Comments on: A Tree Falls in the (I need a week in the) Woods… http://www.skalduggery.com/2009/07/28/a-tree-falls-in-the-i-need-a-week-in-the-woods%e2%80%a6/ Skalded Musings and Random Thoughts on Current and Not so Current Events Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:56:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: The Skald http://www.skalduggery.com/2009/07/28/a-tree-falls-in-the-i-need-a-week-in-the-woods%e2%80%a6/comment-page-1/#comment-98 The Skald Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:01:35 +0000 http://www.skalduggery.com/2009/07/28/a-tree-falls-in-the-i-need-a-week-in-the-woods%e2%80%a6/#comment-98 <a href="#comment-97" rel="nofollow">@John </a> <i>Philosophers who ask these questions were just put here to annoy us.</i> That was chuckle worthy! :-P I also agree with your assessment of freedom/liberty - I believe it is dynamic. I only believe it is relative in the sense that we tend to compare it to what we believe to be an objective ideal... kind of like the tree that is there whether you can see it or not. I think the founders tried to afford us the closest thing to absolute liberty without being anarchy - just enough government to avoid anarchy without smothering individual liberty. It is so dynamic that "Congress shall make NO law abridging the freedom of speech..." is progressing toward a list of illegal words. Yikes! Time for work so I can pay for this vice ;-) Thanks for the comments John, you are an excellent read ;-) Cheers. @John

Philosophers who ask these questions were just put here to annoy us.

That was chuckle worthy! :-P I also agree with your assessment of freedom/liberty – I believe it is dynamic. I only believe it is relative in the sense that we tend to compare it to what we believe to be an objective ideal… kind of like the tree that is there whether you can see it or not.

I think the founders tried to afford us the closest thing to absolute liberty without being anarchy – just enough government to avoid anarchy without smothering individual liberty. It is so dynamic that “Congress shall make NO law abridging the freedom of speech…” is progressing toward a list of illegal words.

Yikes! Time for work so I can pay for this vice ;-) Thanks for the comments John, you are an excellent read ;-)

Cheers.

]]> By: John http://www.skalduggery.com/2009/07/28/a-tree-falls-in-the-i-need-a-week-in-the-woods%e2%80%a6/comment-page-1/#comment-97 John Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:50:40 +0000 http://www.skalduggery.com/2009/07/28/a-tree-falls-in-the-i-need-a-week-in-the-woods%e2%80%a6/#comment-97 The tree is there, whether you can see or hear it. Philosophers who ask these questions were just put here to annoy us. Freedom though, is both relative and dynamic. We are free by the terms of whatever society has determined for us, because total freedom would be complete anarchy. If there is a law prohibiting you from doing something then you are not completely free. Alcohol is a good example. It was legal, then it was illegal, then it was legal again, but there are still limits as to it's use. Are we free to drink alcohol? Yes and no, look what happens if you drive or show up at work drunk. The tree is there, whether you can see or hear it. Philosophers who ask these questions were just put here to annoy us.

Freedom though, is both relative and dynamic. We are free by the terms of whatever society has determined for us, because total freedom would be complete anarchy. If there is a law prohibiting you from doing something then you are not completely free.

Alcohol is a good example. It was legal, then it was illegal, then it was legal again, but there are still limits as to it’s use. Are we free to drink alcohol? Yes and no, look what happens if you drive or show up at work drunk.

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