Freedom: What is Freedom?

Freedom defines the condition of being free or exemption from an obligation or duty. These definitions are vague and do not say much about the sate of being free in relation to human existence. There is a distinction between freedom from and true freedom. Freedom from refers to a restriction to one’s physical movements and choices by obligations, duty or captivity. Yet, this freedom can only be achieved within reason and certain boundaries. For example, there are laws we have to abide by in order to maintain civil and moral order. Hence, we cannot just steal and not expect consequences.

Thus, freedom from can be relative and occur not only physically but also subjectively. For example, a person can be freed from captivity but is this person free? That person is free from a physical burden, but they might be still be tied down by their thoughts, fears, anxiety and even guilt about being free. Thus, understanding real freedom requires a philosophical discourse that many philosophers have attempted to explore. Freedom is central to philosophy and more so for existential philosophers like Nietzsche, Sartre, Heidegger and Kierkegaard. The post-modern existential philosophers and psychotherapists developed this discourse further through the works of people such as Viktor Frankl and Rollo May.

The existential perspective starts from the premise that existence precedes essence. This means that our existence, including freedom, is a concrete thought that we could experience. Existentialists do not hypothesize about human essence. The question asked is, “Who am I and not, “What am I?” Hence, existential freedom is not freedom without restraints. Rather it is closely linked to the responsibility one bears as a result of having freedom. We all have to experience birth and come into an existence that is specific to us. Also, we cannot choose our family and gender. In addition, we all must experience certain limitations to life, for example death and ageing. Despite these limitations, known as ontological truths, we are not islands struggling to avoid our end. We are constantly in relationship to others and our environment. Man constantly has to exercises his freedom, will, make decisions, use his creativity, set goals and strive to attain an authentic sense of self. However, this cannot be done without embracing one’s true freedom to choose a destiny and explore one’s potential as a remarkable human being. This process of exploration evokes in us existential angst and guilt that is part of existence.