Why America Is the World's Freest Country

Dr. Benedict Beckeld discusses some of the reasons why, contrary to what certain freedom indices claim, the United States of America is the freest country in the world.
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My website: www.benedictbeckeld.com
Hobbes quotes from:
Hobbes, Thomas, "Leviathan", ed. Edwin Curley (Indianapolis/Cambridge: Hackett Publishing, 1994), p. 79, 144.
Image credits:
David Frum, "How to Persuade Americans to Give Up Their Guns", The Atlantic, September 1, 2021, www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
John Michael Wright, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Karte: NordNordWest, Lizenz: Creative Commons by-sa-3.0 de, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE, creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
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"German police officers arrest a protester during a demonstration against Covid-19 restrictions in Berlin." Photograph: Clemens Bilan/EPA, from:
Kate Connolly, "Hundreds arrested in Berlin protests against Covid restrictions", The Guardian, August 2, 2021, www.theguardian.com/world/202...
Remaining images are mine.
Edit on November 10, 2022: A shorter version of this talk was just published by The American Conservative: www.theamericanconservative.c...

[@O.G.Rose.Michelle.and.Daniel]

What an extraordinary point: America scores lower on “freedom indexes” precisely because there is more freedom for disagreement, which causes more conflict, which is interpreted as evidence that America is less free than nations that have less conflict because they are less free to be diverse. I certainly hope to remember this point you’ve made, for its eloquence is rivaled only by its power. I’m in your debt.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you very much, I'm so glad! I'm pinning your comment to the top, because you summarized it very nicely.

[@O.G.Rose.Michelle.and.Daniel]

​@@BenedictBeckeld I'm honored! I came upon your channel thanks to Mr. Alexander Bard, and I'm very grateful for his guidance. I'm looking forward to more of your work!

[@giacomocosta5366]

You got to be dumb to believe this bullshit instead of facts.

[@brianoneil6659]

Thank you for this, as always.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

My pleasure, thank you!

[@perperson199]

Looking foreward to reading the book!

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy it.

[@baltvdb]

This is a very interesting point that I had never considered. Thanks 🇬🇧😎

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear it!

[@nicof.9368]

Please Mr. Benedict do more videos like this! Specially about oikophobia in the west. Young people like me learn so much with your books and videos, let me share you more!

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you, I appreciate your enthusiasm! I've been very busy as of late, but there will be more videos coming in November.

[@alexashworth3119]

God bless you.

[@turtuy1138]

Thank you for the video on interesting topic. But when i'm looking your videos, I always see that you keep your body in such a good shape. And I want to ask if the physical activities help your thought process. Sorry, for the question out of topic.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you, and yes, absolutely. According to Xenophon (Memorabilia 3.12), Socrates said, "even in the process of thinking, in which the use of the body seems reduced to a minimum, grave mistakes may often be traced to bad health", and I entirely agree with that; dispelling physical laziness helps with dispelling mental laziness, and keeps a man focused. I spend most days sitting for hours and hours by my desk in silence, reading, writing, or just thinking, and I'm sure I couldn't do it in as focused or effective a manner if I didn't have my physical training.

[@nachumlamm9353]

@@BenedictBeckeld I once asked a cousin of mine, one of the world's top chess players, this question. As he's gotten older, commentary in the chess world often mentions how, despite his age, he remains at the top of his game, unlike many other players. Why is that the general rule? I asked him. (It's not as if his mental ability has diminished- he's in relatively early middle age.) In addition, why is there the concept of "chess coaches"? (He himself has one, of course.) Shouldn't the coach be able to play as well as those he coaches? This isn't football. He answered that indeed, physical shape is an important matter even in chess. A certain body is required to meet the challenges. (He himself stays in excellent shape.) And there are many more factors than basic knowledge. The coach can impart so much, but a certain amount of mental discipline above and beyond the rules of the game is necessary to be a champion.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

@@nachumlamm9353 That's interesting to hear. I recall Bobby Fischer (on the Dick Cavett show, if I remember correctly) making a similar point as your cousin. There are also, for me, more philosophical reasons for the training (drawn mainly from Aristotle and the Greeks more generally), but the whole point about increased mental discipline and focus as a result of exercise is paramount.

[@nachumlamm9353]

Remarkably well put! There is of course also the fundamental disconnect who think that rights are *granted* by government and those who think that rights are granted by God and nature and *guaranteed* by government. It is very clear that both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States (explicitly in the case of the former) is based on the latter conception, but alas education is not what it used to be. Incidentally, I can't help but be a bit shocked by the byline on that piece. A lot of the supposed stalwarts of the conservative world, facing the victory in 2016 of a presidential candidate they did not approve of, seem to have decided to completely ditch all of their previously-held (or at least professed, which itself is a troubling point) positions and adopt wholesale the anti-freedom, anti-tradition views of the Left. It makes those of us who once looked to these people for guidance wonder how much of a scam we were being taken in for.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you! And agreed (re. your point about rights, and certainly about education not being what it used to be). And indeed we live in an age of increasing hysteria and declining empiricism, of which some of that article's rather extreme conclusions are perhaps an example, yes.

