Lesson 5: Freedom of the Human Person ❑Freedom, for St.

Thomas, is the manner

(Part 1) intellectual beings seek universal goodness. It is a
condition of the will arising from our nature being
philosophia ancilla theologiae -This phrase in the kind of world that we inhabit.
literally means "philosophy is the servant of
theology." This phrase is famous during the ❑ St. Thomas considers the human being as a
medieval period in philosophy, and it was moral agent.
espoused by St. Thomas Aquinas. There is a
misconception here - everybody thought that ❑Our spirituality separates us from animals; it
theology is above philosophy and vice versa delineates moral dimension of our fulfillment in
because of the term, “servant‟. But then again, we an action. Through our spirituality, we have a
shall be clear that we use philosophy to conscience. Whether we choose to be “good” or
understand theology – “the idea was to improve “evil” becomes our responsibility.
theology, not to enslave philosophy.”
❑St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the book Summa
Theologica which establishes the existence of God
IMAGO DEI – the image of God. The doctrine as a first cause. And as God’s creations, human
speaks about the human person being created in beings have the unique power to change
the image and likeness of God. themselves and things around them for the better.
❑ We have a conscience because of our
“So, God created mankind in his own image, in spirituality.
the image of God he created them; male and
female he created them.” Jean Paul Sartre
(Individual Freedom)
The origin of freedom – a gift from God! ❑Existentialism is a philosophical movement
known for its inquiry on human existence, which
FREEDOM- The human capacity to act (or not to means “to exist”.
act) as we choose or prefer without any external ❑ For Sartre, the human person builds the road to
compulsion or restraint. the destiny of his/her choosing; he/she is the
creator.
❑ It is an intrinsic and essential property of a ❑Sartre’s Existentialism stems from this
person. principle: existence precedes essences.
❑ Important indication of human freedom is the ❑ Sartre emphasizes the importance of free
ability to MAKE CHOICES and PERFORM individual choice, regardless of the power of other
ACTIONS. Our freedom to act sets us apart from people to influence and coerce our desires, beliefs,
other beings. and decisions.
❑ Freedom means exercising our capacity to
Aristotle (The Power of Volition) make decisions, change our life path and direct the
❑Volition in this sense is the faculty or power to course of our lives through our own steering.
use or discharge one’s will. ❑ Freedom is something that is exercised through
❑ If there were no intellect, there would be no our CHOICES.
will. The will of humanity is an instrument of free
choice. It is within the power of everyone to be
good or bad, or worthy or worthless. Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and
❑ The happiness of every human being is in his John Locke (Theory of Social Contract)
own hands, to preserve and develop, or to cast
away. ❑Hobbes, Rousseau and Locke define the
❑ For Aristotle, a human being is rational. freedom of an individual in the context of having
Reason is a divine characteristic. If there were no a government to rule them (contract), which is the
intellect, there would be no will. basis of notion of moral obligation and duty.
❑Social Contract- an agreement where
St. Thomas Aquinas individuals sacrifice an amount of their freedom
(Freedom is spirituality) and submit to a higher authority.
❑It is a necessity that we must assure for the
government and people to work as one. From this
understanding also arises certainty that we have Lesson 5: Choices
freedom. (Part 2- Ethics)

Kinds of Freedom CHOICES: FREEDOM COMES WITH GREAT

RESPONSIBILITES
1. Physical Freedom- Refers to the absence of
any PHYSICAL RESTRAINT. The person
has the freedom of mobility to go where he/ ❑ It is an absolute understanding that all actions have
she wants to go. consequences. Freedom involves choice.

