Personal freedom is a rather multifaceted concept. It is difficult to say clearly what it is. Only one thing is clear: this is a complete lack of dependence on others, circumstances, habits. This is an opportunity to engage in activities that bring the greatest satisfaction. And also the fulfillment of any desires without regard to public opinion and foundations.
Freedom or responsibility
The definition of human freedom has changed over the centuries. In the modern sense, they first started talking about it during the Renaissance. It was then that people began to be considered the highest value, and their freedom an inalienable right.
During the reign of the Protestant Reformation, the word “freedom” changed its meaning slightly. It implied the opportunity to find your own way to God and interpret the Bible in your own way.
Since the 19th century, individual freedom has become synonymous with self-expression. It meant economic stability, the ability to independently choose religion, behavior, and social circle.
Nothing has changed these days. Personal freedom occupies an important place in the structure of society. The individual is free to set priorities, choose goals and methods for achieving them. But there is one condition. Your freedom must coexist harmoniously with the freedoms of other people. This is called responsibility. A more free person is also a more responsible person. The reverse situation is called arbitrariness.
Basic theory
Famous public and cultural figures have described individual freedom in different ways:
- The ability to act in accordance with your interests and goals. Belinsky.
- The absence of political and economic oppression, restrictions in political and social life and the activities of a class or society as a whole. Dobrolyubov.
- Absence of slavery and serfdom. Chernyshevsky.
- Personal independence, independence. No dependency or constraint. The opportunity to do as you want. Dostoevsky.
- Ease, no difficulties. L. Tolstoy.
Personal freedom is often associated with voluntarism and fatalism. The first word really has to do with a free person. This is the desire to achieve goals without paying attention to objective circumstances and consequences. Fatalism is the exact opposite concept of voluntarism. According to fatalists, the personal freedom of each individual is nothing more than a utopia. Human life is predetermined by external factors. They cannot be changed. How are things really going?
Introduction
The relationship between the individual and the state as the main social institution has always been the focus of world political and legal thought. Moreover, the content, forms and nature of these relations decisively form the basis for assessing the state of ensuring and guaranteeing human rights and freedoms in a particular society, a particular state. Analysis of the methodological foundations for understanding these components, the entire complex of relations between the state and the individual, is extremely important for a more reasonable assessment of human rights.
The relevance of this issue lies in the fact that the state, the individual and society are closely interconnected. The question of the relationship between these categories is quite extensive and is studied by a number of disciplines, such as philosophy, political science, sociology and others.
From the above, the practical significance of scientific works and research devoted to the implementation of individual rights and freedoms is clear. The problem of individual rights and their relationship in the state with its various institutions and other subjects of the political system is central to the science of the theory of state and law.
Is there such a thing as unconditional freedom?
In an ideal world, yes. No one is able to limit the flight of thought. However, this concept is not applicable to real life. Absolute or unconditional personal freedom is, of course, tempting. But the idea itself has a number of shortcomings. For example, the inability to become free from one's body, conscience, discipline or responsibility. Such conditions can cause harm to both the person himself and those around him. In any case, freedom is endowed with specificity and certainty. Therefore, it is not unconditional, but relative. But this does not mean that there are always some restrictions. Often they are nothing more than empowerment. It turns out that there is no need to strive for absolute personal freedom. It's an illusion.
Forms of interaction between society and the individual: retrospective analysis
A general overview of the history of previous “changes in vital centers” and corresponding changes in the development of the national spirit allows us to highlight one common feature, which concerns interaction with Western European tradition, culture and value system. Pre-Petrine Rus' developed without any significant contacts with the West and was more oriented toward Byzantium. When the need arose for the individualization of public life, these contacts were carried out through the “window to Europe” opened by Peter I. Russia returned from individualization to the priorities of community and collectivism, to the primacy of the state over the private lives of its citizens.
Thus, we can say with confidence that at the center of the history of the development of our national idea there are still periods of oscillation between the organization of life on the principles of individual freedom (characteristic of the European tradition) and the spirit of community, understood as conciliarity and collectivism. In this context, it is useful to try to look more closely at the foundations of these fundamentally different value systems, which nevertheless interact dialectically within a single social system based on the concept of interest.
