The other freedom.

[Igel]

6. Freedom from what?

That's the problem: We are so used to not having to define "freedom" that we forget that it has an argument, some sort of object, that we usually leave unsaid. Just like "good" has an implicit "for what purpose", so "free" has an implicit "from something."

The Bill of Rights lists freedoms. They're freedoms from government abuse and infringement on "natural rights." Rights that you, as a person, are born with and that government could take away.

There's no freedom in the Bill of Rights (except possibly of fairly recent vintage) of freedom from fellow citizens' actions or words, except to the extent they are government agents.

There's no freedom from our own actions and their consequences.

There's no freedom from things like the weather or earthquakes.

There's not even freedoms in the Bill of Rights from things that government could stop others or you from doing. You could be unemployed and starve, but there's no freedom in the Bill of Rights stopping that. Unless it's the government compelling the unemployment or starvation in ways that deny you your rights.


When I lived in an urban area I was less concerned with guns than with knives and cars. And in Germany it's a relative freedom: They still do have gun violence, just a lot less (per capita). Then again, it depends where you go in the US.