions (on the creation, use, modification and dissemination of ideas) in a society by the government or those that hold power in that society.
- Freedom of thought is also known as freedom of conscience and refers to the right of an individual to hold a particular thought or viewpoint regardless of those held by others.
- Freedom of education closely resembles autodidacticism, which views modern schooling as a dismal system of captivity. Students have traditionally seen gaps in the school year as freedom from their oppression. This idea is not to be confused with liberal education, as one may interpret them as opposites.
- Software freedom or other freedom of information (or ideas); i.e.: information (esp. software) being free of practical or (more commonly) legal restrictions on its use, modification, distribution and (less often restricted) creation. See also: Free software, Open source and gratis software
- Freedom from government and Church - Christian anarchism
[edit] See also
The page was seeded with material from Wikipedia This term is part of the Infoshop Glossary
