Theoretical-philosophical dimensions of the notion of freedom of consciousness

The freedom of conscience is a fundamental freedom, which belongs to the nature of the human being. The degree of protection of this freedom determines the essence of any political regime, the violation of freedom of conscience being the main indicator of a totalitarian regime. Contrary to apparent simplicity, the freedom of conscience is a complex and multidimensional notion. For centuries, philosophers, historians and lawyers have given multiple meanings to its theoretical perception. However, the components of this notion, such as "freedom" and "consciousness", have always been considered as conjugate and interdependent. The content of the concept of the "freedom of conscience" does not appear as a mechanical sum of components, but has its own meaning, determined by its multidimensional nature. The complexity of the category of the freedom of conscience conditions the possibility to identify several aspects of it: ethical-moral, philosophical, sociological, political, atheistic, religious and legal.