More on Free Will and Freedom

Are free will and freedom different?

VAL:  I am confused about the concept of free will and freedom.  Aren't they the same thing?

LEE:  Free will and freedom are different.  Both concepts are confusing as they can have different meanings.

Free will, can mean:

1. Voluntary choice or decision. (call this free will-1)
2. The supposed capacity of humans to make decisions or perform actions independently of any prior event or state of the universe [1]. (free will-2)
3. The capacity of humans to influence their future decisions for the good of themselves, others and/or the environment. (free will-3)

Ordinary people obviously have free will-1.

However, I don't believe humans have free will-2.  When I think back on major decisions I made, and if I were to turn back time, with exactly the same circumstances, with the same me at that time, I don't think I could have done anything different. 

However, I believe humans could have limited free will-3.  For example, a person could have done a bit better at school examinations, or could have played a bit better at a badminton game.  These minor decisions or actions could make a difference in a person's life in the long term.

Freedom can mean:

1. The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved. (call this freedom-1) 
2. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants [2]. (freedom-2)
3. The ability to be free of worries, anxiety, unnecessary fear and conflicts, hatred, delusion, prejudice, bad habits, addiction, unwarranted attachment etc.(freedom-3)

Is freedom necessarily good?

LEE: Most people would agree that innocent citizens should not be imprisoned or enslaved.  Thus, in this sense, freedom-1 is a good thing, and innocent citizens should be free.  

Freedom-2 is not necessarily a good thing though. The freedom of powerful people to bully others as they want is obviously not a good thing.  Of course, people should be able to do and say things within reason.

Freedom-3 is the type of freedom that can give people true happiness.  Some people possibly can attain freedom-3 through meditation, self discipline etc. 

Is freedom is a virtue?

VAL: Shouldn't individual aim to live freely?

LEE: If we are talking about freedom-2, not necessarily.  People should aim to do the right thing, to be good people.  That means people should not aim to be free to do bad things.  

However, if we are talking about freedom-3, then yes. People should aim to attain freedom-3.  

Should liberty be a political ideal?

VAL: Shouldn't governments aim to give as much freedom as possible to their citizens except when that freedom can harm others?

LEE: Assuming you are talking about freedom-2, then not necessarily.  For example, the right of citizens to get additive, harmful drugs is not a good thing.  

VAL: The Liberal Party claims that they believe "in the inalienable rights and freedoms of all peoples.[3]"  What do you think about that statement?

LEE: I think that statement is misleading.  The freest form of government is anarchy (in terms of freedom-2).  I don't think the Liberal Party is promoting anarchy.  Liberal governments do not allow people to get suicide medications as they want.  Nudity, which harms no one, is also generally not allowed.

Therefore, the Liberal Party does not actually believe in complete freedom-2 for all citizens. 

Thus, political parties believe in different degrees of freedom-2 for their citizens.

Authoritarian governments and freedom

VAL: Is it true that people living in authoritarian countries do not have freedom?

LEE: In most countries, even in authoritarian countries, most people are not in prison or enslaved.  So most people in these countries have freedom-1.

Like Australian governments under different political parties, governments around the world allow different degrees of freedom-2 to their citizens due to many factors.  

Possibly there would be countries with a more spiritual environment and their citizens would have more freedom-3.

Are citizens in "Free" countries freer?

VAL:Are citizens in countries like Australia always freer than those in authoritarian societies?

LEE: It is likely that some countries have more people in prison unjustly (less freedom-1) and have more restrictive laws and customs (less freedom-2).

However, conceivably citizens of more spiritual countries could have more freedom-3.

Reference:

1. The explanation is based on article in: https://www.britannica.com/topic/free-will.
2. Definitions are based on: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
3. https://www.liberal.org.au/our-beliefs