Freedom originally meant friendship, not isolation
Evidence
Originally, being free meant being among friends. ‘Freedom’ and ‘friendship’ have the same root in Indo-European languages. Fundamentally, freedom signifies a relationship. A real feeling of freedom occurs only in a fruitful relationship – when being with others brings happiness. But today’s neoliberal regime leads to utter isolation; as such, it does not really free us at all. — Byung-Chul Han, Psychopolitics, 15
Categorization
- DEFINE: Etymological link of freedom and friendship as a genuinely definitional point about what freedom originally signified.
- XREF: Connects to Arendt’s understanding of freedom as a public, relational phenomenon rather than a private faculty. — connects to: Freedom and situation are mutually constituting rather than opposites — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness: An Essay on…, 1164; Freedom as non-domination, unlike non-interference, cannot be fully enjoyed by one person alone — Philip Pettit, Republicanism: A Theory of Freedom and…, 1239; Others’ freedom is the condition of, not a limit on, my own freedom — Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, 91 (+10 more)
- recurring: this claim recurs 2 times within its source
Related
- Freedom originally meant friendship and relational mutuality, not self-optimization (similarity 0.90)
- Freedom is a social status conferring security and standing among others (similarity 0.85)
- Freedom and unfreedom form a double bind under identity (similarity 0.79)
- Milton saw republican freedom as equal ease of ordinary social contact between citizens (similarity 0.78)
- For social individuals, freedom is a positive relation to the environment (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Others’ freedom is the condition of, not a limit on, my own freedom
#corroborates(0.82) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, 91 - Freedom as non-domination, unlike non-interference, cannot be fully enjoyed by one person alone
#corroborates(0.80) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 1239 - Freedom and independence are distinct and often mutually exclusive
#corroborates(0.80) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 824 - Freedom can be reconceived as non-domination rather than non-interference or self-mastery
#corroborates(0.80) — Philip Pettit, Republicanism, 1207 - Freedom is a relational fight that must be renewed, not a possession
#corroborates(0.78) — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 3681 - Individual freedom is achieved only through the freedom of others
#corroborates(0.78) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Ethics of Ambiguity, 144 - For social individuals, freedom is a positive relation to the environment
#corroborates(0.74) — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 3668 - Freedom and situation are mutually constituting rather than opposites
#corroborates(0.72) — Jean-Paul Sartre, Being and Nothingness, 1164 - Freedom lies in refusing the prescribed choice between friend and enemy
#qualifies(0.72) — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 156 - Genuine authority and freedom are mutually dependent, not opposed
#corroborates(0.72) — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 572