The Purpose of Freedom
The Purpose of Freedom
I re-read Educated yesterday and I am even more floored the second time around. The discussion of education and how its main purpose is the liberation of the mind (my phrasing) from self-coercion is absolutely mind-blowing.
“Positive liberty,” another student said, “is freedom from internal constraints.”…
The lecturer tried to clarify. He said positive liberty is self-mastery–the rule of the self, by the self. To have positive liberty, he explained, is to take control of one’s own mind; to be liberated from irrational fears and beliefs, from addictions, superstitions and all other forms of self-coercion.
I had no idea what it meant to self-coerce. (p. 256)
There have been many instances when I have questioned my decision to go to a private Christian university. Honestly, though, where else would I have found a community of people from similar backgrounds to join me in my journey of deconstruction–to show me that I was not alone in my struggle for freedom.
My small Christian university was also the first place I critically grappled with the concept and application of power. Up until I took ancient and modern political philosophy, I saw politics and power as a game I wanted to play and win. By the time I left grad school, I had decided (with some relapses here and there) that I didn’t want to play power politics, or be the pointy end of the spear, or be responsible for the meaningless deaths of people who had done nothing to harm me.
So, yeah. I think it was a good decision to go to school at Regent. If I had not, I may have fallen into the pit of Conservative Evangelical politics and never climbed out, never thought to question its foundations because it would have been the perfect toolbox to help me “win the game” and stroke my ego.
I am about to conduct an academic re-read of The Making of Biblical Womanhood, Jesus and John Wayne, and Identity. I will also conduct research and reflect on the concept of Self-Coercion as it relates to positive and negative liberty. This all makes me feel like I am going back into my ancient and modern political philosophy classes–the classes that gave me the tools I needed to think critically about my own ideologies.
I will begin with The Making of Biblical Womanhood, because I want to start with what I am most passionate about at this time–the role self-coercion plays in the women who decide to uphold patriarchy (and, by default, racism).
Some questions I will explore:
Question 1
Why are White Evangelical Conservatives (WEC) more interested in negative liberty than positive liberty?
Hypothesis: WECs demand the kind of liberty that will allow them to continue exerting dominance over their families and communities through manipulation and coercion without government interference. Conservatives depend on the existence of negative liberty and the absence of positive liberty to ensure their dominance.
Question 2
What role does self-coercion play in the upkeep of the patriarchy?
Hypothesis: In the 21st century, the only reason patriarchy still exists is the systematic manipulation and self-coercion of women.
What is the purpose of freedom?
As I undertake this little personal research project, I am reminded of scripture that I have always struggled with from childhood:
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 ESV
This entire book of the Bible is Paul’s warning new Christians against willing mental enslavement after so recently having been liberated. Therefore, I will be conducting a liberated study of the book of Galatians alongside my other book studies.
It wasn’t until I realized that the purpose of life is living that I woke up and realized that the purpose of freedom is to be free.
