Freedom or Liberty!
Whew! There are as many definitions as there are people; so, when in
doubt, I refer to Webster’s Ninth Collegiate Dictionary. It's not the six-inch thick unabridged job used by some - but I must use what I have.
Under “freedom” are many definitions, but the one closest to our thread
seems to be:
“the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action.”
Under synonyms is the following discussion:
“Freedom, liberty, and license mean the power or condition of acting
without compulsion. Freedom has a broad range of application from total
absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or
frustrated. Liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion.
License implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote
an abuse of freedom.”
The nuances of meaning surely have been debated and will continue to
be debated among scholars and non-scholars alike. For me, I have to
keep definitions simple if I am to understand and remember their
application. Surely that introduces some level of inaccuracy.
I believe our rights extend to the tip of the other guy’s nose. So long as
we do not injure or oppress others without due cause, I believe we
should leave each other to our own opinions.
For me to enforce my values upon you would be oppression. Therefore,
your views, as interesting as I may find them, are uniquely yours. We
can discuss each other’s views, we can try to “convert” each other (
),
but we shouldn’t try to enforce our views on others unless one of us is
causing a problem.
So, it seems to me that whole mess is filled with value judgements! I
may feel hunting is wrong - you are “oppressing” those poor, cute little
ground squirrels (that’s for DC
). But until the effects of your
murderous .22 rifle go off your property, I really don’t think it’s any of
my business.
Same thing for most political, philosophical, and religious opinions. If
you don’t want guns on your property, that’s your business. If you don’t
want guns on MY property - the fight’s on!
Freedom or Liberty? Which are we supposed to have? Well, I'll let the real scholars sort it out. Me? I want both, for both of us.
[This message has been edited by Dennis (edited September 27, 1999).]