2. Across the human experience …
•Something in human
nature cries out for
independence and
freedom from restraint.
3. Across the human experience …
• If you constrain a 6-month-old child, he or she
will react with extreme frustration.
• Being “grounded” is a terrible sentence for
teenagers.
• When we incarcerate, we punish those who do
crimes by removing their freedom.
4. Across the human experience …
•Freedom is highly coveted by people:
• because they desire expression.
• because they fear suppression.
5. Auto-nomy
• Operationally defined, freedom means the
ability to do things my way.
• Auto–nomy comes from two ancient greek
words “autes” and “nomos”. Autes from
authentic or self, as in autobiographical,
and nomos which means law.
• Thus we could say freedom means “self-
law” to do things according to how I see fit.
6. Auto-nomy
• Like the song says, “People just want to be
free.” Young Rascals, 1969.
• Freedom is of great value to us all, and a
prime motivator in human nature.
7. The great challenge of humanity
Continuum of freedom
TOTALITARIANISM ANARCHY
This is the history of the world.
8. Freedom and
suppression
• In some way, every day, people
are …
• dominating others
• or being dominated by others
• or desiring to dominate others
• or resisting domination by
others.
This is
the
history of
the
world.
9. Consistent across time, culture, geography,
ethnicity, gender, race, and creed …
Across the world, across
time, across culture … the
desire for freedom is the
greatest force known to
humanity.
