While it has been the signifier for all the loftiest of aspirations, I want to unpack the concept.
We are not free. Humans are not free. Animals are not free. Plants are not free. Much of our lives is determined for us by evolution. Our DNA encodes for many things that deny us freedom.
We're not free to be taller, or pick the skin we're born into, or the language we're taught at birth.
Perhaps what we really mean by 'freedom' is 'freedom to..." Because we have some choices.