[@two_kopecks]

Excellent video. Indexes that mesure such abstract things as "freedom" or "happiness" are rather good things that help us grasp some sense of reality, but, as always, one needs to go beyond that in order to truly understand things. Not to mention that the methods the freedom index uses to define and mesure "freedom" are rather questionable. But that's an imminent part of it, I suppose.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you! And yes, agreed on all points. (But don't get me started on the "happiness" indices...)

[@alonzob9211]

Dr. Beckeld, you are incredibly intelligent and eloquent. I am currently reading your recent book and enjoying it very much. Thank you for sharing this perspective on America’s freedom. In this video you touched on the issue of deranged individuals owning guns and that these individuals are responsible for gun crime, rather than the many individuals who are responsible gun owners. How, then, do you think the US should handle the issue of who is able to own guns? Do you think occasional shootings are the price we must pay for freedom, or do you think the country should put more restrictions on gun ownership? As it stands, I personally cannot see a way out of the continued mass shootings in the US other than some form of gun control-namely gun registries and/or better background checking/psychological assessment of individuals who are buying guns. Why do you think so many Americans are opposed to these sorts of rules? (I am not American so I do not fully understand the culture.) What would you propose as an ideal solution to the issue of gun violence in the US-a way to maintain freedom while also curbing the mass shootings?

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you for your kind words and for your interest! I'm happy you're enjoying the book. Guns have always been widely available in the U.S. - contrary to what some political propagandists will claim - and so I think the problem today is more cultural than related to guns themselves. (Background checks are fine and, I'd say, even good, but I am against gun registries, because this would basically be a way for the federal government to limit circulation even among perfectly law-abiding citizens.) The problem, as I see it, lies more in the fact that the U.S. is becoming, like Europe a long time ago, a less religious and a more nihilistic society. I myself am not religious at all, but it is easy to see what effect the decline of religion and the atomization of communities have on a society. Revivifying the idea of involuntary commitment for deranged individuals might also be a possibility to explore, though that idea is fraught with difficulties of its own, and "psychological assessment" of regular gun buyers I think is a non-starter, because that is a process that could easily be abused by the government, to the point that normal, sane people would somehow be deemed unfit to own guns. I and many other Americans are opposed to stringent gun control because ultimately it is a question of freedom; we are proud of the fact that we have the right to defend ourselves, of the fact that our government is not as inclined toward tyranny as European governments are, and of the fact that we have one of the oldest uninterrupted political traditions in the world. So, to answer your specific question, though I think there are certain things that can be done to improve the situation, occasional shootings is a price many of us are willing to pay for freedom, yes.

[@alonzob9211]

​ @Benedict Beckeld Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it. I agree in general that involuntary commitment of deranged individuals is something that may need to be brought back more often everywhere (having personally known a couple of very sad cases of people with schizophrenia ending up on the streets unable to take care of themselves and acting out angrily and violently to strangers). However, it is ultimately at odds with the American philosophy of freedom. Especially because some of the men and teen boys who have perpetrated mass murders of innocent people have not made any serious overt threats toward anyone else’s safety beforehand and might simply be described as “odd.” So it would not be a truly free society if strange people (or people who like to share pictures of their guns, etc.) were involuntarily committed (which I am sure you agree with). Interesting perspective about religion and its importance for keeping the society together. I will reflect on that. What is fascinating is that overall American society does seem to be getting less violent overall (ie., fewer political killings, fewer killings arising out of protests, and less public violence over all) but the random mass shootings are increasing. It is quite interesting. As for gun registries, I see them as similar to car registries, but I can understand the reason many Americans are wary of them. You have explained it well here. I suppose perhaps it all comes down to a question of what one considers a government’s purpose to be for the people. I think one of government’s chief responsibilities is to protect its people. So, I suppose, I am willing to accept occasional misuses of power by the government-or less freedom, ultimately-for this purpose. I suppose it’s a trade-off. You may be less safe among your fellow citizens if they have more liberties, but you may be less safe from your government if it has more power. Thank you for your response and for sharing your views on this topic. You have certainly articulated the anti-gun-control perspective better than anyone else I’ve heard.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

