Group 1

Introduction
to Philosophy
of the Human
Person
What is 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.
The human person does not experience that
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 expect your
dog to always respond in the same way to your
commands.With us humans, our
inherentfreedom makes us very dynamic
creatures and our actions do not necessarily
follow a set of patterns or a predetermined
course. This means that animals, unlike humans,
just obey and follow commands given by their
owners or their masters, in which they call
conditioning. Humans think first before obeying
someone's command.
Freedom is also understood as the power to be
what you want to be and the ability to decide
and create something for yourself. As humans,
we have some things that we don't want, and
yet we have. For example, we have those
physical qualities that we inherited from our
parents. Despite these inherited qualities, there
are still a lot of characteristics that define our
personality which are the 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.
You may also have imagined
yourself as a successful
professional in the future. Our
nature as a human person gives us
the ability to imagine that future.
Meanwhile, freedom gives you the
ability to strive to achieve that
goal. It is rooted in the human
person's self-determination and
their exercise of intellectand free
will.
This means that we can freely
choose to be a good person
and to act in a good way. A
good act makes a person
better while its opposite has a
negative impact on him or her
as a person. This is the nature
of self-determination: that a
person's actions determine
what kind of person he or she
becomes.
Freedom also requires a degree of control
from the person who exercises 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 example, 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 a
dehumanizing act because a person is
forced to work for life without the
possibility of ever leaving a life of
bondage. A person whois imprisoned is
also dehumanized because he or she is
denied his or herfreedom and is confused
to prison life. That same person, however,
also dehumanized the person whom he or
she wronged.
There three types of freedom;
1. Physical Freedom - refers to the
absence of any restraint. This means
that a person has the freedom to go
anywhere he or she wanted to do. On
the other hand we cannot go to two
places at a time yet we have the
ability to go to wherever we want to
go.
2. Psychological Freedom - is also
called freedom of choice. This
means that a person has the will
power whether to act or not to act
on what he or she considers to be
right and wise.
3. 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 he/she
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 something, that
violates human dignity and
goodness, he or she dehumanizes
himself or herself and effectively
negates human freedom.
There are 2 elements that define freedom:
1. 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 or her own
free will. It also means that a person may
act even if he or she is not required or
called to take action. These are acts which
can be assigned a corresponding moral
value.
2. Responsibility - refers to the person being
accountable for his or her actions and their
consequences. This means that in everything
that we do, there are consequences. 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 pointit outand hold
you responsible. Responsibility can also have a
positive and negative meaning, and it goes
hand-in-hand with voluntariness in determining
the morality of an 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 in a given
situation. 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.
We just leamed and answered the question, "what
makes us free?" Now we proceed to answering the
second question, "how can we exercise our freedom
in a responsible and beneficial manner?"
1. 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 situation. A person can
even choose to limit his or her own freedom or even
surrenderit entirely if it will result in greater benefits.
.
2. 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 inorder to come up with decisions and courses of
actions when confronted with difficult situations.
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.
Determining the proper information needed before we choose
the best course of action is not easy, but 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, and use it as our
guide in making sound choices.
3. We should also recognize and uphold not only our
personal freedom, but also the freedom of others.
Many societies identify certain freedoms that should be
enjoyed by all, as these contribute to the quality of life of
the individual and the welfare of the society. These include
the freedom to live and determine one's identity, freedom
from slavery and other constraints; freedom of speech;
and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
Freedom should be exercised with due regard for the
welfare of other persons and one's freedom should be
exercised not as a tool to restrict the freedom of others,
but as a means to enable others to fully enjoy their own
freedom.
Final note (The Given and the Chosen)
People often think the fullness of freedom is found in one's ability to
make decisions aboutone's life. Choice, is indeed, an element of freedom,
but freedom goes beyond mere choosing. Freedom is not absolute, and in
our lives, there are a lot of things that we could not choose from. We are
not in total control of everything around us. 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
our freedom because we are not determined by these forces or
situations. Difficult situations may not always be avoided, especially if we
happen to be victims of circumstances. But, we may take these difficult
situations positively or negatively. We may not always have the best
farmily, but it does not mean that our future family will tum 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 is 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 it ourselves. The key 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 our
choices in the manner we want because we
are free to do it. 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.
Limiting our personal freedom
requires us to sacrifice certain self-
interests and accept certain
realities that are beyond our
control. Our sense of right and
wrong guides us in recognizing and
deciding these limitations to our
freedom.
Example:
Example:
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.
 Thats All
Thankyou
for
listening.