A Definition of Freedom

I usually define freedom as economic, civil and political liberty. Eric Hoffer’s definition is deeper:

‎”Freedom means freedom from forces and circumstances which would turn man into a thing, which would impose on man the passivity and predictability of matter. By this test, absolute power is the manifestation most inimical to human uniqueness. Absolute power wants to turn people into malleable clay.”

I hadn’t heard of Eric Hoffer until I came across the above quote on Lawrence Reed’s facebook page. More Hoffer quotes below.

“The monstrous evils of the twentieth century have shown us that the greediest money grubbers are gentle doves compared with money-hating wolves like Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler, who in less than three decades killed or maimed nearly a hundred million men, women, and children and brought untold suffering to a large portion of mankind.”

“When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.”

“A society that refuses to strive for superfluities is likely to end up lacking in necessities.”

“Man is a luxury loving animal. Take away play, fancies, and luxuries, and you will turn man into a dull, sluggish creature, barely energetic enough to obtain a bare subsistence. A society becomes stagnant when its people are too rational or too serious to be tempted by baubles.”

“The central task of education is to implant a will and facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. The truly human society is a learning society, where grandparents, parents, and children are students together.”

“The taint inherent in absolute power is not its inhumanity but its antihumanity.”

“The only index by which to judge a government or a way of life is by the quality of the people it acts upon. No matter how noble the objectives of a government, if it blurs decency and kindness, cheapens human life, and breeds ill will and suspicion- it is an evil government.”

Socio-Political