WHAT IS FREEDOM?

[Clifford Black]

Freedom

Recently, I had the opportunity to enter into a discussion about the subject of freedom.  After hearing what John had to say about the condition that is known as being free, I quickly realized, this nut does not have a clue as to what freedom might possibly be.  While thinking about what John was saying, it dawned on me that this may be a subject that needs investigating.  For most of my life I have heard people say things like: "I live in a free country" or "this (America) is a free country" on and on.  I am producing a web-radio show and I am thinking that maybe an interactive dialog about what some of us think freedom actually is could be quite interesting.  In other words, questions like: where did we get our ideas about freedom from.  Is the data that we have, true or false, is it (the data), based on belief or knowledge?  If you are interested in joining this discussion please leave a comment. 

B.

 

[E Donelson II]

It is very hard for me to reconcile all the notions of what 'freedom' is with what I perceive 'freedom' to be, mainly because for each person who is asked to define 'freedom' there seems to be a differing definition than mine. I would guess that is to be expected considering...the capacity of most people to express themselves in relevant terms or according to their levels of knowledge. More times than not I simply rely on my own thinking/knowledge when it comes to questions such as "what is freedom'. I've been asked, on occasion, to define 'freedom' and each time I relate the definition to my personal space and existence to the extent that I am not physically confined to a particularly unwanted space, as in unfettered. Considering the notion that my thought process is encumbered, at times, because my knowledge only reaches a certain level, I do consider myself a "free thinker", I can be influenced but not dictated to as to how I 'should' think, even with all the misinformation that is bandied about by the pseudo-philosophers. Still the definition of 'freedom' is mostly reserved to my ability or capacity to make decisions based on my own thinking without interference of 'others'. So, what that 'freedom' is is merely an unfettered existence. I would then suppose that my existence is fettered in such that moving from one place to another can be dictated, to a large degree, by what society determines is...appropriate for me based on several external determinants including colour. So, there is that level of 'non-freedom' that appears in direct contradiction to my so called notion of 'freedom'. Another aspect that arises when defining 'freedom' is the idea that my physical presence is not "owned" by anyone other than myself, suggesting that no one capitalizes on my existence except myself. Well, that is to be debated because if that were wholly true then why would I be taxed in such that most monetary remuneration is to be reported and a tariff exacted upon it? Then there is no 'freedom' there. So, the definition of freedom' continues to be defined, or evolved, as "this" and then "that" and then "the other" long before I get to that "freedom' meaning that can be broadcast across the board. Finally, if pressed for an answer, I would posit that 'freedom' is a prize found in a box of cereal that, even though it is talked about and promoted as such, does not really exist in the store.

[Clifford Black]

This thought, Brother E., I think, should be continued in a live conversation in class.  (B).

[E Donelson II]

This just in: From John Ayto's Dictionary of

Word Origins; free [OE] The prehistoric ancestor to free was a term of affection uniting the members of a family in a common bond, and implicitly excluding their servants or slaves - those who were not 'free'. it comes ultimately from Indo-European *prijos, whose signification 'dear, beloved' is revealed in such collateral descendants as Sanskrit priyas 'dear', Russian prijatel' 'friend', and indeed English friend. It's Germanic off-spring, *frijaz, displays the shift from 'affection' to 'liberty', as shown in German frei, Dutch vrij, Swedish and Danish fri, and English free. Welsh rhydd 'free' comes from the Indo-European source.

dome originally meant house in English-it was borrowed from Latin domus 'house' (source of English domestic). However, in other European languages the descendants of domus had come to signify more than a humble dwelling house, a its new meanings spread to English. The word increasingly encompassed stately mansions and important places of worship. Italian duomo and German dom mean 'cathedral, 'for instance (a sense adopted by English in the late 17th and early 18th centuries), and since a leading characteristic of Italian cathedrals is their cupola, the word was soon applied to 'dome'.
So I get, from this, is freedom meaning 'family home' (?) or dear house (?) or home of a friend (?)

Yet and still, let us try to bring the meaning of "freedom" to terms related to (presumably) the context of the subject?

[hannaan joplin]

i am interested in joining the discussion

 

[Clifford Black]

@H.J.

would you give us some insight as to how you learned about the concept of freedom.