It can be said that interest, understood as a set of long-term desires and aspirations, underlies any social system of human society. In addition, the interest of society as a whole, the state, consists of a combination of heterogeneous interests of social classes and groups, and everything ultimately comes down to the foundation, which is based on the interest of an individual or individual.
What does this initial, but very complex in its internal structure structure consist of? Even the simplest aspirations - for procreation, for freedom, for a happy life - a person cannot understand while he exists, because not only different, but also the same people over time begin to understand so differently what happiness, due to which freedom, in the name of which to continue the family line.
Any interest that goes beyond the personal not only correlates with the personal, but also to some extent opposes it. In this case, it even seems to have a nature completely different from personal; it does not follow from the personal, but is given from the outside, supported by the action of an objective law that does not depend on the will of the individual.
Accordingly, every person exists in two forms:
- In himself, when he dwells only in his soul and personal interests;
- In the world, when he is aware of himself in his relationship with the social environment, with the reality around him.
A society based on the priority of individual freedom has at its core a person who is different from the person who forms the basis of a communal, collectivist society. The difference is not that the former has a pronounced individuality, while the latter is dissolved in communal forms. Individuality and freedom of expression are, above all, innate to every person. But individual freedom presupposes a higher degree of independence of the individual from the surrounding social environment, a higher degree of isolation, separation of his life from the life of society. In the West, existing in his own spiritual essence, a person does not limit his own aspirations, desires, dreams, they can take on the boldest, most daring character. Here the boundaries of the possible are determined by the objective laws of existence of a given environment, here the personal interest of the individual meets the interests of other people, and from this interaction (in the West - on a purely rationalistic, pragmatic basis) a certain social role of the individual arises.
How to become a free person
First, realize that true freedom comes from within. It depends on attitudes embedded deep in the consciousness and subconscious. A free person has a number of distinctive features:
- Controls his instincts and reflexes. Thanks to this, he behaves correctly in society.
- He doesn’t set limits for himself, doesn’t dictate a strict regime. Free individuals subtly sense the signals of the body. They know when they need rest, when it is the best time to work or eat.
- A free person has no complexes. This is especially true for self-doubt and low self-esteem. These negative qualities take away vital energy and eat from the inside. That is why freedom from them takes so long to develop.
- Not at the mercy of emotions. A person dependent on feelings and sensations often commits rash acts. Afterwards he regrets them, but cannot change anything. As a result, another complex develops. A free person independent of emotions easily makes decisions, can evaluate his actions from the outside and consciously correct mistakes.
Another sign of a free person is childlike spontaneity along with adult thinking.
How to understand your own freedom
Ask yourself 4 questions:
- Am I an independent person? Your opinions and actions should not be influenced by external factors. Learn, develop, boldly move forward. There is no way to stop there.
- Do I have a favorite activity or hobby? A person who does not like work can hardly be called free and happy. Therefore, think about whether your hobby can be turned into a permanent source of income.
- Do I spend a lot of time reading? Start with books dedicated to self-development and self-knowledge. They may not add freedom. But you will know exactly where to move next.
- Can I control my emotions? This is probably the most difficult skill.
A free person has all the skills listed above. He lives as he sees fit. Focuses only on his own values and priorities, leaving behind the opinions of others. Do you act the same way? So you can be congratulated. You are a free person.
Differences between external and internal freedom
A person is free outwardly when he freely acts as he wants. No material restrictions, such as locks on doors or bars on windows, can stop him.
If we talk about internal freedom, then this concept is much more subtle. Let's say you go to a bakery and choose something delicious for yourself, focusing solely on your desires; no one influences you or persuades you to make a choice. Or the last piece of pie. Only you are given the chance to decide what to do with it - leave it to your neighbor or eat it yourself. But it also happens that politeness pretty much ruins the life of a well-mannered person.
Psychologists assure that a person always has the opportunity to choose. Remember old Freud. It was he who established the dependence of people on their pleasures, and no one has refuted this theory. By analogy with this point of view, we can talk about moral restrictions that go along with the concept of internal freedom. People must decide for themselves whether to eat a piece of the pie or show their good manners. Every person is free to do as he wishes, so when it seems that some decision has been imposed on you, dig deeper into your subconscious, evaluate your real desires.