2. Psychological Freedom- Also called as ❑ Chance and choosing are incommensurable. If a

person has the capacity to choose, then that person can
“freedom of choice”. The person is free to
be held responsible over the consequences of his/ her
perform actions that he/ she considers right
actions.
and wise. A person is also free to act or not to
act. Psychological freedom is INNATE and ❑Freedom is the power to be what you want to be and
CANOT BE DENIED AS A PERSON. the ability to decide and create yourself.
❑ Many of the characteristics that define our
EXAMPLE: personality are often a product of our choices.
1. Freedom to choose your friends. Freedom gives you the ability to strive to your achieve
2. Freedom to choose your partner. goal.
3. Freedom to choose your course in college. ❖ Freedom is rooted in the human person’s self-
4. Freedom to be what you want to be. determination and the exercise of intellect and free
will.
3. Moral Freedom- Using freedom in a manner
that upholds human dignity and goodness. ❖ A person’s actions determine what kind of person
he/ she becomes.
EXAMPLE:
❖ Freedom entails certain RESPONSIBILITY.
✔ Doing charitable works
✔ Participating on outreach activities. ❑ Freedom requires a degree of control from the
✔ Being sensitive to the needs of other. person who exercises it (eg: addiction, impulsive
✔ Being prudent on the use of social behavior)
media.
❑ To lose control of oneself diminishes human
✔ Participating volunteer works.
freedom and dehumanizes the person.
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE FREEDOM
TWO ELEMENTS THAT DEFINE FREEDOM
Negative Freedom- refers to the “absence of
1. Voluntariness- refers to the ability of a person
interference”, absence of coercion or interference.
to act out of his/ her own free will and self-
The Freedom to do whatever you want. It’s considered
determination.
negative because you failed to use freedom in a
responsible manner. ❑ Decisions are made from his/ her own free will.
Positive Freedom- kind of freedom that requires ❑ Also means that a person may act even if he/ she is
active effort; has control or mastery of his/ herself and not required or called to act.
has the strength to do what is good. This is doing the
right thing and exercising our freedom in a responsible ❑ Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a
manner. For example: you will finish first the school corresponding moral value.
requirements before hanging out with friends. ❑ Whenever we decide to act, this results in a certain
ABSOLUTE FREEDOM- No form of hindrance that consequence.
would prevent from doing what you want. 2. Responsibility- refers to the person being
Should freedom be absolute? accountable for his/ her actions and their
consequence.
Definitely No.
❑ A person who had no awareness of the effect of his/
❖ Freedom always had its limitations. Freedom her actions can be considered as acting with
is always coupled with RESPONSIBILITY. diminished freedom.
❑ Another reality that we must face as we experience/ Evaluate and Exercise Prudence in Choice
exercise our freedom is the fact that freedom is
When we are exercising our choice, we must always be
experienced through the act of making choices.
cautious and aware of the choices that we make, as
The Nature of the Choices We Make well as the implications of these in the future.
The Act of Making a Choice
Understanding the importance of being ❑ The capacity of an individual to make good choices
prudent in making choices, you will realize that any comes from his/her accumulated experiences and
deliberate act of choosing involves evaluating the values.
alternatives. ❑ Always remember that when we make choices, we
❑ The concept of weighing the reasons explained that make choices not for ourselves but also for the things
when you are choosing, the act involves not only that will affect that choice.
weighing the reasons but giving weight to reasons. ❖ Human freedom, though essential is NOT
❑ After you have chosen each alternative, you will ABSOLUTE
realize that some considerations carry more weight ❖ Human freedom should be exercised with control
than the others. That is why you choose one alternative and a recognition of reasonable limits.
and disregard the other.
❖ Limiting personal freedom requires sacrifice to
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the certain self-interests and accept certain realities that
systematic questioning and critical examination of the are beyond control.
underlying principles of morality.
❖ Our sense of right and wrong guides us on
❑ A moral agent is a person who has the ability to recognizing and deciding on the limitations to our
discern right from wrong and to be held accountable freedom.
for his or her own actions. Moral agents have a moral
responsibility not to cause unjustified harm.
❑ A moral decision is a choice made based on a
person's ethics, manners, character, and what they
believe is proper behavior. These decisions tend to
affect not only our own well-being, but the well-being
of others.
MORAL DILEMMA
Dilemma- a situation where a person is forced to
choose between two or more conflicting options,
neither of which is acceptable.
❑ When dilemmas involve human actions which have
moral implications, they are called ethical or moral
dilemmas.
❑ Moral dilemmas are situations where persons, who
are called “moral agents” in ethics, are forced to
choose between two or more conflicting options,
neither of which resolves the situation in a morally
acceptable manner.
Three conditions that must be present in moral
dilemmas.
1. The person or the agent of a moral action is obliged
to decide about which course of action is best.
2. There must be different courses of action to choose
from.
3. No matter what course of action is taken some moral
principles are always compromised.