Freedom

[Berzerker]

living in a community doesn't restrict my freedom...laws and regulations enforced by the community might

 

[civvver]

Perhaps democracy is the process by which we attempt to work out shared definitions of freedom? Or, at least, which definitions which we are putting our collective weight behind.

More like collectively deciding what limitations to put on an individual's freedom for the collective and individual good of all. Like taxes are coercion, but we have collectively decided that having taxes to fund government services is for the collective good and elevates the individual more than no taxes would. So we decide to give up that bit of freedom.

 

[Traitorfish]

More like collectively deciding what limitations to put on an individual's freedom for the collective and individual good of all. Like taxes are coercion, but we have collectively decided that having taxes to fund government services is for the collective good and elevates the individual more than no taxes would. So we decide to give up that bit of freedom.

But you can also say that we accept taxation because they ultimately maximise freedom: that the freedom of not having to worry too much about infrastructure or social services, that the removal of the constraints placed on a person by a wholly privatised society, outweighs the constraints placed on them by a given degree of taxation. Most people accept this more or less implicitly; for all the heated rhetoric about taxation being theft, they only really disagree on the size and distribution of the tax burden.

 

[Zkribbler]

living in a community doesn't restrict my freedom...laws and regulations enforced by the community might

Are you suggesting freedom through anarchy

 

[Berzerker]

As much as my imagine Berzerker and myself would interpret the above quite definitely, I have to say that it's about as concise and elegant a definition of "freedom" as you're likely to get.

I stole it from the dictionary, but I will take credit for choosing the one that sounded best to me

Are you suggesting freedom through anarchy

I think they're similar, but no, just that the definition of freedom is not violated by living in a community. But the laws passed by the community might go further than laws allowed by the 'consent of the governed' and remove that freedom. For example, traffic laws dont violate our freedom but drug laws do.

 

[Moriarte]

How do you define freedom? Does freedom have an end? What would a free society look like?

Ability to determine my way of life

My freedom ends where other's freedom begins.

People living in harmony with each other and the world around them.

 

[civvver]

But you can also say that we accept taxation because they ultimately maximise freedom: that the freedom of not having to worry too much about infrastructure or social services, that the removal of the constraints placed on a person by a wholly privatised society, outweighs the constraints placed on them by a given degree of taxation. Most people accept this more or less implicitly; for all the heated rhetoric about taxation being theft, they only really disagree on the size and distribution of the tax burden.

Hmm I didn't think freedom from worry about social services was freedom in this definition. It's most like providing more opportunities. You have more choices. That doesn't make you more or less free. Freedom is the ability to choose, not the number of choices you have. My 2 cents anyway.

And in modern society yes everyone except some fringes have accepted taxes and realize we get way more in services than we pay in taxes. Debt's and printing money and money theory is a wonderful thing! I appreciate roads and sewers and not having to homeschool my children, at which I would fail miserably.