Next, let's talk about the concept of internal personal freedom.
Practical recommendations
Following simple but effective tips will help you gain inner freedom and self-confidence.
Understand what's stopping you from being free
This must be done at the very beginning of the path to internal liberation. There are 7 factors that make a person dependent:
- fear, self-doubt, complexes;
- public opinion, stereotypes;
- dependence on money;
- inability to make choices independently.
Once you determine the reason for the lack of freedom, act decisively. Eliminate the listed factors one by one.
Conquer your internal barriers
These include all the same fears and complexes. This is usually a consequence of past failures. It also happens that parents, having failed in some business, unknowingly program their children for it. This is the first and most important barrier.
Be sincere to yourself
There are people around who know how to live your life. Do not rush to show a rebellious spirit and contradict them. Calmly listen to their opinion, but act as you see fit.
Remember, each person has his own life. And everyone is free to manage it in their own way.
But there is one thing. Before you learn to defend your opinion, you need to find it. Sincerely tell yourself what you think about this or that matter, decide on your desires and goals. Become an individual. This is a direct path to personal freedom.
Learn to make your own decisions
The lack of this skill makes people dependent. But why are they so afraid of independence? There are 2 reasons:
- Ignorance. The person does not know what to do next, is not sure of the correctness of the decisions made, and is afraid of the consequences. Changing the situation is easy. Explore the world around you. We are not talking about biology, botany and other sciences here. Get information about your rights and options. Make time for self-development.
- Lack of practice. How can you become independent and free if you don't practice making decisions? Of course, no one is protected from failures and mistakes. But inaction will not give you freedom. So don't be afraid to make your own choices. Take risks.
The main thing in the matter of independence is to want to change. If there is no such desire, there will be no progress either.
Free yourself from material dependence
Money provides many opportunities and a certain freedom of action. But if they are used incorrectly, they take a person into slavery. That is why financial well-being cannot be made the goal of your entire life.
There is no need to become a hermit. It's better to reconsider your attitude towards work. If possible, do something that generates income and at the same time gives positive emotions. This is personal freedom.
Constantly try new things
This advice can be rephrased: free your mind from the shackles that hold it back. Personal freedom implies the absence of restrictions and stereotypes. Their presence is called slavery. It's easy to get rid of. Open yourself to new sensations, knowledge, emotions. Try new activities, learn foreign languages, meet interesting people. In no time, you will feel unprecedented freedom. Traveling will also help you free yourself. Take time to visit new places. You don't have to go to another continent. You can go to a neighboring city this coming weekend or even explore unexplored corners of your own.
Read
Particular attention should be paid to the biographies of famous people who managed to become independent. Their example will be a motivation, an incentive to develop and move forward. The result is personal freedom, good mood, self-confidence.
Learn to manage your own life
Otherwise someone else will do it. A person who constantly doubts himself easily becomes a victim of manipulators. Therefore, take responsibility for yourself. Don't be led by others. Don't do anything you don't like. Learn to live according to your desires and views.
Surround yourself with worthy people
It is important that there are those around whom you want to imitate. Life is a kind of role-playing game. And, most likely, there is a character in it that you want to be like. There is no need to mindlessly copy his behavior and actions. This is already a certain amount of slavery. Learn from the examples of successful people about determination, perseverance and independence.
Never compare yourself to others. On the one hand, competition encourages you to become better. On the other hand, it is often the cause of depression and self-doubt.
Give yourself permission to act impulsively
Remember, you don’t have to live according to a set schedule. The day is not just oatmeal and coffee with milk for breakfast, work and a light dinner. First of all, these are new emotions. Do you want a Mojito and seafood for dinner today? Why not allow yourself such a deviation from the rules? Or maybe you want to add a little pop of color to your casual office attire? Take action!
The absence of monotony in life equals personal freedom.