I agree that involuntary commitment could be an infringement on freedom. There are some cases where it could have helped - e.g. the recent Uvalde shooter apparently behaved in an outlandish and perhaps illegal fashion before his terrible deed - but yes, this is why I said that the idea is "fraught with difficulties of its own". The main point is really that religion and, with it, communal bonds - because religion is the strongest force for community - are weakening. There isn't really less public violence overall in the U.S. right now, though. Left-wing reductions of law enforcement budgets and verbal attacks on police themselves have led to a sharp rise in crime in our cities over the last year or two. But perhaps you're taking a much longer view in your comparison, in which case indeed you have a point. Yes, everything is a trade-off. For me and many Americans the philosophical point of natural rights preceding government is very important, and this has been an important principle in political philosophy for many centuries. And thank you very much, I'm glad to hear you have gained something from the discussion!

[@jaybe1203]

So true, Benedict. So True.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thank you!

[@polemeros]

Although you do not mention him in your videos, as a philosopher you remind me of Isaiah Berlin. Yes? No?

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Interesting, that's a comparison I've never heard before. I suppose there are certain similarities, or did you have anything in particular in mind? The two that I've often thought I was closest to philosophically are Nietzsche and Heraclitus, while on a personal level I've heard myself be compared to Wittgenstein once or twice.

[@shawnf760]

Freedom in america is gun freedom thats it

[@Timoleon87]

What different opinions do Americans have compared to Swedes? And what opinions do you think swedes can't express? Compared to to people in the US.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

There are many areas of public discourse that could be offered as an answer. The issue of gun ownership is an obvious one. It is true, of course, that one can find particular individuals holding opinions that are highly unusual for the society in which they live, but on a mass level conservatives in America are a lot more conservative than conservatives in Sweden. It happens all the time that prominent conservatives in western Europe would be centrists or at most center-right if inserted into American society.

[@Timoleon87]

@@BenedictBeckeld so what opinions do you think swedes can't express if they wanted to?

[@BenedictBeckeld]

One of my points is that some opinions have been much more marginalized in Sweden and in western Europe than they have been in the U.S., even if one literally "can" express them also in Europe. But if you mean more literally "can" in the sense of what the government sanctions and so on, then, as I'm sure you're aware, one can point to many cases in which people who criticize e.g. certain tenets of Islam are charged by the Swedish government with "hets mot folkgrupp".

[@andyb2977]

If you think the nation with the highest prison population in the world is also the freest, you *really* need to develop some critical thinking skills.

[@Alex_Aramayo]

We have the 3rd biggest population in the world & one of if not the best intelligence agencies in the world example the F.B.I, D.E.A, USMS etc so if you do the crime you're going to do the time, do you define freedom as in anyone can do whatever they want without any consequences???? lmao nice logic EDIT: USMS are a law enforcement, they aren't rly categorized as an "Intelligence"'

[@andyb2977]

@@Alex_Aramayo Literally this is police-state logic. Any totalitarian government would also say that people are free as long as they don't break the law. The question is in what conduct the government decides to criminalize. Also the US has the largest prison population both in absolute terms and on a per capita basis.

[@Alex_Aramayo]

@@andyb2977 okayy so you're okay of Hate Speech laws which are in Canada, UK, I think Australia as well??? In summary getting arrested & fined for something you said, expressed, or posted online??? That doesn't happen here bc we have Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Expression, literally some guy in the UK got arrested & fined bc he taught his dog how to do the Nazi salute when he would say " Sieg Heil " as a joke, recorded it & posted it online & yes he was charged & arrested bc it was seen as anti-semetic & can incite violence against Jews So is that Totalitarian??? Or just a law??

[@two_kopecks]

The fact that people who violate the freedoms and rights of others go to prison is somehow a proof of the US being unfree? The US has the 3rd biggest population in the world and of the the highest crime rates in the western world. Naturally it's bound to have a large prison population. But of course, it doesn't negate the fact there are law implemented in the US that make citizens less free in some aspects and more free in others.

[@andyb2977]

@@two_kopecks The US has the highest prison population both in terms of absolute numbers and on a per-capita basis.

[@avimech8546]

While you presented valid points in the topics you mentioned, there are many factors which define “freedom”, you only mentioned freedoms in regard to free speech and the second amendment while ignoring other VERY important factors. What do you think about the fact that America has the highest incarceration rate in the world? We account for 4% of the world’s population, yet we harbor 25% of the world’s prison population. We are over-regulated and sentence people to harsh time for non-violent petty crimes. Our criminal justice system is not setup to reform people, but rather to mark people convicted of non-violent crimes as felons, which robs them of future opportunity which often pushes them to committing harder crimes to get ahead in life. This is the reason America has one of the highest recidivism rates. Our criminal justice system profits on breeding criminals for repeat business and we even allow privatized prison corporations to dictate harsher sentences to the American public, to protect their own profits. So while we may arguably be one of freest in terms of speech and the second amendment, we are not when it comes to the justice system which is one of the most important factors to consider. I would love to hear your take on this. I did enjoy listening to what you had to say about the topics you discussed. Regardless if someone’s opinion is objective to that of my own, I enjoy listening to the other sides arguments when presented in a concise and rational form. However there are other factors to consider..

