[Copernicus]

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I don't think it is a particularly "conservative" defintion. Liberals certainly campaign on notions of serving a higher purpose, and whether that is a societal goal vs a spiritual or moral goal is irrelevant. Santorum is right on.

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Who exactly decides what the spiritual or moral goal is? Maybe I think my spiritual goal is to smoke pot until I lose control of my bowels. Is that any more ridiculous than worshiping a figment of my imagination?

What if my goal is to not have a goal? To live in the moment? To be very zen?

If I am free to pursue whatever I consider to be my goal, then that is freedom. If someone else decides, I am, by definition, not free.

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Then no one in the history of human civilization has been, or ever will be, free.