This is interesting question, thank you. It really needs serious thought, so my early comments maybe lacking somewhat. If so, please forgive my efforts!
I think, firstly, we'd expect a divergence of opinion from the different perspectives of different countries and regions and, indeed, religions. I comment from a western secular perspective rooted in the liberal tradition, a liberal notion of freedom, and a preference for liberal-democracy.
From this perspective, there's two main circumstances for the problem you identify:
1/ freedom and ignorance are not a good mix! The point of liberal freedom is to help us secure ongoing peace. This requires treating all citizens as political equals (maybe even moral ones). People who don't understand that link--from citizens to leaders--bring populism and discord, racism and violence. Problems compounded by fake news.
2/ freedom and acute freedom of choice are not a good mix. If nothing is obviously the right or best course of action (including non-action) we're starting along the path to nihilism. This undoes the liberal settlement so vital for peace. Genocide might now look "reasonable" amongst other nasty things!
So freedom requires "liberal" reason as its ally. Liberal reason is grounded in notions of equality and rights. I consider it universal in its applicability, proper understood. And I have published to that effect.
Good luck with your valuable question.
Christopher NOCK
It is so, for a person who is alive but has lost all perspectives of living.
Unlimited freedom is not necessarily a good thing. At the other extreme no freedom is also not a good thing and is symptomatic of a dictatorial regime.
Freedom is good and can be utilized only if the citizens are knowledgeable and smart as to how to use it. If a nation has ignorant people and dummies unlimited freedom there will spell disaster. Many conservatives believe that government should take a hand-off approach and leave citizens alone giving them maximum freedom. This assumes that all people are wise to use the freedom advantageously without harming themselves, their neighbors or the nation. These same conservatives want the government to bail corporations out when there is a financial or other crisis caused solely by greed and abuse of personal/corporate freedom with no government control. Some extremists have even defined a corporation as a "person" giving the corporation all freedoms that humans are entitled to.
This an optimum society should allow some freedom but carefully balance the rights and responsibility of government and its power to regulate citizens and corporations.
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