[SHANTE THEPHILOSOPHER RAYFORD]

 

 COULD FREEDOM SIMPLY MEAN A FORM IN WHICH ONE IS BORN? FREE OF WOLDVIEWS, FREE OF RELIGION, FREE OF RACE, FREE OF RIGHT OR WRONG, A FREE THINKER WITH ONE'S OWN THOUGHTS, FREE TO COME AND GO AS ONE PLEASE'S, TO BE FREE TO CREATE, FREE TO BE A GOD, FREE TO HAVE ONE'S OWN CONSCIOUSNESS,TO BE FREE MENTALLY, COULD ALL OF THIS BE EQUAL TO WHAT ONE SAYS IS FREEDOM?

[Clifford Black]

Namaska Shante.

The platform for the question has to do with, "how did you learn about FREEDOM?" and "what were you taught that freedom IS?" as a condition of existence. The points that you are suggesting are valid and this shows that you are thinking about the concept, BUT, I beg that you address the initial question relative to the context that has been presented. (B).

[E Donelson II]

I recognize that the first reference to FREEDOM that was brought to my attention was the notion that Abe Lincoln "freed" the slaves. So. I would submit that initially my idea became that 'freedom' was the opposite of 'slave' and that 'slave' meant "not free".Then 'freedom' meant that no one "owned" me. Now, from that base 'knowledge' I have come to realize that the meaning of freedom can be both objective and subjective according which sense I am speaking directly to. It is still very difficult to affix a single meaning to freedom when the word itself has such wide ranging connotations.

[Clifford Black]

@E.

Namaska to you Sir-E,

I AGREE---there are many aspects to this very talked about concept and maybe you can tell me why there are so many people who seem to know so much about what it is, without having information-without doing the work to acquire the knowledge-without developing the WISDOM-and without reaching a point of understanding regarding the condition that we are discussing.

B. 

[E Donelson II]

I would submit that many people continue to align the meaning of freedom with some form of relief/release from slavery, in the notion that they are not tied to a particular place or avocation or being. That being stated as their ultimate understanding then I would to say that they lack a thorough understanding of not only freedom but slavery. Freedom, in a sense, is a rhetorical term. Strictly used as a means of bringing attention to oppression and subjugation, freedom then becomes a dream of sorts that have lead to the death or downfall of many people who would presume to be free but in the greater sense are continued to be tied to the very thing they wish to be 'free' of; oppression. We could probably speak to this all day and never really settle on a pure meaning, even etymologically but the discussion would bring one a step closer to developing a deeper more encompassing understand/knowledge of...FREEDOM.

[SHANTE THEPHILOSOPHER RAYFORD]

 

 WELL IN THAT CONTEXT DR.BLACK I GUESS I WOULD SAY WHEN I WAS YOUNG LIKE IN THE 5TH OR 6TH GRADE IS WHERE I STARTED TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT SO CALLED FREDOM WAS AND IS! BUT IT WAS ALWAYS TIED TO MY ANCESTORS BEING SLAVES AND THAT THEY WERE FREED AND GOT THEIR FREEDOM, BUT I DIDNT HAVE ANY UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONCEPT OF WHAT IT WAS, AT THAT AGE I WAS JUST ACCEPTING THE PROGRAM AND BECAUSE IT WAS IN THE SCHOOL BOOKS AND MY TEACHER WAS TEACHING IT THAT IT WAS TRUE! BUT I THANK THE MOST HIGH THAT I MEET YOU AND NOW THIS CYCLE OF IGNORANCE CAN STOP WITH MY CHILDREN, FOR THEY WILL KNOW! THANK YOU DR.BLACK REAL-TALK, PEACE GOD!

[Clifford Black]

Thinking about the subject of FREEDOM, that has been under discussion and the question is pulling at me with great intensity,why is there no activity regarding research about this issue.  No one has gone to the FREEDOM DAY post, I wonder why not? How about using the Appeal to see if David Walker was talking about this thing called FREEDOM. What does the ability to aquire books have to do with freedom? Was Abby Hofman or Father Devine trying to aim people toward the concept.  Just thinking>B.