Abstract

The thesis of this dissertation is that freedom, or liberation, exists in a triadic relationship between a self, others, and by others I mean everything from one other person to humanity as a whole, and God. Freedom exists in the coming to be of unique selves in communal relations, and this coming to be depends upon and refers to God. Yet in other words, freedom exists in the integration of a self, community, and God. ;Insofar as we fail to appreciate both the distinctiveness of the three parties involved in this relationship and their unity this thesis further asserts that we fail at understanding freedom. A corollary to this thesis is that insofar as we try to interpret freedom in such a way that it fails to include any of the three parties involved in the triadic relationship, then indeed one actually fails in understanding the significance of each separately; in other words the only way to understand oneself, or others, or God, separately, is through relations to the other two. This would mean, for example, if one tries to focus upon oneself, as the supposed locale of freedom, to the exclusion of community and or God then one actually fails not only at understanding freedom but also in coming to know and be oneself. Or, if one tries to focus upon an individual other, or a collectivity, as the purported arena of freedom, to the exclusion of oneself and or God then one fails at understanding freedom and fails at understanding the other or the community. Or, if one tries to focus upon God, as the supposed goal of freedom, to the exclusion of oneself and or community then one fails at understanding freedom, and indeed fails at understanding God. ;I shall show how we can understand freedom as this triadic relationship between a self, others, and God by bringing together the thought of Gabriel Marcel, Roberto Unger, and Leonardo Boff