The concept of freedom is one of the fundamental ideas in the concept of democracy which became "idol" of the modern world. This word is pronounced too often, not always thinking of its sense.
During a slavery era, and later – the serfdom the sense of the word "freedom" did not raise doubts: lack of personal dependence on the slaveholder or feudal lord. During Modern times – during an era of bourgeois revolutions when the slogan "Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood" was put forward – freedom was thought as something opposite to class structure of society which in many respects predetermined the fate of the person, closing many ways to the one who was given birth in the lowest estate. In the conditions of national liberation fight freedom can be identified with maintaining identity of the people. Some philosophers – for example, I. Kant – treated freedom as submission of the person not to other person, but the law obligatory for all. Freedom in such context is identified with law and order.
All these approaches to a concept of freedom can be considered from the historical point of view, and it is rather difficult to modern person to refer them to itself. In the conditions of the modern world more often there is a question from what it is necessary to be free ideally.
Absolute freedom
The simplest and most attractive understanding of freedom to narrow-minded people is full and unconditional following to the desires and instincts at total absence of any restrictions. The impossibility of similar "freedom" is obvious, it can be considered on a simple example. Here the person wanted to turn on the TV on full loudness at three o'clock in the morning – he is a free person, he has the right to do that he wants. But the neighbor – too the free person, at him is desires and requirements too, he wants to sleep at night. The question of a priority of freedom of any given person remains open. The essence of this situation was brilliantly formulated in the 13th century by Paris court: "Your freedom to swing hands comes to an end where freedom of others nose begins".
Freedom from desires
Opposite understanding of true freedom can be considered aspiration to release from desires. Such approach exists in some east world outlook systems – for example, yoga, the Buddhism. Ideal achievement of such state is impossible too. Behind human desires there are requirements. It is impossible to refuse some requirements completely as without their satisfaction the life is impossible (for example, the need for food). The refusal of the highest requirements (for example, in communication) means refusal of truly human beginning in the person and transformation into an animal.
Freedom and morality
Freedom can be considered objectively and subjectively. Objective freedom is hardly possible: the person will be always limited by laws of society in which he lives requirements of the immediate environment. Even the hermit is influenced by action of some restrictions – in particular, the moral principles which he recognizes. Subjective freedom arises where the person does not feel any coercion. An example of such subjectively free personality – the law-abiding person who will never hit the neighbor not because is afraid of criminal penalty but because the thought is unacceptable to hurt the person for it. In this sense true freedom adjoins to morality. Unlike morals, which an essence the phenomenon external, morality – the phenomenon internal, adoption of the moral principles by the personality. When external requirements of morals become personal installations, they cease to be perceived as restriction of freedom as begin to coincide with desires of the person. Thus, truly free personality can be considered the person highly moral.