Language And Freedom Essay Sample

Freedom is important to all human beings. It can be defined as the absence of restraint on ones free will to think or act. Freedom may be curtailed by use of force or the imposition of restraint on an individual. This curtailment may affect either internal freedom or external freedom. Internal freedom is the internal liberty to think through the choices available and to make a choice in our minds without interference. This freedom requires and includes the freedom of thought. The thought process is largely independent of language, and one can think freely without depending on the language. Some researchers suggest that even creatures without a language can think freely. However, external freedom involves interaction with other individual. This makes language essential so as to gain this freedom. Other people may be justified to curtail your external freedom to avert harm to them. Language is crucial in ensuring that one protects the external freedom from being curtailed by others. In the past communities had to communicate using a language to coordinate their liberation struggles against oppressors who curtailed their freedom. Language is, therefore, a prerequisite for external freedom but not to internal freedom.
Language is used as a medium of communicating thoughts with others. It is possible for individuals without a language to think freely. However, communicating with others (using a language) may enhance the thought process. Communicating with others leads people critically evaluate their thoughts and to think and see stuff in different perspectives. Language can therefore, be seen to have an impact on one’s thought process to some extent. Communicating with others will lead to the enhancement of one’s control over his freedom. In conclusion, it is possible to be free without using a language to think and to control one’s own thoughts and actions.