Filosofio.Ru
Human freedom is the opportunity and ability to act in the direction of realizing one’s own interests. A person, as noted above, can not only adapt to the reality around him, but also change this reality itself, adapt it “for himself.” At the same time, the freedom of human will inevitably runs into natural and social necessity. There are three models for resolving this conflict of freedom and necessity: 1. A person tries to recklessly and unconditionally impose his will on the world around him, at all costs to realize his goals. At the same time, he ignores the effect of objective natural and social laws. As a rule, such attempts end in failure. For example, a person is trying to grow plants that require a lot of heat and sunlight in a risky farming zone, in northern latitudes. Or it implants the institutions of liberal democracy in a country that is at the stage of feudalism. This model of behavior is called voluntarism. 2. Striving to put his ideas into practice, a person is faced with the harsh realities of life that seem insurmountable and paralyze his will. From this he concludes that it is impossible to go against the laws of nature and abandons his original plans. This position is called fatalism (from the Latin fatum - fate). 3. In his activities, a person proceeds from the fact that the laws of nature and society are objective in nature, that is, they act independently of the will, desires and interests of man. Therefore, the optimal solution is to know these laws and use them for your own purposes. According to the law of universal gravitation, any body heavier than air, thrown upward, will certainly fall to the ground. But man, without challenging this law, nevertheless created flying machines capable of overcoming gravity and moving in airspace. Freedom in this case is manifested in a person’s ability to act not contrary to necessity, but in agreement with it, in using the law in the interests of freedom. F. Engels generalized this understanding of freedom with the following definition: “Freedom is a perceived necessity”36. Human freedom is tested not only in collision with necessity, but also in contact with the freedom of another person. The fact that many people live in the same living space, each of whom has their own ideas about what life should be, inevitably leads to conflicts. Thomas Hobbes, one of the authors of social contract theory, called this state of original freedom a “war of all against all.” The only reasonable way out of the situation of a clash of free wills is to reach agreement, which should be based on a restriction of freedom. To oversee compliance with this restriction, institutions of state and law were established, which, through coercion, ensure an average measure of freedom in society. Necessity, this time in social form, stands in the way of free will. There is a rather hackneyed maxim about this: “You cannot live in society and be free from society.” The knowledge about man that we have today gives reason to doubt that absolute free will, understood as the ability and possibility of a person to act in accordance with his ideas about life, really exists. There are a lot of objective factors that determine people’s behavior from the outside, making it unfree. These are: climate and other natural phenomena; ideological propaganda; parental influence; exposure to advertising; social prejudices, etc. Our actions and thoughts are largely influenced by biological potential, social environment, upbringing and education. This circumstance gives rise not only to theoretical conflicts, but also to practical difficulties. For example, a soldier in a war, following orders, kills people and destroys things. He does this not of his own free will and desire, but in obedience to orders from above. He is not free, that is, in essence, he does not belong to himself. The boundaries of armed violence in war are quite blurred, and this creates the problem of excessive, excessive use of force, bordering on a war crime. How moral and legal is it to blame the military for such crimes if they are not free in their actions? Another circumstance that casts doubt on the possibility of free will is explained by the theory and practice of psychoanalysis. Research by psychoanalysts proves that human assessments, judgments and actions are to one degree or another predetermined by factors that are not consciously recognized by people, forming the sphere of the so-called “unconscious”. Therefore, even when a person acts, as he himself believes, freely, his behavior is still determined. Often a person is given freedom to choose one or another course of action, but the rules that guide him in this free choice are not established by him, but are given from the outside. He cannot influence the content of these rules and bear responsibility for them, and therefore the action he chooses is not free. The philosophical position that asserts that human freedom does not exist is called determinism. The position of indeterminism, on the contrary, allows, to varying degrees, freedom of human will. The history of philosophy has accumulated many arguments in favor of both the first and second points of view. The most heated discussions between followers of determinism and indeterminism take place in the field of theology. All world religions proceed from the fact that human life in every detail is predetermined by God's providence. God, being the Absolute, has omniscience, omnipotence and omnibenevolence and therefore nothing happens without his will. Otherwise he would not be the Absolute. In addition to the theological justification for determinism, there is a philosophical one that follows from the statement: “Every event must have a cause.” The English philosopher David Hume, who paid more attention to the problem of philosophical justification of causality than others, argued that in acts of will one can find the same sequence and alternation that exists in natural events. And therefore, it is possible to predict with sufficient accuracy what a person’s choice will be in a given situation. Determinism is