Can there ever be too much freedom? (For example, a complete freedom from laws results in anarchy.)
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15 comments:
I'm not sure that there's such a thing as "too much" freedom. Freedom is a concept which I don't think can really be measured. For one thing, you can't have freedom without restriction. It would not exist without its opposition. There would be no such thing because really, if there were no restrictions, would we even have the word freedom? If there were no opposite, the concept of freedom might be a reality, but it would be everyone's reality. And it wouldn't even be taken for granted because no one would be aware that they were free. It's a tricky philosophical topic which I love to discuss.
So, I think there can't be such a thing as too much freedom because it's too dependent on restriction. Sure, maybe there are levels of freedom, but complete freedom isn't realistic because our concepts would be skewed. True, if we freed all society from laws there would be anarchy, but if we lived in a society that never had any rules ever, in all its history, freedom would not exist. Because everyone would be free, no one would be free in a way.
I agree with Anna that it's hard to define freedom and hard to draw a line past which there's too much of it. I think it's much easier to see where there's too little freedom or too many restrictions on basic rights. For instance, I believe an absence of freedoms of religion, speech, etc. is too restrictive. But after basic rights, giving or allowing specific freedoms becomes much more complicated. There also comes a point where the freedom stops being someone else's to give or take. For instance, let's say every time I speak out against something, I get thrown in jail. One could say that is a restriction of my freedom, but if I just keep speaking out, getting thrown in jail, getting released from jail, and speaking out again and again, then that choice and that freedom are still mine. My English class watched the movie "Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." A general in it gives out orders to drop nuclear weapons on Russia, and the President finds out and asks, "Aren't I the only person authorized to order the use of nuclear weapons?" Yes, the president was the only person with the technical freedom to drop the bomb, but that didn't stop this other general from doing it himself anyway. Maybe that general was given too much freedom? How though? His job was to give orders to his subordinates some of which could have come from the president. How were they to have known? If that's too much freedom, how do you restrict it without incapacitating the general's position?
It is true freedom is a very difficult thing to define. But society ,right now, has created some what of a definition for freedom. I do believe that too much freedom is possible, and that it can cause major anarchy. It doesn't have to be total chaos. Sometimes, it can be found in subtle ways. For example, people buy new electronical items because it's new and it's not because they need it. When there is too much freedom, people start to do whatever they feel like. Freedom is something that people have to be responsible of. It is something that should not be taken lightly.
i think everyone has freedom in all the country unless your country is communist.because, if you give to much freedom there is goin to be so much problems. people will do what ever they want. they will break the law. thats why i think people are fine as they are rite now
Just a side note: people who live in communist countries sitll have freedom. It's just curtailed a little bit more. Communism embraces the greatest good for the many, so they really share in freedom. But they're still free.
It is impossible to give a country complete freedom without it turning into a complete hell. A world with no rules or regulations is a world where everyone basically kills each other. In every city in every country, rules are essential. If everyone had the right to do whatever they want, nothing would be able to stop thiefs, murderers, or drug dealers. Nothing would stop anyone from killing each other and taking each others goods. This is proven in the novel, "Lord of the Flies." In the novel, a group of little kids are abandoned on an island with no government and are forced to create their own, new society. By the end of the book, it becomes obvious that a society without rules cannot last at all. The kids end up killing each other and turn into complete and utter savages. In a world with complete freedom, humans will regress into savages and nothing would be able to stop it.
I think that there can be too much freedom. Not to hate on communism or anything but I think that if everyone in the world was under democratic governments, the world would be a better place. In America we call ourselves the land of the free, and in a sense we are a land of the free, but we are given regulations that we need to follow in order to keep that freedom. In that way we are making sure that no one is completely free. Because we have seen in history that when a nation or a group of people are given complete freedom with no rules to follow or no one to lead, shit goes buck nasty. Until someone proves strong enough to lead and when that happens all freedoms are taken away. So to sum up I do think that there can be too much freedom, and that the way things are right now allows for people to have a good amount of freedom, but not too much that the establishment is to me worried and a nation can not run effectively.
