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- Freedom can be achieved through inner sovereignty.]] Freedom is narrowly defined by Classic Liberals and Neoliberals as the ability to act without restraint from the government, or more broadly defined as the ability to have access to particular resources from the government without constraint by Social Liberals and most variants of Socialism . Defined thusly, 'freedom' is a broad notion, not necessarily covering the same field as ' Free Will '. The protection of interpersonal freedom can be the object of a social and political investigation, while the metaphysical foundation of inner freedom is a Philosophical and Psychological question. Both forms of freedom come together in each individual as the internal and external values mesh together in a dynamic compromise and power struggle; the society fighting for power in defining the values of individuals and the individual fighting for societal acceptance and respect in establishing one's own values in it. IN PHILOSOPHY An absence of restraint The Philosopher Isaiah Berlin drew an important distinction between "freedom ''from''" ( Negative Freedom ) and "freedom ''to''" ( Positive Freedom ). For example, freedom ''from'' oppression and freedom ''to'' develop one's potential. Both these types of freedom are in fact reflected in the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights . Freedom as the absence of restraint means unwilling to subjugate, lacking submission, or without forceful inequality. The achievement of this form of freedom depends upon a combination of the resistance of the individual (or group) and one's (their) environment; if one is in jail or even limited by a lack of resources, this person is free within their power and environment, but not free to defy reality. Natural laws restrict this form of freedom; for instance, no one is free to fly (though we may or may not be free to attempt to do so). Isaiah Berlin appears to call this kind of freedom "negative freedom" - an absence of obstacles put in the way of my action (especially by other people). He distinguishes this from "positive freedom", which refers to my power to make choices leading to action. Freedom has often been used a rallying cry for Revolution or Rebellion . For instance, the Bible records the story of Moses leading his people out of Egypt and its oppression (slavery), and into freedom to worship God. In his famous " I Have A Dream " speech Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted an old spiritual song sung by black American slaves: "''Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!''" Inner autonomy In the context of internal control, freedom is also known as self-determination, individual sovereignty, or Autonomy . Freedom can also signify inner autonomy, or mastery over one's inner condition. This has several possible significances: Wolf, Susan, ''Freedom Within Reason''
In a play by 's poem echoes this experience: :Stone walls do not a prison make :Nor iron bars a cage :Minds innocent and quiet take :That for an hermitage Notable 20th Century individuals who have exemplified this form of freedom include Nelson Mandela , Rabbi Leo Baeck , Gandhi , Lech Wałęsa and Václav Havel . The French Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that the condition of freedom was inherent to humanity, an inevitable facet of the possession of a soul and sapience, with the implication that all social interactions subsequent to birth imply a loss of freedom, voluntarily or involuntarily. In those with spiritual beliefs, freedom may encompass the peaceful acceptance of reality. The theological question of freedom generally focuses on reconciling the experience or reality of inner freedom with the omnipotence of the divine. HISTORICAL ORIGINS The '' Ama-gi '', a Sumerian cuneiform word, is the earliest known written symbol representing the idea of freedom. Our English word "freedom" comes from an Indo-European root that means "to love." Cognates of the English word "freedom" include the Old High German word for "peace" and our English word "afraid" from a Vulgar Latin word for breaking the peace. USAGE , a personification of Liberty.]]
REFERENCES BIBLIOGRAPHY
Isaiah Berlin, ''Four Essays on Liberty''. London: Oxford University Press, 1969. SEE ALSO
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