Can We Have Freedom Without Laws??

[BangedUp]

At one end of the spectrum, do we have no laws and utopian freedoms,while at the other we have lots of laws and no freedoms?

Just what are the correlations between laws and freedoms? Are they mutually exclusive or do laws help insure our freedoms?

What is a freedom? Is it the right to do what you chose, where you chose, when you chose? Should we consider what effects our actions have on others? If so, do we only concern ourselves with their rights to not be injured by our violent behavior, their right to life, and their rights to their property?

Are the rights to not be physically harmed by violent acts, life, and property the only rights worth protecting, for ourself AND for others? What about other rights that others may value, such as health, peace and tranquility, freedom from mental abuse and anguish, etc.? Should we concern ourselves about rights that others hold dear that we find unimportant to ourselves, even if the excersising of our rights diminishes those rights that are near and dear to others but are unimportant to us?

Your thoughts?

 

[manny78]

We aren't civilized enough yet to reach a world with no laws. Not something we deserve for the moment.

 

[Baby Gorilla]

Freedom or Liberty??

....Just what are the correlations between laws and freedoms? Are they mutually exclusive or do laws help insure our freedoms?....

Do you want freedom or liberty?

They are not the same.

Freedom is the ability to do as you wish. However, liberty is more along the lines of the ability to do as you wish within the confines of given rules.

I'll give an example.

In the Christian faith, you have liberty. God's rules established in the Old Testament are fulfiled by Jesus in the New Testament. Christians are still (to an extent) under the law, but liberty means they are not bound to the little details because most of the law is fulfilled. You have a knowledge of where the lines are drawn and you can do what you desire so long as you don't cross them.

Also look at American government. Our nation was conceived in liberty. We had few laws, and most issues were a matter of doing what was right in one's conscence within the known law. As society became more lawless and unrully, they felt more laws were needed to preserve order. Over years, we now live under law and not liberty.

Liberty requires a measure of self-control so that people obey the few laws needed to maintain order. Law assumes people have no self-control and need to be micro-managed. Freedom indicates a desire to have no restrictions, but that results in utter chaos as you need some fences to regulate social behavior.

 

[beefybull]

Anarchy (no laws) = chaos (& most likely mob rule)

By mob rule, I mean that typically, in an anarchist society, after the original chaos/rioting/etc. starts to settle down, roving groups/gangs start to overpower the people who arent in their group. "The Postman" with Kevin Costner is a very good example of what might happen in a society like that.