Introduction To Philosophy of The Human Person

Freedom of the Human Person
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Existentialism
• philosophical movement known for its inquiry of human
existence
• opposed to the idea that man has a fixed nature
• instead, asserts that to understand man’s nature, go
beyond the claims of biology, physics, and psychology
that man is a substance with fixed properties
• freedom is viewed as something that arises from self-
understanding, accompanied by the mood of anxiety
Anxiety
• self is threatened and vulnerable because anxiety pulls the
being-for-itself from the projects that it has appropriated
itself with
Being for-itself is the mode of existence of consciousness, consisting in its own
activity and purposive nature
• Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher and

phenomenologist disclosed that the mood of anxiety
reveals the nothing
• there is nothing that makes us secure and that guarantees
support to all of our endeavors
• we have no choice to deal with them, and dealing with
these entities requires decision-making
• inevitable for us human beings not to feel anxiety
Determinism
• opposes the notion of freedom or free will
• free choice is impossible
• no other choice is possible except for that one choice a
person is determined to choose
Two types of Determinism
01
Causal determinism
02
Physical determinism
01
Causal determinism
• incompatible with the notion of free will because it can
undermine free choice if past events will be revealed as
the cause of future actions and not really chosen by the
individual as a free agent
• all events are caused by other events
02
• claims that since the body is physical, every event
involving the body is determined
• given a set of determinate conditions in the brain and the
laws of nature, bodily movements are determined
01
Causal determinism
You threw a ball that break the window.
• maybe the window randomly shattered on its own, a split second
before the ball struck.
02
Helping an old woman carry her bags.
• the act of helping is causally determined by the laws of nature
affecting the neutral connections and chemicals in the brain
• fired up the muscles to move and do the act of helping
Value of Choices in Relation to Freedom
• according to Sartre, it is through choice that man lives an
authentic human life
• if human beings have no capacity to choose, (they are
determined) , then it reduces the value and dignity of man
(man cannot control the situations around him)
• when man cannot choose, he tends to believe that he
cannot be made responsible for the choices he makes
because his actions are not from choosing but a causal
connection between events beyond his control
Value of Choices in Relation to Freedom
• if humans are determined, life seems to be futile because
they live to simply go with the flow with what the nature
dictates
• whatever action you take is not a choice but it is what
nature dictates
Fatalism
a view that states that one is powerless to do anything than
what he or she actually wants to do
Acts of making a choice
• renowned American philosopher Robert Nozick explained
in his 1981 book, Philosophical Explanations, that
making a choice seems to feel like there are various
reasons for and against doing each of the alternative
actions one is considering
• introduced the concept of weighing the reasons
• suggested a theory of values in the act of giving weights
Theory of Values in the Act of Giving Weights
01
Intrinsic value
02
Instrumental value
03
Originative value
04
Contributory value
01
Intrinsic value
• value it has itself apart of its consequences
• you choose this alternative by the weight you give to the
alternative because the alternative itself is valuable in its
own right
if you will have to choose between studying and going out with your
friends, these alternatives can be both valuable and independent of the
consequences the alternatives may lead to
02
Instrumental value
• function and measure of the intrinsic value that it leads to
• may be the sum of the intrinsic values of different things
it actually leads to the intrinsic values it might lead to as a
weighed probabilities
1. Intrinsic value: Studying is a good act in itself.
2. Instrumental value: Studying will help you understand the lessons
well and it may help you earn a high grade.
03
Originative value
• introduces new values to the world
• through this value, you may have all three kinds of values
combined – intrinsic, instrumental, and originative
• a person with originative value can make a difference in
the world
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was a college dropout. He chose not to
finish college and instead focused on developing computers and such
devices. The choice that Steve Jobs made ultimately led to the invention
of Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads.
04
Contributory value
• focuses on the value contribution that a human action
effects
• when you make a choice, the act of choosing is always
intentional or purposeful
I want to become a doctor to learn the needs of my body.
I want to be a businesswoman so I can handle my money well.
Tracking Bestness
• concept that Robert Nozick introduced in relation to
determinism and how it can be aligned with value
• to track bestness is to take into consideration the act of
choosing: if an act is not best for you, you will not do it;
but if it is, then you will do it
• if we make our decisions we consider the facts,
importance and the consequences of our decisions
• we would align our action in making choices that what we
consider is valuable or the right thing in the long time run
and for future references (based on person’s moral beliefs)
Next lesson:
The Human Person and Their
Intersubjectivity

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Freedom of the Human Person

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

• Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher and

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