Freedom: An Examination

Dr. Björn Theis, Zil Lilas 21.10, 04.11, 18.11, 02.12, 16.12 und 13.01 What is freedom? How is it defined − and by whom? What are the limits of freedom? What isit good for, and why does it matter? Where does it exist, and where does it hide? Today, the concept of freedom is used in a wide variety of contexts, ranging from “artistic freedom” to modern weapons systems such as the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter, a military combat aircraft. The linguistic origin of the term can be traced back to the Indo-European root peri- (“near,” “by,” “one's own”). Among the Germanic peoples, a “free person” was someone who belonged to and was protected by their own clan. This status was closely linked to the ownership of land and a home of one's own. Beyond the etymology of the term, this seminar will explore the concept of freedom from various perspectives, including its artistic, legal, philosophical, historical, and political origins, as well as its contemporary interpretations. Needless to say that degrees (and types) of freedoms vary dramatically from society to society also, prescriptive code, such as laws differ from the actual state of freedoms. In the seminar we will briefly summarise notions of micro and macro freedoms as were coined by Locke, Nietzsche, Lacan and Foucault. We will discuss the distinction between “positive freedom” (e.g., the freedom to do something) and “negative freedom” (e.g., the freedom not to do something).