Philosophy of the human person

1. Lesson 5. Freedom of
the Human Person
Prof. Michael M. Isidoro

2. What you can learn and do in this lesson:
1. realize the consequences of
one’s action;
2. show a situation that
demonstrates freedom of choice;
and
3. evaluate and exercise
prudence in one’s choice.

3. Short Activity
Give at least one example of your personal
choice in LIFE

4. Definition of Freedom
“The condition or right of being able or allowed to
do, say, think, etc. whatever you want to, without
being controlled or limited” (Cambridge Dictionary)
Freedom, generally, is having the ability to act or
change without constraint. (Wikipedia)
the state of being free or at liberty rather than in
confinement or under physical restraint.
(Dictionary.com)

5. FREEDOM IS AN INTRINSIC AND
ESSENTIAL PROPERTY OF THE PERSON
"This means that the human person
by nature is a FREE BEING and that it
is in his or her nature to seek
wisdom."

6. WHERE DOES FREEDOM ROOTED?
Self-Determination
Exercise of Intellect
Free Will

7. 1. SELF-DETERMINATION
“The ability or power to make decisions for
yourself, especially the power of a nation to
decide how it will be governed, ’The ability to
BECOME.”

8. 2. EXERCISE OF INTELLECT
“The process to manifest his or her
ideas and aspirations.”

9. 3. FREE WILL
 “The ability to decide what to do independently of any
outside influence”
 Freedom gives us a choice to undertake one of the best
possible actions.
 Freedom requires a degree of control from the person who
exercises it.
 Persons who their freedom has denied. It is a dehumanizing
act because a person is forced to for life without the
possibility of ever leaving a life of bondage.

10. KINDS OF FREEDOM
Physical freedom - refers to the absence of any
physical restraint. The person is free to move
wherever they go.
Psychological freedom – also called FREEDOM OF
CHOICE. The person performs actions that he
considers right and wise.
Moral Freedom - refers to as FREEDOM IN
MANNER that upholds human dignity and
goodness. The person is not an object of other’s
freedom.

11. TWO ELEMENTS OF FREEDOM
 VOLUNTARINESS - It refers to the ability of a person to act
out their free will and self-determination. -It means that a
person may decide to act or not act, and these decisions are
made out of their own free will. -It also means that a person
may act even if they are not required or called to take action.
 RESPONSIBILITY - It refers to the person being accountable
for their actions and consequences. As a free being, the
person must accept the consequences of their action and take
responsibility for them.
 Voluntariness and responsibility go hand-in-hand in determining a person's
freedom. In any situation where a person is forced to do an action against their
will, it follows that they cannot be held responsible for their involuntary actions.

12. Self - reflection
When we choose to do a particular action, we can
never go back and redo our actions and make other
choices.
Real-life is not a movie where we can stop and
rewind events and get a "second take" on the
situation.
Therefore we must exercise caution and prudence
and reflect on our possible courses of action. That is
why SELF-REFLECTION is vital in the proper exercise
of human freedom.

13. A. Aristotle – The Power of Violation
 For Aristotle, a human being is rational. The reason is divine characteristics.
Humans have the spark of the divine. If there were no intellect, there would be
no will. Reason can legislate, but only through a will can its legislation be
translated into action.
Aristotle: Intellectual Freedom
The reason, Will and Action drive each other.

14. B. St. Thomas Aquinas – Love is Freedom
 St. Thomas Aquinas considers the human being as a moral agent.
 Through our spirituality, we have a conscience. Whether we choose to be
“good” or “evil” becomes our responsibility.
 Aquinas gives the fourfold classification of law:
 Eternal Law is the decree of God that over creaion.
 Human Law
 Natural Law is the human “participation” in eternal
 Divine Law
 St. Thomas emphasizes the freedom of humanity but chooses love in
governing humanity's life. Since God is Love, then love is the guiding
principle of humanity toward his self-perception and happiness, his
ultimate destiny.

15. C. St. Thomas Aquinas - Spiritual Freedom
• St. Thomas Aquinas establishes the existence of God as a first cause. Of all
God's creations, human beings have the unique power to change
themselves and things around them for the better. As humans, we are both
material and spiritual.
• We have a conscience because of our spirituality. God is love, and love is
our destiny.
•

16. D. Jean Paul Sartre: Individual Freedom
 Sartre’s philosophy is considered to be representative of
existentialism.
 For Sartre, the human person desires to be God: the desire
to exist as a being with sufficient ground in itself (en sui
causa).
 Sartre's existentialism stems from this principle: existence
precedes essence.
 The person is provided with a supreme opportunity to give
meaning to one’s life.

17.  Authentic existence is realized only in deeds committed alone,
in absolute freedom and responsibility, and which, therefore,
is the character of true creation.
 The person is what one has done and is doing.
 The human person who tries to escape obligations and strives
to be en-soi is acting in bad faith (mauvaisfoi)
 Sartre emphasizes the importance of free individual choice,
regardless of the power of other people, to influence and
coerce our desires, beliefs, and decisions. To be human, be
conscious, be free to imagine, be free to choose, and be
responsible for one's life.

18. E. Thomas Hobbes: Theory of Social
Contract
 According to Hobbes, it is natural and rational for people to
give up some liberty to gain self-preservation security.
Hobbes develops a conception of what forms of social
organization and political system are consistent with those
aims.
 The condition in which people give up one individual liberty
in exchange for some common security is the Social
Contract. Hobbes defines a contract as the "mutual
transferring of right."