Freedom in philosophy is the human value or situation to act according to one's will without being held up by the power of others. From a philosophical point of view, it can be defined as the capacity to determine your own choices. It can be defined negatively as an absence of constraint, subordination, and servitude. Freedom can also be considered relative to a particular goal or circumstance. One might be free to Speak but not to act, or vice-versa; free to leave, but not to enter; free to die, but not to live. In philosophy, freedom often ties in with the question of free will. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserted that the condition of freedom was inherent to humanity, an inevitable facet of the possession of a soul and sapience, with the implication that all social interactions subsequent to birth imply a loss of freedom, voluntarily or involuntarily. He made the famous quote "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains". Libertarian philosophers have argued that all human beings are always free — Jean-Paul Sartre, for instance, famously claimed that humans are "condemned to be free" — because they always have a choice. Even an external authority can only [ - ]

Freedom in philosophy is the human value or situation to act according to one's will without... [ + ]