Our own individual, however, is the only thing we can be sure of, in the only thing we can be sure of, and to abandon our own individual is to abandon our only shred of surety in the universe. Therefore, an ethical system, though seeking the goal of harmony, must respect the existence and importance of the individual, or no individual would be bound to it. No End of Blame by Howard Barker Of all the modern ethical faiths, freedom is perhaps the most powerful. Kant's Categorical Imperative insists on the freedom of all individuals. Democracy and capitalism are driven by freedom from governmental oppression, and communism is driven by freedom from economic oppression.
Freedom is a somewhat messy concept, as one freedom is almost always at the expense of another.
A gated community may give up complete freedom of travel to gain freedom from crime. Freedom to your own religion comes at the expense of freedom from other religions. Despite this, freedom is still the yardstick by which modern systems are measured, and modern philosophers seem willing to give up happiness for freedom. I tread for a moment into the possibility that most humans hold in common the same primary faith, of which we continue to become more aware over time. I do not base any ethical belief off of this possibility, but rather suggest it merely to help other individuals examine their primary beliefs to the extent which I have examined mine.