THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM

The word FREEDOM is an ambiguous concept in the sense that it can have more than one single meaning and consequently it is necessary for us to clear out the different options.

There are two fundamental meanings of freedom:

FREEDOM TO DO – That is the ability to move, to think, to have a religious belief, to exercise one’s right, to create a company, to act politically in society, to live in the place or country we choose, etc.

FREEDOM OF VOLITION OR FREE WILL – This is a voluntary choice or decision, the ability to choose how to act. The freedom of humans to make choices that are not controlled by fate or God.

The debate surrounding free will and determinism is one that has occupied psychologists and philosophers for centuries.

Those who believe in determinism believe that all behaviour is determined by external and internal forces acting on the person.

An example of an external force would be parents rewarding certain type of behaviour, therefore further encouraging it, while an internal force would be that of hormones.

Those who believe in free will believe matters are slightly more complex. They agree that external and internal factors do exist but that people have free will to choose their behaviour. 

The argument of freewill and determinism can be summed up by the questions:  “could a person’s behaviour have been different in a certain situation if they willed it?” Those who believe in determinism would argue no while those who believe in free will would say yes. 
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Revision:Psychology_model_answers_-_free_will_vs_determinism 

From all the information above we could state that infinite or unconditional freedom does not exist. If there wasn’t any kind of freedom, society, moral, education, etc. wouldn’t make any sense because if something is already determined cannot be educated, prohibited, changed, encouraged or punished.

In short, humans have a relative and conditioned freedom but an important thing: not without their responsibilities.