“When words lose their meaning, the people lose their freedom.” So observed Confucius 2500 years ago, though he might have been speaking to us today of our most urgent issues. Over the course of the past two revolutionary centuries, certain words of fundamental importance have so far lost their meaning as to reverse their import, at the cost of the very freedoms that purport to protect. What is freedom? What are words? What is meaning? In this course we will examine the meaning of six familiar words and endeavor to reclaim our inner freedom.