Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Learning Material/Week 9 and Week 10

Topic: Freedom of the Human Person

Objectives:
a. Realize the consequences and responsibilities of one’s action; and
b. Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice.

Discussion

What is freedom? What is the essence of freedom?

 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 freedom. An important indication of
human freedom is the ability to make choices and perform actions. Our freedom to act sets us apart from
other beings.

 Let’s compare how animals and human persons behave to get a better understanding of freedom. We see
some animals behave like human beings because they seem to perform actions in response to
commands. A well-trained dog can perform certain tasks on command such as” stay” or “fetch” because
it has been trained and conditioned to perform them. The same cannot be said about human beings. You
can cannot just approach a stranger, toss him or hell a ball, and say “Fetch!” Surely, you will be met
with curious and suspicious stares. A person will not respond automatically to the command to “Fetch!”
because he or she is not conditioned to obey like a dog.

 The human person does not experience the world in the same way that animals do. Animals act
instinctively, meaning, their actions are more like predetermined responses to certain stimuli. A person,
on the other hand, can choose the course of action to take when given a stimulus or faced with a certain
situation. You except your dog to always respond in the same way to your commands. With us humans,
our inherent freedom makes us very dynamic creatures and our actions do not necessarily follow a set
pattern or a pre- determined course. Your mother may ask you to clean your room one day and you will
follow her instruction. The following week, however, you may decide not to clean your room when told
because you fell lazy. The week after, you may decide to clean your room without even being told.
These varied actions indicate that you are exercising your freedom.

 Freedom is also understood as the power to be what you want to be and the ability to decide and create
yourself. You may have a good idea of your personal identity at this point in your life. Though we have
certain inherent traits such as physical attributes and temperament, many of the characteristics that
define our personality are often a product of our choices. Our talents, for instance, are developed to their
fullest only if we choose to dedicate time and effort to improve them. Our preferences and views are
other aspects of our personality that we freely adopt. You may have also imagined yourself as a
successful that future. Your freedom, meanwhile, gives you the ability to strive to achieve that goal.
Freedom is rooted in the human person’s self-determination and the exercise of intellect and free
will. This means that a person’s every action is freely determined and good way. A good act makes a
person better while its opposite has negative impact on determine what kind of person he or she
becomes.

 Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these possible actions. It also enables us to come up
with new choices. For instance, some may laugh at Samuel, but decide to help him later. The essence of
freedom is that it does not confine our actions to those set or expected by others; we can imagine new
actions and decide to undertake them.

Page 1 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

 Freedom also requires a degree of control from the person who exercise it. A person becomes more free
when he or she exercises control over himself or herself. On the other hand, a person becomes less free
when he or she is no longer in control of himself or herself and is instead controlled by other forces. For
examples, persons suffering from addiction are less free because they are overpowered by their
addiction to certain substances and can barely control themselves when presented with these things.
People who act solely based on their emotions are also less free because they allow themselves to be
controlled by their feelings without any regard for ethical considerations. People who behave
impulsively and erratically are more similar to animals than persons. To lose control of oneself
diminishes human freedom and dehumanizes the person.
Persons who are denied their freedom by other individuals, groups, and institutions are also
dehumanized. Slavery is dehumanizing act because a person is forced to work for life without the possibility of
ever leaving a life of bondage. A person who is imprisoned is also dehumanized because he or she is denied his
or her freedom and is confined to prison life. That same person, however, also dehumanized the person whom
he or she wronged.

Kinds of Freedom
1. Physical Freedom
 Physical freedom refers to the absence of any physical restraint. The person has the freedom of
mobility to go where he or she wants to go. He or she is not impeded in his or her actions by any
physical force. Granted that the person has natural limitations, physical freedom allows him or
her to act and move in a determined manner. You cannot be everywhere at once, but your
freedom allows you to move from one place to another and to go wherever you want to go.
2. Psychological Freedom
 Psychological freedom is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions
that he or she considers right and wise. A person is also free to act or not to act. Psychological
freedom is innate and cannot be denied a person. No outside force or influence can compel a
person to take action against his or her will.
3. Moral Freedom
 Moral freedom refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and goodness.
Freedom is not an object that a person may use in whatever way he or she pleases. A person must
use his or her freedom to grow as a person. A person becomes more free when he or she uses
freedom well, but becomes less free when he or she uses it in a bad way. Humans have a natural
inclination for what is true and good, and when a person uses his or her freedom to do acts that
violate human dignity and goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively
negates human freedom.

What makes us free? How does freedom shape our experiences?

