What does 'freedom' mean to you?

[Deleted]

Thought that was YOLO.

No, thats just what they instinctively scream while doing it.

[Puck]

America, land of the free

Nobody is truly free. Not even Americans.

[Vizardlorde]

Nobody is truly free. Not even Americans.

Specially not Americans here you are a slave to money and as disposable as a cue-tip to your employer unless they are underpaying you.

[Mercadi]

Freedom to go wherever I want, and do what I want in times when I am not at work earning my living.

[Kraenen]

freedom is being emancipated from every shackle - be it other people, your own mind, your own body, or nature itself.

[Drekker17]

Doing and thinking what I want. My choices decide how my life is, not someone else.

[Underverse]

Freedom is something that doesn't exist, a buzzword fabricated to delude the masses

[shsart]

Really interesting topic. "I find that 'freedom' often means different things to different people.", you are absolutely right in your finding. Almost every person has his/her own definition of freedom. To me freedom means the opportunity of doing whatever I like without being a snatcher of the freedom of other persons.

[Halicia]

Freedom means not living in fear.

[Toomuchcoffee]

Freedom is learning whats around you, for example, I can not play the piano...but if I study, my freedom has expanded and I can do more things.
the less we study and learn, the more barriers we put around the freedom we have.

[Itisamuh]

To me, freedom only happens when we have no obligations or responsibilities we don't want. In other words, it doesn't exist except perhaps for a lucky, super rich lottery winner who doesn't have kids or anything to deal with.

[Ragnarohk]

"The state in which a man is not subject to coercion by the arbitrary will of another or others" FA Hayek

Basically, being able to do whatever you want, while respecting the fundamental rights (life, liberty, property and pursuit of happiness) of others and also while taking responsibility for your actions. Coercion (not arbitrary coercion) is needed to ensure that people do take responsibility for their actions, without responsibility freedom can't be attained.

I just compressed a whole semester of Social Philosophy (Hayek, Classical Liberalism) into a few sentences.

[anveena]

Living in the United States.

[shsart]

freedom is being emancipated from every shackle - be it other people, your own mind, your own body, or nature itself.

I think freedom is well defined in the above quote.

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Freedom is something that doesn't exist, a buzzword fabricated to delude the masses

Really unconventional and unconforming comment though there is method(sense, reason, rationality) in it!

[Deleted]

The definition of freedom is what freedom is to me.

[Rukentuts]

Freeeeeeeeedommmm is Mel Gibson in a kilt.

[Christan]

Freedom means whatever Obama tells me it means.

(am I doing it right?)

you're doing it right citizen!
thank you for being an amazing member of society, further details being sent!

[obdigore]

Freeeeeeeeedommmm is Mel Gibson in a kilt.

He can't shoot lightning out of his ass, I'm not impressed.

Freedom is being able to do what you want, when you want, how you want. Of course most 'freedoms' that people want intrude on the freedoms of other people.

If you want actual freedom, we need to move past resource scarcity, which might be a little while here...

[Draconian7972]

The ability to purchase sex.

[Elegiac]

Freedom is unrestricted liberty - i.e. the state of nature.