What Does Freedom Mean To Be Free Essay
Freedom
Freedom can be defined in several ways, depending on the situation this term is used in. Sometimes, freedom is defined as a “political right.” Other times simply as “the quality or state of being free” (Merriam-Webster). Other people might define freedom as a privilege that is fought for. Although these definitions are all for the same word, they are different in their meanings. The definition of the word freedom can be as a political right, the quality or state of being free, or a privilege that is fought for.
The definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for freedom that in my opinion has the greatest conflict is “political right.” For freedom to be considered political ultimately removes the aspect of being free. The government’s purpose is to create control, and in order to create control they must revoke certain freedoms. This is not by any means something that is wrong considering every society needs something to hold it together. But, since the government is made to revoke freedoms, it is wrong for freedom to be considered a “political right.” A simpler and less complex definition compared to this is the state of being free. …show more content…
Another definition given from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “the quality or state of being free.” This definition is straightforward, but it may give someone the wrong impression of freedom.
This is since freedom is more than simply the “state of being free.” Being free is not a moral definition of freedom, although it is an appropriate definition of this term. Newman speaks of this kind of freedom when he says “ habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom”(Newman, “Knowledge Its Own End”). There is a more effective definition of freedom than the simple way it is put here. For example, freedom can be described as a
privilege.
A privilege that is fought for is just one example of the various definitions that you might find from asking someone to describe freedom. This definition is true since George Washington’s military fought for our freedom from England and won in 1783. In fact, our military today is still fighting for our country. Thanks to these women and men, the United States has won over freedom. So therefore we did not fight for the freedom ourselves, we must respect what we have and be thankful for it. Since we have a privilege from freedom, we can “order himself, and having ordered himself, he can then respond to others” (Tzu, 11). Seeing that we can respond to others and order ourselves, this is an example of a privilege from freedom. Out of all of these definitions, this one has the most meaning to our country.
Even though there are several different definitions for freedom, it still the same term and still has the same place in our hearts. Political right, the state of being free, and a privilege that is fought for are all definitions of the term freedom. Thanks to freedom, we can speak what we wish to speak, travel wherever we wish to travel, and pray to whomever we wish to pray to without being prosecuted for it.
Freedom can be defined in several ways, depending on the situation this term is used in. Sometimes, freedom is defined as a “political right.” Other times simply as “the quality or state of being free” (Merriam-Webster). Other people might define freedom as a privilege that is fought for. Although these definitions are all for the same word, they are different in their meanings. The definition of the word freedom can be as a political right, the quality or state of being free, or a privilege that is fought for.
The definition from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for freedom that in my opinion has the greatest conflict is “political right.” For freedom to be considered political ultimately removes the aspect of being free. The government’s purpose is to create control, and in order to create control they must revoke certain freedoms. This is not by any means something that is wrong considering every society needs something to hold it together. But, since the government is made to revoke freedoms, it is wrong for freedom to be considered a “political right.” A simpler and less complex definition compared to this is the state of being free. …show more content…
Another definition given from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “the quality or state of being free.” This definition is straightforward, but it may give someone the wrong impression of freedom.
This is since freedom is more than simply the “state of being free.” Being free is not a moral definition of freedom, although it is an appropriate definition of this term. Newman speaks of this kind of freedom when he says “ habit of mind is formed which lasts through life, of which the attributes are, freedom, equitableness, calmness, moderation, and wisdom”(Newman, “Knowledge Its Own End”). There is a more effective definition of freedom than the simple way it is put here. For example, freedom can be described as a
privilege.
A privilege that is fought for is just one example of the various definitions that you might find from asking someone to describe freedom. This definition is true since George Washington’s military fought for our freedom from England and won in 1783. In fact, our military today is still fighting for our country. Thanks to these women and men, the United States has won over freedom. So therefore we did not fight for the freedom ourselves, we must respect what we have and be thankful for it. Since we have a privilege from freedom, we can “order himself, and having ordered himself, he can then respond to others” (Tzu, 11). Seeing that we can respond to others and order ourselves, this is an example of a privilege from freedom. Out of all of these definitions, this one has the most meaning to our country.
Even though there are several different definitions for freedom, it still the same term and still has the same place in our hearts. Political right, the state of being free, and a privilege that is fought for are all definitions of the term freedom. Thanks to freedom, we can speak what we wish to speak, travel wherever we wish to travel, and pray to whomever we wish to pray to without being prosecuted for it.