Are We Truly Free?

Freedom is an abstract concept

Freedom isn't tangible. We can't hold, weigh, or point to a physical object called "freedom." I suppose that makes it harder to define or measure. We can see tangible results from freedom, but it still remains a societal construct. It can also be a feeling.

Many of us like to believe we are free.

We choose what we eat, who we love, where we work and how we spend our time. But how many of those choices are actually our own?

Consider a simple decision. You choose a career. But where did that preference come from? Your upbringing? Your parents? Your education? The people you admire? Your desire for financial security? If every choice is influenced by something that came before it, can we still call ourselves free?

Imagine someone who has spent their entire life being told what they should become. They eventually choose that path willingly. Are they free because nobody forced them, or have they simply internalised someone else's expectations?

And what about our desires? We often say, “I chose this because I wanted it.” But where did the wanting come from? We don't choose our biology, our childhood, our fears or many of the experiences that shape us.

Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.

The quote above is from Epictetus, but is it true? Because why do we wish for what we do? I often wonder if our choices are really ours. But perhaps freedom isn't about being completely independent from every influence. Perhaps it is about recognising those influences and deciding what to do with them.

Beyond individual choice and control

We can define freedom as the ability to choose. That sounds rather simple until we ask another question: how much control do we really have over ourselves? It may be a question of free will.

Existentialist thinkers often placed enormous importance on personal responsibility. If there is no predetermined script for our lives, then we are responsible for creating our own direction. But that freedom can be frightening. It means we cannot always blame circumstance, society or other people for the person we become.

Knowing that we are shaped by forces we didn't choose, what responsibility do we have for the choices we make anyway?