Define Freedom

I started a thread at Amazon Communities here.

The introductory post was this..

I'm very curious about how people define freedom, and whether I can persuade others that: 1) The capacity for free will is axiomatic to the human condition, and; 2) Freedom is the epitomizing goal of free will.

It's a topic I've been pursuing across several fora, so now is the time to raise it here.

Many people use the word freedom without thinking very hard about what it means. It was interesting, though not surprising, that Obama and McCain both answered "Freedom" right off the bat at the Saddleback event when Rick Warren asked each of them what was "worth dying for." But if those three men were put into separate rooms and asked to write down a definition of freedom, how much would their answers differ? How much would the answers differ among the people in this community?

One's belief about the nature of freedom leads to very different conclusions about the nature of responsibility and the source of moral rules. It's been especially intriguing to discover how common it is for people to deny that free will is even real.

Consider these five archetypal attitudes about freedom and free will. (The first is generally the one to which I ascribe.)

1) Free will and freedom are real because each individual is ultimately responsible for his or her choices, and there is no God to whom we are subject. We are "doomed to freedom." Jean-Paul Sartre

2) They are real because God is free, and God made us in His image so that we can experience everlasting free communion in Heaven. "[T]he truth shall make you free... no one comes to the Father, but through Me." Jesus, according to John

3) They are just useful fictions... feedback mechanisms compatible with overall determinism. They help us pursue our inborn drives for sex, status, and safety. "People make history, but not in circumstances of their own choosing." Karl Marx

4) Freedom is not real since our fates are predestined and governed by an omnipotent God. Everything that happens is "meant to be" as part of the divine plan. "Eternal life is foreordained for some, and eternal damnation for others." John Calvin.

5) They are real, but they depend on achieving self-mastery, and recognizing that materialism and social fashions can make no claim on us unless we allow them. "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." Kris Kristofferson

Also, here is how I asked the question elsewhere.

George Bush has said that "God is the author of liberty." Mitt Romney has said, "Freedom requires religion," and that "Americans acknowledge that liberty is a gift of God." How would you define freedom? How did it originate? Is freedom possible without belief in God?

These links show what I've done elsewhere to advance the discussion:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WYR1qXnO2M
http://www.definefreedom.blogspot.com/
http://www.rkey.com/essays/Simon_DCI_02.pdf

So, I'm interested in seeing what kinds of definitions people offer here. Thanks.