Deep question, ninja man. Well, to me, it certainly does not mean freedom to do as I might please any time I please. It does not mean freedom from work, even unpleasant work. It does not mean freedom from obligations to others. It means freedom of thought, and expression of those thoughts. It means freedom to live to the best of my abilities without being ordered to live in a certain way or place or work at a certain job by anyone else. It means freedom of conscience and religion, if I have one...or if I don't have one, as long as I respect others' same "freedom". It goes on and on. But, no one can assume or demand freedoms they are not willing to grant others.

It varies from country to country, culture to culture. In the US, it means freedom of speech, the press and so on. But it does not absolve us from the responsibilities to others, our country or our duties to either.

ah, grasshopper, good question. Freedom IS vague. Simply, it can mean: without restriction. But then you might have chaos, might you not? Everyone has their own definition of freedom and it usually is associated by what they CAN do vs what they can't. Or else it means to be away from something. When The U.S. talks about "freedom" it's a political notion--we were freed from England. We are "free" from communism, they tell us. We can choose our own religion, etc. I think freedom is being able to make choices. I don't think any of us are completely "free", because we live in some kind of society that is governed by laws and rules.

Freedom is a complex prize with a great burden of responsibility as well. 'Freedom' of any action is only truely freedom for all as long as the individual freedom doesn't interfere with another's freedom. This makes the concept of freedom (indeed, of 'rights' overall) VERY complicated in come cases, when balancing the good for one against another or against society. Many terms are subjective in definition, as well. Robert A. Heinlein often had a great deal to say about such things in his writings. If you've never read Starship Troopers, you really need to. You wouldn't relaly think this topic as something pertainent to SciFi, but he probably has addressed it as openly and directly as any author ever has. Here is a link with an exerpt from Starship Troopers about morality: http://www.dravness.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=77 One of my favorite quotes, which is mostly incorrectly attributed to Voltaire, is "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." This pretty much defines my stance on freedom as applied to speech, and indeed all the freedoms, rights, and privileges wa enjoy in America. I believe if more of us would adapt this as a personal philosophy, we'd be much better off.

that's an awesome question... freedom is the right to pursue happiness :)

Freedom to me means; the only restrictions on your actions are the ones placed on you, by yourself. Of course we all know where that would lead in today's society (or yesterday's, for that matter). So I would qualify this comment by adding 'while abiding with existing laws'.

Where the head is held high and the mind is without fear

It is. Every time a politician uses the word, they are trying to con you. None of us is free. We don't have freedom to murder, to steal. Complete freedom would be chaos, and society could not survive. Indeed, we are a social animal, and the only way we *can* survive is to give up some of our freedoms for the sake of the society we live in. The question rather is not one of freedom, but of how much liberty a particular society or political system gives the people in it. So when a politician uses the word, they are literally using a meaningless term which gives their listeners a warm glow. Any politician who tells you he stands for freedom is lying.

FREEDOM IS NO HOMEWORK. FREEDOM IS NO SCHOOL FREEDOM IS NO WORK

No fear.

My mind is free to think, my heart free to choose, and my body free to do.

no rules, and live conferrable knowing you can do what ever you want, in an order fashion

I don't say it, there's no such thing. Consciousness itself stops us from being truly 'free'. It regulates us, according to social, cultural and moral standards and expectations. An amoeba is free because it can't think, it can't imagine or comprehend. But even then, it's stuck on whatever planet it originated on. Is that even 'free'? Don't know. It could be considered a really petty boring point-grabbing question, or it could be considered an extremely deep philosophical question that political philosophers have been trying to answer for centuries.

freedon is hard to define, but you can summarize it.....your freedom starts where another's starts. You can do what ever you want as longas you respect the world around you, thus there are things that you cannot do even if you would want to do them.....

Without bindings or restrictions..

Since it is asked in philosophy,freedom would mean no binding or restrictions to most of your acts! In Spiritualism I would say it means we are bound by our actions in this world. There is always an equal and opposite reaction. We all live in a framework or in an ocean of consciousness and we are free in a limited sense. Within that sphere but still bound by this consciousness!

You can feel free to wear warm clothes in winter. You can feel compelled to wear warm clothes in winter. Free to make the decision. Compelled to make a decision and bound or freed by the decision you make whether your free to make it in the first place. Now Im confused. I consider alot my disire for financial freedom although I am also aware that a lotto win will carry hidden burdens I think I will still buy a ticket this week. book "fear of freedom" Erich Fromm. 1941

Freedom to me? It means complete and utter control of ones own being. The American Standardized version? Do what you want under the government channel. They do like to play God.

freedom is not being confined in psychological prison. not being bound by psychological time

You are correct in demanding that the term be precisely defined. It is easy to equivocate on the word freedom. There are generally two meanings. Politically free, meaning laissez faire in a social context, or volitionally free, meaning able to respond to your free will. In a morally correct social structure, the two would be very close (within reason) to being the same

Choice.

Like it or not, freedom has nothing to do with good moral or bad. so freedom is being able to do everything you're capable of without anything or anyone to stop or hinder you