Do the philosophical disagreements that constantly surround the idea of ​​freedom not point, beyond metaphysical disputes, to the real dynamics of freedom—and inseparably from its very idea—to its socio-historical conditions and, consequently, even to its negations? This essay explores the genealogy of the word "freedom": the successive meanings attributed to this concept are essentially linked to experiences of alienation, of which they constitute positive and idealized projections. Linking the history of philosophy and social philosophy, Peggy Avez explores various configurations—the fear of exile in Antiquity, the Christian conception of indebted humanity, the enslaving fear of modern times, and the contemporary horror of unilateral objectification—each of which forges diverse and opposing meanings of freedom.