 There are two elements that define freedom. Voluntariness refers to the ability of a person to act
out of his or her own free will and self-determination. This means that a person may decide to act
or not to act, and these decisions are made out of his own free will. Voluntariness also means that
a person may act even if he or she is not required or called to take action. Voluntary acts are free
acts which can be assigned a corresponding moral value.

 Whenever we decide to take action, these results in a certain consequence. All human actions
have consequences, and these affect not only the person who commits the action, but also other
people and our surroundings. As a free being, the person must accept consequences of his or her
action and take responsibility for them. The second element of freedom, responsibility, refers to
the person of being accountable for his or her actions and their consequences.

Page 2 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

 Taking responsibility can either mean a person voluntarily taking responsibility for his or her
own actions, or being held responsible by other people. Whenever you know you committed a
bad action, you can either voluntarily confess to it or other people will point it out and hold you
responsible. Responsibility can also have a positive or negative meaning, and it goes hand-in-
hand with voluntariness in determining the morality of an action.

 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 his or her will, it follows that he or she
cannot be held responsible for his or her involuntary actions. A person who is forced bank
robbers to open the safety vault in a bank may not be held fully responsible for the crime of
robbery, since he or she acted without much voluntariness. On the other hand, a person who had
no awareness of the effect of his or her actions can be considered as acting with diminished
freedom. One example may be a person who tried to scare his or she friend by jumping out of a
corner wearing a scary mask. The surprised friend decided to run away but in his or her panic, he
or she hit a wall and was injured. It was not the intention of the person who committed the prank
to get his or her friend hurt, but it happened because he or she did not fully consider the
consequences of his or her actions. Without these two elements, human freedom is diminished,
and the person makes imperfect actions and unwise decisions which may have negative effects
on the self and others.
The realization of voluntariness and responsibility in the exercise of our freedom gives our actions and
experience a whole new meaning. We can reflect on our actions to better understand them and guide us toward
making the best possible decision.

We can therefore begin to examine our actions, habits, and behavior by asking ourselves the following
questions:
 What should I do?
 Why should I do it?
 What will happen if I do it?
 How will may actions or behavior affect myself, others, and my surroundings?
 Will my actions or behavior be considered correct power, proper, beneficial, and moral?
 Another reality that we have to face as we exercise our freedom is the fact that freedom is experienced
through the act of making choices. Although human freedom gives us the ability to think of countless
decisions and possible actions or decisions. Having the ability to choose the enact a course of action
does not automatically mean that we should take action every time. It also possible that the choice not to
take action may be an acceptable and moral choice in a given situation.

 When we make the choice to do particular action, we can never go back and redo our actions and make
another choice. Real life is not a movie where we can stop and rewind events and get a “second take” on
the situation. Therefore, it is very important that when confronted with choices, we exercise caution and
prudence and reflect on our possible courses of action.

 Self-reflection is vital in the proper exercise of human freedom. As persons, we cannot allow ourselves
to be slaves to sudden emotions and moods whenever we act. As free and rational beings, we must
recognize the importance of exercising freedom responsibly. This requires us to reflect on our actions,
consider their effects, and make the proper choices regarding the most beneficial decisions or actions.

How can I exercise my freedom in a responsible and beneficial manner?

 You may have heard the saying “My freedom to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” This
simple statement points to the fact that human freedom, though essential, is not absolute. Human
freedom should be exercised with control and a recognition of reasonable limits. We set limits to
our own freedom and learn to moderate or control our thoughts, emotions, and actions depending on the

Page 3 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

situation. A person can even choose to limit his or she her own freedom or even surrender it entirely if it
will result in greater benefits.

 A person may choose not to enter the jeepney first despite being first in line to give way to an elderly
woman. A young professional may choose not to speak up in a meeting regarding serious concerns
about a worker, but instead directly confront the person concerned in private. You may be very angry at
your teacher for scolding you in front of the entire class but you refrained from answering back at him or
her since it will be considered a disrespectful act. Citizens may be angry about corruption in the
government but they do not go to the streets and engage in violence just to express their anger. Instead,
they find other more reasonable and lawful means to express it.

 Limiting our personal freedom requires us to sacrifice certain self-interests and accept certain realities
that are beyond our control. You may have the freedom to pursue a degree in medicine but, realizing that
your parents do not have the means to send you to medical school, you decide to take a less expensive
course. Our sense of right and wrong guides us in recognizing and deciding on the limitations to our
freedom.

