Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan wrote about Freedom within the context of the Right to Produce and Freedom of Expression, the topic of the month in Akademik Akıl...
We know that the uncertainty of the boundaries of freedom and responsibility gives rise to many conflicts. Unlike other living beings, humans have a free will. A human infant is born without knowing social and individual boundaries. They can walk at one year old and individualize at 15. In other words, they are born psychologically premature. They learn later. Other living beings, however, are born “having learned”, knowing where to stop throughout their lives. Therefore, they learn social and individual boundaries from their environment. This is where life philosophy becomes important.
There are various definitions of freedom. Generally, freedom can be defined as an individual's ability to make their own decisions, make appropriate plans, and achieve the desired outcome. As for what constitutes a free action, the notion that it refers to behaviors that do not affect others is quite widespread.
When defining freedom, it is necessary to distinguish whether an individual acting as they please is truly “freedom”. If we make this distinction, we can easily realize that we do not have the freedom to disobey the rules we are obliged to follow.
For example, none of us has the freedom to defy the laws of gravity. Therefore, there are certain natural, social, and emotional boundaries that limit humans. The existence of these three boundaries cannot be overlooked in a person's freedom.
Does a person have the freedom to violate rules they are obliged to obey? Or do they have the right to disregard someone they are obliged to obey? Does freedom justify violence? Is it freedom to take a deadly risk? The intellectually and emotionally accepted answers to these questions will eliminate uncertainties about what freedom is and is not.
Humans push boundaries…
Humans want to be mentally free, even to control nature and escape gravity. There is a desire in humans to think freely and act easily, and no other living being possesses this desire. A bird does not have the thought of challenging or changing the balance in nature. But humans push boundaries; they have the idea of living more freely and doing different things along with it.
Freedom has been instrumental in human development. The significant contribution of freedom and the competition it provided in America played a crucial role in the US's technological surge at the beginning of the 20th century and its surpassing other Western countries in industry.
Talents wither in environments without freedom…
When given the opportunity, talents can find a chance to develop themselves. In environments without freedom, however, talents wither. Pressure and threats cause people to stagnate. From this, we can say that the democratic value upon which all fundamental values are built is freedom. The existence of this value paves the way for the development of other values. This is why wise people say, “I can live without bread, but I cannot live without freedom.”
What should be the limit of freedom?
The most important factor determining the boundaries of freedom is what we learn about it. If you tried to help someone who fell on the ground in Japan, that person would be uncomfortable because they would perceive it as an interference with their freedom. This is because their education has instilled such an understanding of freedom in them. In our society, however, if we don't help someone who has fallen, we are likely to be labeled with adjectives like “heartless” or “merciless”.
The most important issue that helps define the boundaries in freedom is individual responsibilities. If a person does not take responsibility for their choices and actions, the resulting freedom becomes arbitrary freedom. It is a requirement of being an “individual” for every person to bear the responsibility for their choices. Freedom devoid of responsibility is “guardianship”.
Unlimited freedom also brings abuse…
A person must assume the problems that will arise due to their choices and accept what happens. The way freedom is expressed is also important. If a person, despite knowing their own boundaries and those of others, selfishly considers their own interests, this means the abuse of freedom. If a person knows their current position, they can easily find their destination. A person who does not know where they are cannot find where they are going. For a person to respect the freedom of others, they must first understand what their own freedom entails.
The balance of freedom and individuality…
Freedom, in fact, means having one's own space. This space is an environment where a person can think, produce, and feel comfortable without any compulsion.
What should a person do when faced with difficulty? Should they also achieve freedom by using “force”, just as it was applied to them? The only way to prevent force is to respond to force with force. This self-defense approach prevents the other person from turning pressure into a tool to get what they want. However, this time, the second party must be vigilant against the possibility of their own use-of-force exceeding the line of legitimate self-defense. The lack of clarity in individuality indicates a lack of clarity in dependence and the boundaries of freedom. Drawing specific boundaries for freedom is an extremely important issue in personality development.
True freedom requires unity around a common purpose
Freedom is about people of different characters being able to act similarly for common purposes; a person will both feel free and be engaged in goal-oriented activities. When they do this, they become an individual who is both free and productive. This situation is not judged by society either.
The boundaries between societal rules and individual freedom are debatable. Modernism states that these boundaries are determined by natural life and that moral norms arise from the conflict of individual freedoms. Essentially, this understanding is another explanation for the powerful being as free as they wish. While those with material power live comfortably, time works against others. Therefore, the boundaries of freedom must be defined. For this reason, if we can establish a balance between humanity's innate need for freedom and the need for justice, we would create a balance of freedom and responsibility that does not disrupt peace and tranquility.