supported by facts recorded in various branches of scientific knowledge: discoveries have been made in psychology, neurophysiology, and biochemistry that allow us to assert that human behavior is controlled at all stages, from conception to its practical implementation. However, despite the convincing arguments put forward by the party of determinism, the arguments of opponents are no less impressive and convincing. Proponents of the doctrine of free will proceed from the fact that a person is free to the extent that he is aware of his freedom. Therefore, a person can be free, even while in captivity, and, on the contrary, will be unfree, living in a democratic society itself. After the creation of quantum mechanics, indeterminists are trying to take advantage of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, according to which even in nature, at the level of elementary particles, there is no strict causal determination of events. If this is possible in nature, then even more so it is possible in relation to humans. A strong argument in favor of free will is the presence of a conscience in a person. Feelings of shame and remorse for an act committed can only be understood based on the fact that people are free, that is, they could not have done what they did. The fact that free will exists is evidenced by holding people accountable for their actions. If there is no free will, then how can a person be punished for a criminal act he has committed? After all, we do not prosecute a wolf that kills a sheep, or a landslide that buries a mountain village, because we do not consider these objects to be free and responsible for their actions. How, then, does man differ from them, if we consider him unfree? Freedom should not be perceived as some kind of gift to man from nature or God, intended to provide him with a calm and comfortable life. Freedom is always a choice, which means responsibility for the results of this choice. It is rare that the choice of the optimal course of action is made based on knowledge of all the features of the situation and possible consequences. There is always the possibility of risk. Only the animal does not take risks, because it does not choose, but follows the dictates of the law - the instinct of self-preservation. This is the most reliable guide in a world where everything is subordinated to necessity. The responsibility that accompanies freedom is the cause of the phenomenon that has been called “flight from freedom.”37 This phenomenon is explained by the contradiction between the external freedom that is provided to the individual by social and state institutions, and his inability to realize these opportunities and identify for himself the prospects that open up with them. A.I. Herzen said on this occasion that a person cannot be freed externally to a greater extent than he is free internally. If a person does not realize what freedom is, he naturally begins to fear it. A clear confirmation of the reality of the phenomenon of “flight from freedom” can be considered the attitude of the average Russian citizen to the political, economic and social transformations that began in the country since the collapse of the USSR and the formation of Russia as a sovereign state. The rejection of a planned, state-regulated economy and the course towards creating a market economy encountered the psychological unpreparedness of people to live in a society where everyone is “the architect of their own happiness and well-being.” The theme of freedom is closely related to the problems of military service. In all countries and among all peoples, military service is considered one of the most strenuous activities associated with significant hardships and hardships. As a rule, the specificity of military service is seen in the fact that it is directly related to risk and danger to life, with the fact that a military person must be ready to go into battle at any moment. This is true. However, the real tragedy of military service does not lie in the dangers that accompany it. A miner who goes down to the mine every day risks his life and health no less than a military man. A policeman patrolling a crime-dangerous area can be attacked and killed at any moment, and a firefighter who goes out to fire several times during a shift is exposed to many dangerous factors that are not always encountered in combat. Danger is not only the destiny of a military man. But only a military man, due to the specifics of his profession, is limited in the most valuable right for a person - freedom. Moreover, this restriction is voluntary and conscious. The main virtue of a military man is the ability to obey orders and the ability to give these orders. The first involves subordinating one's will to the will of a superior commander, and the second is accompanied by imposing one's will on subordinates. If the order is not carried out, then success in battle or in a special operation, which are the main elements of war, is impossible. A person who is not aware of the need and importance of self-restraint of will, manifested in unconditional obedience to orders, will never become a professional military man. A review of various aspects of freedom as an essential feature of a person allows us to conclude that freedom is inherent in every person as an opportunity to project their subjective intentions into the outside world. However, the real existence of freedom presupposes its awareness by man. In other words, a person is free to the extent that he is aware of what freedom is, what opportunities and what consequences are associated with it. Therefore, the development of a person does not mean the emergence of some qualitatively new abilities or characteristics in him, but is associated with the development of the consciousness of freedom. A person will be considered a fully developed person when he finally realizes what it means to be free. But for now he is only at the beginning of this path. To understand the features and prospects of human development, it is necessary to understand the currently existing concepts of anthropogenesis.
