freedom

[cacian]

what does freedom mean to you?

liberty comes to mind but I am not sure it could equalise it.

[Mohammad Ahmad]

There is difference between Liberation and Freedom, the first one has more vulgar meaning.
freedom always includes gaining of the personal rights for a person or for a nation in living , use their social and their historical heritage in writing or transferring their culture as anything can be put under self- determination, so that I think " freedom" has wide meaning than liberty which its meaning is only get rid from the outside control

[mal4mac]

Dictionary:

liberty - "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's behaviour or political views."

So freedom is a more general concept, containing that of liberty. As an adult, in modern liberal democracies, you can gain freedom from the influence of your parents, or the church, by your individual effort. No one is forcing you to do what they say. So freedom can be an individual choice.

I don't think either "liberty" or "freedom" are vulgar concepts. They may be applied in a vulgar way.

[Mohammad Ahmad]

As you know and others know that the English language is a second language to me but let me explain for you ( mal4mac) how the word liberty contains vulgar meaning:
When someone utilizes another one to be as a slave following his purpose, and going humiliating him even using the last for sexual things, hence the desire for liberty begins.
Just in this sense the word liberty or liberation has vulgar purpose. it is not who I created but I heard

[cacian]

There is difference between Liberation and Freedom, the first one has more vulgar meaning.
freedom always includes gaining of the personal rights for a person or for a nation in living , use their social and their historical heritage in writing or transferring their culture as anything can be put under self- determination, so that I think " freedom" has wide meaning than liberty which its meaning is only get rid from the outside control

I am surprised vulgar went into it.
liberty liberation I would have thought was linked to the meaning of freedom.
to be liberated is however rather heavy loaded as oppose to freedom or to be free.

[cacian]

Dictionary:

liberty - "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's behaviour or political views."
how bizarre. the whole point of freedom is that you need all this to want freedom. one cannot imply freedom without these establishments. it would make no sense otherwise.


So freedom is a more general concept, containing that of liberty. As an adult, in modern liberal democracies, you can gain freedom from the influence of your parents, or the church, by your individual effort. No one is forcing you to do what they say. So freedom can be an individual choice.

I don't think either "liberty" or "freedom" are vulgar concepts. They may be applied in a vulgar way.
liberty from liberal ie not adhering to the norms or to what is expected of one. it is more linked to a rebellious state of mind I think.
freedom to free feeling free a term used especially when one has been under oppression. when oppression is no longer the word freedom has no purpose.
I guess one is political and the other is derogatory,

[PeterL]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom?s=t

free·dom
[free-duhm] Show IPA
noun
1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3. the power to determine action without restraint.
4. political or national independence.
5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.

Lib·er·ty
[lib-er-tee] Show IPA
noun, plural lib·er·ties.
1. freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
2. freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.
3. freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.
4. freedom from captivity, confinement, or physical restraint: The prisoner soon regained his liberty.
5. permission granted to a sailor, especially in the navy, to go ashore.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English liberte < Middle French < Latin lībertās, equivalent to līber free + -tās -ty2

Synonyms
1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers.

Split hairs all you like, but there's not much difference between freedom and liberty. I would say the only difference is whatever nuance a speaker or writer was trying to give it.

[Mohammad Ahmad]

OK! let every party sticks on his mind.....
Dictionaries not always are useful since many times we fall into mistake because of dictionaries especially when the meaning is transferred to Arabic so that as we are translators we used to follow the context where it is....
Many teachers and talented teachers who have doctorate in translation agree on with me and often they would say:
There is some caution to use liberty and using Freedom is safer, just this idea still on mind before seven years ago when the American still worked in my country.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another thing I want to add:
1- I agree on the dictionary meaning that has been offered by (Peter) or others.
2- There is what we called positive liberty & negative liberty...
3- The idea of conflicting meaning in liberty is too limit in use and it maybe at a colloquial speech ( informal) and just I heard.
4- The very thing I want referring to is: the slight difference in meaning in ordinary speech between the two items
Of course freedom is the synonym of liberation but there is slight difference...How?
Liberation is often describing the state of being free from the outside control and for instance when such nation was occupied by a foreign force so that nation will struggle to win its freedom or its liberation ( here in this context, meaning is the same)...
On the other hand, the freedom is something adhered to personal affairs, and for instance, when someone has a freedom to do what he wants without any restriction such as to go for a cinema alone or to waste his time as he wants ( i.e. there is no outside control).
My conclusion:
Liberation always is associated with an outside control: He is a liberated man ( i.e a man who is free of any bonds) A nation just now wins its liberation, yes we can say freedom but liberation in this context is useful to be understood.
But if we say " He is a free man!) one will ask: A free of what?
Regardless of what I have focused onto or what I referring to when I said "I heard"- and indeed I heard from the American- such speech I have declared to draw attention in using language, but lately I discovered that language is serious...

[free]

When you get married, you get free from being single. When you divorce, you get free from being married. Freedom has a very personal meaning. What is freedom for one is not for another. Just as everything else in this strange world.

[cacian]

When you get married, you get free from being single. When you divorce, you get free from being married. Freedom has a very personal meaning. What is freedom for one is not for another. Just as everything else in this strange world.

were you free before you got married? haha :D

[mal4mac]

Yeah, probably not worth worrying too much about the difference, just use what you fancy. Here's "The Soup Dragons" on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljbcRu3tiU&list=RDyljbcRu3tiU

"I'm at liberty to do what I want..." doesn't scan well!

Anticipating cacian asking "what is soup dragon?", here he is defending the soup from an iron chicken:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Z-osYodF8

[PeterL]

"Freedom's just another word for noting left to lose."

[Mohammad Ahmad]

Please return and read on my notices I added few seconds ago perhaps you find it useful and write your comments especially about " positive liberty & negative liberty"

[cacian]

Yeah, probably not worth worrying too much about the difference, just use what you fancy. Here's "The Soup Dragons" on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljbcRu3tiU&list=RDyljbcRu3tiU

"I'm at liberty to do what I want..." doesn't scan well!

Anticipating cacian asking "what is soup dragon?", here he is defending the soup from an iron chicken:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0Z-osYodF8

haha thank you mal4mac the links are cool. :)

[mal4mac]

The Prisoner [1967] - "I'm not a number, I am a free man!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-bFGzNMXw

The prisoner is not at liberty, he is trapped in "the village", but he says he is a free man. He thinks he is free in his mind, even though his body is in chains. The evil warden laughs at this! In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith thinks he is mentally free, but in Room 101 he is convinced to believe 2 + 2 = 5. So is there really freedom?

[cacian]

The Prisoner [1967] - "I'm not a number, I am a free man!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-bFGzNMXw

The prisoner is not at liberty, he is trapped in "the village", but he says he is a free man. He thinks he is free in his mind, even though his body is in chains. The evil warden laughs at this! In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith thinks he is mentally free, but in Room 101 he is convinced to believe 2 + 2 = 5. So is there really freedom?

when he says he is a free man is that a play on words ie 'he thinks he is free' is that another way of saying he thinks he is three?
in George Orwell's how is the equation 2+2=5??