How Much Freedom Must We Forgo to Be Free?

Freedom is a fundamental good. But it can only be experienced in a context of meaning, and exists in a state of tension with other values. Freedom is not a natural given but rather results from the interplay of socialization and constraints. Rules and laws are needed to maintain freedom, to guarantee it permanently, and to shape it.

But what do challenges such as pandemics, climate change, digitalization, and the intensifying systemic competition with authoritarian states mean for our freedom? When can and should the state restrict freedom? Are we seeing a shift in the scale of values in favor of equality and justice at the expense of freedom? What responsibility do we bear for the freedom of future generations? One thing is certain: society's understanding of the structure of relationships in which freedom is possible is changing.