Is free will the same thing as freedom?

Question:Not in the slightest unfortunatly.

Your mind can have a freedom of its own, but true freedom will never be the same as simply having free will.

Take prisoners as an example, they still have every bit of free will they possessed before they were incarcerated, yet they are not free to do many of the things they would wish to, simply because the physical cage they are locked in.

Even in todays world, the word freedom is often thrown around like it has some special meaning and that people on the planet actually have it. That is also a delusion, we all still have free will, but are limited by our various societies as to what we can do "freely". It is very much like a prison cell, yet the sucessful societies try to mask it so their populas never realized its caught, and only given rights instead of freedoms.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Not in the slightest unfortunatly.

Your mind can have a freedom of its own, but true freedom will never be the same as simply having free will.

Take prisoners as an example, they still have every bit of free will they possessed before they were incarcerated, yet they are not free to do many of the things they would wish to, simply because the physical cage they are locked in.

Even in todays world, the word freedom is often thrown around like it has some special meaning and that people on the planet actually have it. That is also a delusion, we all still have free will, but are limited by our various societies as to what we can do "freely". It is very much like a prison cell, yet the sucessful societies try to mask it so their populas never realized its caught, and only given rights instead of freedoms.

i guess freedom of thought and expression'

To a point, yes. I am answering from a theological standpoint. In my opinion, there are some similarities to these two terms, yet there are some subtle differences. I like to define free will as absolute freedom. In America, we like to think that we exercise freedom, but this is within some very carefully drawn parameters. So, you can move about freely in America, but with limitations (can't go on federal property, etc). Free will, on the other hand, is the absolute right to choose an option without any preexisting conditions. The one common thread in both is that both have accountability attached. Free will results in God's judgment for our decisions as measured against his teachings and his expectations on our lives, and with freedom, if you don't use your freedom properly, you are held accountable by those parameters I spoke of earlier (called "laws"). Hope this clarifies it somewhat.

No, not really...free-will is the innate ability to make choices of any given circumstance...freedom is one of those circumstances. See???

No, unfortunately.

All humans have free will- the option to do as told or not, with repercussions, of course. Not all have the freedom to do as they please.

Not really. God gave us free will but we impose certain restrictions on ourselves as a society to protect our members from the reckless motives of others.

yes in general

Not Really.

Freedom is typically used to describe what society or nature allows you to do.
(Or what it does not stop you from doing)

Will is what your nature & experience lead you to decide or desire.

Free will is the odd notion that it's possible for your decisions & desires to be 'free' from your nature & experiences.

For something to have meaning it must be defined. Iron dust blowing in the wind is free. It must be restricted to a very specific shape to BE a sword.

And so it is with the Self & the consequent Will that Self generates. A random number generator can 'decide' unrestricted by experience. SELF is DEFINED by the experience/nature that restricts what it decides.

Freedom can be applied many things besides Will. But when applied to Will, aka "Free Will" it renders the term meaningless because Will arises from Self and Self is the NON-FREEDOM of Will.