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Thanks for your comment. Since this video reacts against the errors of freedom indices, I discuss the measurements of freedom that those indices use, which has less to do with prison populations. If, however, one is to discuss the issue of prison populations separately, I would say that I don't think it's a limitation on freedom that those who have committed crimes be locked up. Our percentage of world population is irrelevant: If Americans commit more than 4% of the world's crime, then we should have more than 4% of the world's prison population (the 25% estimate sounds a bit too high, by the way, but that's a minor point). And one could just as easily turn the matter around: Is it not an encroachment on freedom that one must fear criminals who should be in prison but are not? I live in New York City, and many people here consider it an encroachment of our freedom that there are violent thugs in the street who have committed crimes but who were almost immediately released after being arrested. According to this way of thinking, greater freedom would require an even higher prison population than what we currently have. This is already stretching the definition of "freedom" as I use it in the video, but my point is that I think there are some unexamined premises in your statement. One point at which I do agree with you, however, and where I think America could improve in this regard, is that we make it very difficult for convicts to re-enter society as normal citizens again, denying them voting, employment, etc. I agree that once a criminal has served his time in prison, he should regain the rights he had before his conviction, as far as possible.

[@leibmoshe]

The United States is not the most free country world. It is rated number 17 on global indexes based on mutiple factors. Far behind Switzerland, Netherland, Canada, New Zealand, etc, etc, etc

[@BenedictBeckeld]

You obviously haven't watched the video. The main point in the video is precisely to explain why those indices are wrong.

[@leibmoshe]

@@BenedictBeckeld I know. I was agreeing and expanding upon the point made.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

Ok. I don't quite get it, but thank you.

[@avimech8546]

@@BenedictBeckeld Benedict, thank you for the video. Although your opinion is objective to that of my own, you do bring up some valid points and I enjoy hearing the other side’s arguments when someone like yourself presents it in a concise and rational form. While you presented valid points in the topics you mentioned, there are many factors which define “freedom”, you only mentioned freedoms in regard to free speech and the second amendment while ignoring other VERY important factors. What do you think about the fact that America has the highest incarceration rate in the world? We account for 4% of the world’s population, yet we harbor 25% of the world’s prison population. We are over-regulated and sentence people to harsh time for non-violent petty crimes. Our criminal justice system is not setup to reform people, but rather to mark people convicted of non-violent crimes as felons, which robs them of future opportunity which often pushes them to committing harder crimes to get ahead in life. This is the reason America has one of the highest recidivism rates. Our criminal justice system profits on breeding criminals for repeat business and we even allow privatized prison corporations to dictate harsher sentences to the American public, to protect their own profits. So while we may arguably be one of freest in terms of speech and the second amendment, we are not when it comes to the justice system which is one of the most important factors to consider. I would love to hear your take on this.

[@BenedictBeckeld]

@@avimech8546 (I replied to the version of your comment that you posted as a new thread.)

[@dulume]

Wow, what a bizarre corner of KZbin you guys seem to share. Have your minds and brains melted gradually or was it the result of an injury? We're you all in the same vehicle when in crashed? You collectively make me - and the world - sick.

[@Alex_Aramayo]

I love being American knowing there're pple like you that exist, & as well as knowing we created KZbin, Google, Apple, ISS, NATO, Tesla, MRI's, Anesthesia, 3D printing, Email, Microsoft, digital cameras etc you're welcome for all the Great inventions/innovations my GREAT country gave to you

[@dulume]

@@Alex_Aramayo ... yeah ... but you put pineapple on pizza, which is unforgivable

[@Alex_Aramayo]

@@dulume i'd agree but that's also an American creation...lol

[@tyrapp262]

Far right propaganda. Eat it up. Gun rights doesn't make it freer. Geez. What incredibly simplistic commentary.

[@Alex_Aramayo]

Yup nothing is free when oneself can defend themselves without Government intervention AKA police that's why it's so great in the UK & Australia u can't even get pepper spray isn't that great??? (Sarcasm btw since you obviously don't cogitate)

[@tyrapp262]

@@Alex_Aramayo Yeah, you really need those assault weapons to kill little kids to make you safer. Plus you have your God given right to buy them. Win win.

[@honestreviews6723]

@@Alex_Aramayo exactly, what happen in those countries during covid?