CONCEPT, FORMS AND LIMITATIONS TO FREEDOM

By

Saidu Sulaiman saisulaiman @yahoo.com

Published as an e-paper on September 23, 2012 All rights reserved

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Introduction It is unfortunate that many people pursue personal freedom on the basis of a superficial understanding of the concept of freedom, which brings them into conflict with constituted authorities and other people they live with. This paper explains the concept and forms of freedom as well as limitations which make the pursuit of absolute or total freedom unattainable and a sham. The paper is adopted from my book Guide to a Successful Life: How freedom lifts you up (available at http://www.amazon.co.uk/GUIDE-SUCCESSFULLIFE-Successful-ebook/dp/B006I7Q0US ). The Concept of Freedom The sixth edition of the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English explains the concept of freedom in different senses of the term as follows: (1) (2) (3) (4) The right to do or say what you want without anyone stopping you. The state of being able to do what you want, without anything stopping you. The state of not being a prisoner or slave. The state of not being affected by something, for instance, freedom from fear.

Dictionary definitions are useful in explaining concepts but they are insufficient in indicating deep and wide implications of the concepts. Philosophical and operational definitions of concepts provide hints on the implications of a concept; hence, they can guide our actions. Examples of operational definitions are the definitions of key terms used in legal documents and research reports. The terms are given a precise meaning in the context in which they are used with due regard to their implications to our thoughts and actions. Philosophical definitions take into account the scope and implications of a concept being described and the extent to which it becomes applicable in a given circumstance. Dictionary definitions, as mentioned earlier, do not guide us on what to do. If you rely on the definition which says freedom is the right to do or say what you want without anyone stopping you, when it comes to exercising your personal freedom, you can make many mistakes in life. You cannot always do what you want without being stopped. Your limited knowledge and experience in relation to a given phenomena can prevent you from exercising your personal
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freedom in a fruitful way. You can cause harm to other people in the course of pursuing your personal freedom. A Proper Definition of Freedom Freedom can properly be defined as sustained and appreciable right, power and capability for lawful and relatively independent existence, thought and action. This definition embodies the scope of freedom as well as its implications. On the scope of freedom we can see that it covers existence, thought and action. Freedom to live or the right to life falls under existence. Thought covers the rights for one to think creatively, come up with useful thoughts and live according to ones conscience. Action covers freedoms of movement, worship, expression, association, choice and other human undertakings. You have freedom when you have sustained and appreciable right, power and capability for existence, thought and actions. Compared to a wealthy and educated teenager, a four year old child, for instance, has no freedom. Wealth, knowledge, skills, maturity and health, therefore, determine the extent to which your right, power and capability become appreciable or otherwise. Sustainability is also very important, because temporary or short-lived rights and powers do not make one free. Giving a slave an hour to do as he wishes does not make him a free person. Forms of Freedom Articles 18, 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights approved by the 58 member states of the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948 mentioned the forms of freedom an individual is entitled to. Article 18 says: Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 19 says: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
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Article 20 says: Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Limitations to the Forms of freedom Article 29 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights sets limitations to the various forms of freedom, it says, in part In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. (http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/eng.htm accessed on 20th July, 2005). There limits to freedom which prevent us from having total freedom, include the following: a) Respect for the rights and freedoms of others: We must not infringe the rights or curtail the freedom of other people in pursuance of our own rights and freedoms. Meeting the requirements for morality: We must shun immorality and anything that promotes it in the course of exercising our freedoms and rights. Freedom of expression, for instance, must not give room for speeches, paintings, dances, movies and manners of dressing which promote immorality among people. Meeting the requirements for public order and public welfare: Our pursuance of freedom should not go against public order or undermine public welfare.

b)

c)

The proper definition of freedom given above also implies that there are limitations to freedom by stating that existence, thoughts and actions have to be lawful. Thus, in the course of pursuing personal freedom you must not harm other people and creatures, you must respect laws and constituted authorities, and above all, you must obey your Creator.

The phrase relatively independent existence, thoughts and action used in the definition imply that you cannot get absolute freedom. Being free is, therefore, a relative term. A poor man cannot have all what he needs because of his limited purchasing power for making choices and acquiring the essentials of life. The rich are constrained by certain problems which money cannot completely solve, for instance, their freedom to do as they wish could be curtailed by fear, stress and health related problems. The ignorant rich have limited freedom; they could not make the best use of resources at their disposal due to ignorance. People in the corridors of power have little freedom because unlike the common man, they cannot travel alone, visit places or intermingle with people freely. Moreover, they could not be free from fear of threats to their lives and positions; they are often forced to take certain courses of action or a line of thought by external forces, pressure groups and relations. Your desire to impress your friends and other people also robs you of the freedom to do as you wish; sometimes you have to sacrifice nice and nutritious daily meals for an expensive cloth with which to impress your friends. A dignified person wishing to move around in simple clothes could be forced to wear expensive ones due to cultural and environmental factors. Environment forces us to act or behave in certain ways that run counter to our wishes. A mad man seems to have more freedom than sane people, he can go about naked or in rags without being constrained by the need to impress people or comply with societal norms. He is free from religious, cultural and legal constraints that prevent sane people from behaving anyhow. Unlike a ruler, the mad man has no fear of threats to his life or position because nobody would like to be in his position; and he faces no competition from rivals. Despite all these, the mad man does not have absolute freedom; his freedom of choice, association and movement are seriously curtailed. He is not allowed to mix freely with people and is not free from wants, for instance. The fact is that your condition of having been created by God provides you with true freedom but robs you of absolute freedom. Only the Creator has absolute freedom because He is completely independent, All-knowing and Omnipotent. The implication of all what has been said is that you cannot have absolute freedom; it is simply a mirage and a facade. You therefore need not to seek for it. What you can seek for is true freedom.

Conclusion We cannot get absolute freedom, and our desire to pursue it may lead us to harm other people or curtail their freedom. It is therefore better for us to turn to the search for true freedom. True freedom is found in the observance of uncorrupted and un-manipulated divine teachings and in the immutable laws of nature discovered through the study of Science. Science enhances our freedom of expression and freedom of movement, it allows us to comminute with millions of people in few minutes. We can also travel to different parts of the world with a greater speed than before. So the more we study, understand and conquer nature, the freer we become in terms of availability of choices, overcoming of problems and deliverance from dogma, superstition and bondage to unjust systems and regimes. The more we study and observe the guidance from our Creator contained in the Holy Quran and Hadith of the Prophet, the closer we come to true freedom.