Another Look: What is Freedom?
By: BJ Lawson
In a recent post, I discussed a potential definition of freedom from an economic perspective.
As it turns out, our presidential candidates have been advancing their own definitions of freedom. Let’s take a look:
Mayor Rudolph Guiliani:
“What we don’t see is that freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.”
Hmmm. Let me think about that. Anyone else?
Representative Ron Paul:
“If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion.”
I don’t know about you, but defining freedom as “willingness to cede … a great deal of discretion about what I do” doesn’t sound too attractive. In fact, it sounds downright Orwellian, and scary.
Don’t we have a Declaration of Independence that states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”? I must admit that I find Mayor Guiliani’s definition downright puzzling.
I also believe that freedom is living without government coercion, and respecting the Bill of Rights. Which definition will you choose?
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:10 am
Wow. That is a scary quote from Mayor Guiliani. Hopefully Americans will awaken from their slumber to reclaim their lost liberties.