Michael Ignasiak
Iggy
Period 8-9
I think their is a point of too much freedom, at least in the sense of a society. On a personal level, I don't think their is too much freedom unless it interferes with others rights, like you can't just use the neighbors pool and throw a party without his/hers consent. In a society their is indeed a limit of too much freedom. When the amount of rights given to a person surpasses the order of society people will start to enter into anarchy. Without order everyone will think they can do almost what ever they want. When it reaches that far, the society can't function correctly, and in those situations anyone can step up into power and take control, and when that happens freedoms can then be greatly limited. In the French revolution, when they were in chaos, Napoleon was able to step up and become Empire, going against the ideas of a republic, which the French originally where trying to do.
I think there will never be too much freedom. I think our freedom is better than some countries.In some countries they can't do the thing we do. So I think we should value our freedom.
I think there will never be too much freedom. I think our freedom is better than some countries.In some countries they can't do the thing we do. So I think we should value our freedom.
The famous philosophers Locke and Hobbes both believed that men are born free, but that while everyone was completely free, no one was safe either. They reasoned that in order to provide safety for men that each should give up some rights in exchange for protection. For example, if men give up their right to take what ever they want, then they also receive protection from theft.
The two differed on the how and why, but both of them essentially agreed that men were born with freedom, but that it was too much to handle, and ultimately they all submitted to governments.
Locke believed that people are essentially good. They just need a little guidance. Men are driven into society because they need the protection. The ruler of men is sovereign. He is their ruler and he is to be obeyed.
Hobbes believed that people are essentially self-interested. They need to be ruled or else they will kill each other with war. Men are whipped into society by a masterful leader. The ruler of men is the ruler of men because he was assigned to protect them. If he is not protecting them, he should be replaced.
Today, we live in a society that (after having slaughtered and mistreated various minorities) has become very aware of oppressing other people. This is why we have concepts like affirmative action and equal employment opportunities: we must make sure that everyone is equally free to explore the same avenues of education and careers.
Dana aka "Sunshine"
Too much freedom can be a bad thing depending on the persons. When too much freedom is given to the wrong people things can get out of control and serious rebellions can occur. When freedom is put in the hands of the right people that is how new ideas are developed and expressed. I think the ammount of freedom and how positive or negative it is all depends on the person.
I don't think there is a thing as too much freedom. We as a country have earned our freedom and continue to work hard to maintain it. There is a saying freedom isnt free, and i agree with that. Right this second, people are fighting to help us stay free and help us stay strong. Freedom in the hands of the right people, can do great things such as change the world. Think about if people did not have the freedom to think, learn and apply what they have learned to real life. Society would not be what it is today, we would not have half the things we do now such as, cures for diseases or even new technology. I also see that if there was an endless amount of freedom, society would go nuts. You can not just take things from othher people because you want to. Yes, there are laws that restrict people from doing certain things, but if there were no laws society would be out of control. Freedom is a hard thing to define. True we have restrictions but I do not think there can be too much freedom.
Over two centuries ago, the last war that the French ever won took place. This time period (1789-1799) was known as the French Revolution in which both sides were French (no wonder they won), but one side was the nobles and clergy while the other side was everyone else. During this time, there was a complete absence of government with violence everywhere – an anarchy.
While the main purpose of the protagonists of the war was to achieve freedom from the corrupt authority of the church and nobles, the majority were not looking for a complete absence of leadership, but rather, a democracy.
Freedom is one of the main principals that our country was founded on and continues to uphold (to a certain extent) today. However, we still have many freedoms that are lacking, some of the following which others may find controversial. There is the freedom of marriage no matter the gender, no matter the number of marriages (polygamy), the freedom of abortion, the freedom to be in possession of heavy weapons (machineguns, tanks, even nukes), the freedom to steal, the freedom to murder, and the list goes on. Inferably, the belief that there can never be too much freedom is permitting the freedom of all the above stated actions and everything else, and thus, freedom, as great and innocent as it may sound, requires its limits like everything else in our world.
There is no such thing as too much freedom. Freedom is something that is black and white: you either have it or you dont. Too much freedom is like saying there's air outside. You can't have too much air, because that wouldn't even make sense. However you can have too little air, in which case surviving would be a bit more of a challenge. While you can't have too much freedom, the possibility of manipulating or taking advantage of that freedom still exists. in which case anarchy ensues.
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