Page - 11 - in Limina - Grazer theologische Perspektiven, Volume 2:2

12 | www.limina-graz.eu Editorial A spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of freedom. Yet, “no other idea is so universally known to be undefined, ambiguous, prone to misinter- pretation and – thus – in fact subject to misinterpretation than the idea of freedom, and none is so familiar despite such unawareness” (G.W.F. Hegel Enzyklopädie der philosophischen Wissenschaften im Grundriss, §482). Not only is it difficult to accurately define such an important and simulta- neously vague concept intrinsically linked to the meaning of life. Rather, it seems that freedom is constantly at risk of becoming an empty vessel or a blank slogan eliciting instant agreement and resonating with individual spontaneity. The semantics of “freedom” have undoubtedly shaped the dominant ideal of the modern zeitgeist, which strives for emancipation from any form of oppression and authority. The story of “modernity” is characterised by freedom, and the revolution of modernity pursues a transformation of lib- eration. Further, democracy both presupposes freedom and supports free- dom. The principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and that everyone has the right to claim their rights and freedoms without discrimination is accepted without question today; as is the fact that the aim of human co-existence is to preserve that freedom and dignity. In this regard, the primacy of truth has been superseded by the primacy of freedom, making freedom the decisive category for the democratic subject, which is provided rather than determined. Translation: Dagmar Astleitner MA PRISM Translations, London Freedom has become the decisive category for the democratic subject.