 Our society also imposes restrictions on our individual freedom. From determining the places where we
can cross a street to controlling our actions though laws and regulations, society implements reasonable
restrictions to personal freedom in order to maintain order and harmony and uphold the welfare of the
public?

 Freedom should also be exercised with regard for knowledge and truth. As rational beings, it is
natural for us to think before we act. We use our freedom to act and acquire more knowledge, and we
use this knowledge in order to come up with decisions and courses of actions when confronted with
difficult situation. To correctly answer a multiple choice in item in an exam, a student should study and
prepare beforehand to know the correct information needed to answer the test. Otherwise, he or she will
be enable to answer the test correctly.

 The ability to acquire information and truthful knowledge regarding a particular situation is very
important, since it aids us in making wise and informed choices. For instance, in voting for officials in
your student council elections, some students may choose to vote for candidates they know and like, or
even candidates that they find attractive or appealing. More discerning students, however, will choose to
find out each candidate’s views on important school issues and cast their vote based on their judgement
of who is the better candidate to address these concerns. A courtroom judge has the freedom to make
any decision on any case. But if he or she wishes to uphold justice and render proper judgement, she or
he must carefully study the facts of the case in order to arrive at correct conclusions regarding the issues.
Truthful knowledge is also needed for people who wish to invest in business ventures to determine if
they are getting into legitimate transactions or are just being deceived into participating in a scam.

 Determining the proper information needed before we choose the best course of action is not easy, but it
is a necessary step to ensure that our choices, decisions, and actions are proper, reasonable and just. If
we make a choice and act on false or incomplete information, we may end up making decisions which
will bring harm to ourselves and others. It is therefore necessary to cultivate the intellectual virtue of
prudence to be our guide in making sound choices.

 As human persons, our nature drives us to uphold human dignity and goodness. In exercising our
freedom, we should also recognize and uphold not only our individual freedom but also the
freedom of others. This view has led to the assertion that freedom is a recognized and guaranteed right
for all persons. Many societies identity certain freedoms that should be enjoyed by all, as these
contribute to the quality of life of the individual and the welfare of society. These include the freedom to
live and determine one’s identity; freedom from slavery and other constraints; freedom speech; and
freedom of thought, conscience. And religion. Freedom should be exercised with due regard for the

Page 4 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

welfare of other persons and one’s freedom should be exercised not as tool to restrict the freedom of
others, but as means to enable to others to fully enjoy their own freedom.

FINAL NOTE: The Given and the Chosen

People often think that the fullness of freedom is found in one’s ability to make decisions about one’s life.
Choice is indeed an element of freedom, but freedom goes beyond mere choosing. Freedom is not
absolute, in our lives, there are a lot of things that we could not choose. For example, we were not given a
choice if we wanted to be born; we were simply given life. We also did not choose our parents; some of
our physical traits and personal characteristics were simply genetically handed down and already form
part of us. We are not in total control of everything around us, and we sometimes find ourselves with very
limited choices, such as being stuck in traffic, getting mugged by someone on the street, and having
strong emotions for someone. Many things in life are given. Although some things are given, it does not
mean that we do not really have freedom. On the contrary, there are instances when we can exercise out
freedom because we are not determined by these forces or situations. Difficult situations may not always
be avoidable, especially if we happen to be victims of circumstance. But we may take these difficult
situations positively or negatively. We may not always have the best family. But it does not mean that our
future family will turn out the same way as our current one. A person with an indifferent attitude may find
it hard to be motivated and excited about things in general, but it doesn’t mean that he or she incapable of
being interested and inspired to act passionately. These “givens” or predetermined things do not negate
our freedom but give us opportunities to exercise our freedom when we determine ourselves. The key idea
is that we should always act well in any given situation because the self is determined by the self. We
have given tendencies or inclinations, and the world also exerts some forces over us, but we can transcend
all of these and determine ourselves in the manner we want because we are free. As much as possible, we
must use our freedom in a good way so that we may become better people and better versions of ourselves
for our own sake and the sake of others.

Page 5 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Activity
A. Read and answer the following questions.
1. In what way you can change or improve your behavior so that you will be better able to uphold human
freedom?
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the most significant decision that you have made in your life so far? Describe how this has affected
you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

B. Reflect on your past experiences and identify a moment when you believed you “had no choice” regarding
your actions or decisions, or you made a choice that you eventually regretted. Reevaluate that situation using
the various views on human freedom.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

Page 6 of 8
 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

C. Reflect on a problem or dilemma you are currently facing. Create a graphic organizer outlining the possible
choices you can make and their corresponding consequences.

Page 7 of 8
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Page 8 of 8