- Examples of the different types of freedom
- Freedom of the press
- Freedom of association
- Freedom of expression
- Freedom of thought
- Freedom of worship
- References
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak or think according to one's own will and desire, without being limited or restricted by any type of external power such as a despotic government.
In most democratic nations of the world, freedom is legally and constitutionally guaranteed. For example, in the United States of America, freedom is guaranteed by the First Amendment enshrined in the Political Constitution of that country.
In this way, the government must refrain from creating laws that restrict the decision-making power of citizens in relation to religious, political, journalistic issues, among others.
People must always have the ability to express themselves without restrictions and to believe in what best defines them. In this sense, there are different types of freedom. There is the freedom of the press, which prevents the government from interfering with what is published and distributed in the mass media.
There is freedom of association, which allows people to group freely according to their interests and to defend a common cause. Within the different types of freedom, freedom of expression, thought and worship can also be found.
All these cover different categories in which the human being must have the ability to choose without his choice being constrained by any external power.
Examples of the different types of freedom
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press prohibits the government from interfering with the printing and distribution of information or opinions. It may be limited by laws against defamation or copyright, and does not necessarily include the act of gathering information and news.
However, not all countries in the world ensure that freedom of the press is constitutionally respected.
In this case, the countries with the highest respect for press freedom are Finland, Norway, Estonia, the Netherlands and Austria. On the other hand, countries with less freedom of the press are Eritrea, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Syria, Iran and China.
Some examples of freedom of the press include the following:
- Free publication of a news event.
- Expression of a political opinion in the mass media.
- Exposing an interview to a political figure.
- Writing of independent media (newspapers, magazines, reprints, etc).
- Publication of photos online or print media.
- Public expression of an opinion on any subject.
Freedom of association
Freedom of Association is the individual right that human beings have to join a group or cause that represents their interests and ideals. In this sense, every association seeks to collectively express and defend the interests of a group of people.
This type of freedom is recognized as part of Human Rights since it is part of the civil and political freedom of people. However, this type of freedom can also be regulated by local laws in order to protect public safety.
Freedom of association seeks to give people the opportunity to collectively protest against something that is important to the association, such as unjust laws, state policies, labor policies, among others.
Not all countries in the world respect freedom of association. Especially communist countries have more restrictions in this field.
This is the case for certain Islamic nations, China, Laos or North Korea. In these countries, people have limited power to express their disagreement with decisions made by the government.
Some examples of freedom of association include the following:
- Formation of labor unions.
- Constitution of the general assembly of students.
- Formation of groups of environmentalists.
- Meeting of women in defense of their rights.
- Congregation of individuals who seek to protest for a common cause, such as the Mothers of May in Argentina.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of expression includes freedom of thought, press, and association. This type of freedom, however, seeks to refrain from carrying out actions that may incite panic, defamation, conflict, obscene or criminal conduct.
Freedom of expression is a broader term that encompasses most different types of freedom. It includes the fundamental rights of human beings, such as the right to vote or artistic freedom.
On the other hand, this type of freedom includes the right that all human beings have to be processed fairly in accordance with the law, if necessary.
In general, freedom of expression seeks to respect the right to privacy, the care of the reputation of others, and the free issuance of judgments and opinions, without this implying harm to other individuals.
Some examples of free speech include the following:
- Free choice of sexual orientation.
- Free choice of political position.
- The way a person dresses.
- Any type of artistic manifestation (painting, acting, music).
- Publication of political cartoon in print or digital media.
Freedom of thought
Freedom of thought is the right of people to express their opinions publicly without any kind of political coercion or interference from the government.
This type of freedom does not give people the right to enact hate speech or illicit conduct.
Freedom of thought allows human beings to express themselves without censorship or limitation. In this way, it should be possible for people to express their ideas through multiple channels.
However, this type of freedom is not the same in all nations, since it is regulated by local legislation.
Some examples of freedom of thought include the following:
- Political opinion.
- Opinion on any subject related to the state, health, education, etc.
- Particular beliefs on any subject.
- The free exercise of the press.
Freedom of worship
The freedom of worship is the freedom that every individual or community has, publicly or privately, to express their religious beliefs. In this way, every individual has the power to teach, practice, observe and worship any type of worship.
Freedom of worship is limited when the exercise of their rituals can break the law. However, freedom of worship is usually exercised independently of political freedom, since the concepts of church and state can behave in an exclusive way.
Some examples of freedom of worship include the following:
- Belief in a certain god.
- Exercise of religious rituals.
- Attendance at religious events.
- Open expression of religious beliefs.
- The wearing of clothing typical of a religion.
- Change region freely, without interference from external agents.
References
- BUNKER, F. (February 19, 2012). Freefom Bunker. Retrieved from FOUR TYPES OF FREEDOMS: freedombunker.com
- Collins, H. (2017). Collins. Retrieved from freedom: collinsdictionary.com
- Gairdner, W. (2006-07-04). William Gairdner. Retrieved from Six Kinds of Freedom: williamgairdner.com
- House, F. (2017). Freedom House. Retrieved from About Freedom in the World: freedomhouse.org
Press, CU (2017). Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from freedom: dictionary.cambridge.org.