Does Absolute Freedom Exist Essay - 860 Words

Does absolute freedom exist? In Joel M. Charon’s article, â€Å"Are Human Beings Free?†, he explores this question. Charon makes it a point that the answer is not as simple as it may seem to be. Throughout the article he focuses a lot on the idea that human beings thoughts and actions are highly controlled by social forces. Charon sees freedom as a person s ability to control these aspects of life. He also believes â€Å"to be free means that the individual is active, not passive, is self-directed rather than directed, chooses direction rather than influenced† (Charon, 2012, p.111). In order to be free a person must have control over his/her thoughts. However, Charon realizes there are many social factors that influence our thoughts which in turn causes our freedom to become limited. It is also apparent that even if someone is able to think freely they may not be able to act freely on their thoughts, which again causes freedom to become limited. Along with this, the idea that the culture/society were born into is what shapes the way we think and act is brought up. Every culture has its own set of rules and beliefs that influence the people of that culture. Society plays a role by placing people into differing social classes. People in higher classes are taught to act, dress, and think differently than that of someone in a lower class. Social class also affects the opportunities a person may be given. People in the lower classes will have less opportunities than people in higherShow MoreRelated‘Freedom of Speech Means the Freedom to Offend.1372 Words   |  6 Pageshear. This sentence sums up the very essence of free speech; it is, as Orwell believed, the mother of all civil rights. Without the unconditional freedom to offend it cannot exist. Ideas are, more often than not, dangerous things. There is little point in having freedom of speech if it only defends the most popular and innocuous of opinions. The freedom to offend can perpetra te racial, social or religious intolerance; however, conversely, it is also the only means available to fight against such bigotryRead MorePerfection, An End Or Then End1523 Words   |  7 Pageshere as situational because the species adapt in nature to be the most efficient within a particular environment and need to change as the environment changes. He does not describe species adapting to be the most efficient in every environment and confines them to a specific situation. The goal or end is not stagnant making an absolute perfection impossible. To take this idea of perfection further it can be considered in a social context. Hegel presents the idea of perfection as embodied by the stateRead More Definition Essay - Defining Freedom713 Words   |  3 PagesDefinition Essay – Defining Freedom Is it possible to define freedom? To define freedom is more than a difficult task, but perhaps easier than one might imagine if not overanalyzed. Given ample time to consider the task, however, a simple, sufficient definition can present itself: freedom is the ability to choose, for any creature living life in any place in any time. There is no greater truth to the statement, and no underlying meanings; freedom is simply the ability to choose. Read MoreTruth Is Not Moral Truth1273 Words   |  6 Pagesdefines truth as â€Å"the property of being in accord with fact or reality.† With one universe, which follows a definite set of laws, only one reality exists. Therefore, with one reality, only one, absolute truth exists. In recent years, with â€Å"social progress,† truth has been under attack. Many are not willing to accept the truth as it is, as they view absolute fact as offensive and emotionally damaging. People are told that truth is relative; they are encouraged to tailor the truth to their opinionsRead MoreMonarchy Vs. Democracy By Thomas Hobbes And John Locke1655 Words   |  7 Pagesof Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, one can see that democracy creates the most beneficial outcome. Hobbes had a pessimistic view of people. He believed humans were selfish, doing anything to further their own position in life. Hobbes believed in an absolute monarchy, a government that gave all the power to a king or queen. Even though he distrusted democracy, he believed that a diverse group of representatives present the problems of the common people would prevent a king from being unfair and cruelRead MoreA Thesis Statement : Monarchy And Democracy1476 Words   |  6 Pagesgovernment is to protect individual liberties and rights. Locke notes in chapter 10 in his book, Second Treatise of Government, he uses the word â€Å"commonwealth†. Locke explains that he does not explicitly mean democracy. He rather uses â€Å"commonwealth† to accentuate that the community, regardless of its form of government, exists for the good of all. Locke believed that all people were born with a certain amount of rights. In Locke’s view, people in the state of nature are free and independent. HoweverRead MoreThe aim of politics in moder politica thought1260 Words   |  6 Pagesthe word of God. There was an absolute standard of justice that people had to follow. The ruler or sovereign was taught to act morally in order to be successful and gain spiritual happiness; morality and politics were unified, religion played an important role in the decision making. A ruler had to act accordingly based on the standards and moral ideas of ancient civilizations and the government, this meant, recognizing that there was an absolute right and an absolute wrong. The ruler and societyRead MoreFreedom And The Pursuit Of Identity. From The Beginning957 Words   |  4 PagesFreedom and the Pursuit of Identity From the beginning of the novel, Antoine battles the governing forces of both the absolute and the relative for any aspect of individuality in an overwhelmingly meaningless world. He fights passionately and dizzily against the physical nausea that stirs in him, existence being both superfluous and erratic, and the unscrupulous monster (time) that conspires against freedom. Throughout the novel, Sartre never directly defines freedom because doing so would be contradictoryRead MoreWhat Is The Status Of Liberty Is It?958 Words   |  4 Pagesliberty that is explained by Hobbes is negative liberty, which Merriam Webster dictionary defines as freedom from intrusion by exogenous forces. Negative liberty principally deals with freedom from external limitation in the Leviathan (Harrington, 2005). According to Hobbes, the status of liberty is contingent upon the existence of a ruler. Under a sovereign leader all subjects have absolute liberty. Hobbes says that subjects are completely free because the only chains restraining them are lawsRead MoreAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut s Harrison Bergeron 873 Words   |  4 Pagesestablish both a complet freedom and absolute equality. You can see this in the constatnt struggle for social and economic equality of the black people in America from activist such as Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington, to 1960‘s civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Malcolm X. You can also see this in the struggle of the Gays and lesbians communities for marriage equality, and in Women the pursuit for equal rights in pay etc. Living in societies of total freedom and complete equality