FREEDOM

OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
■This lesson highlights freedom from
the intellectual, political, spiritual,
and economic aspects. To be free
is a part of humanity`s authenticity.
REALIZE THAT “ACTION HAVE CONSEQUENCES.”

A. ARISTOTLE
■ The power of Volition
• The power of Volition(the power to make your own choice or
decisions) – The imperative quality of a judgement of practical
intellect is meaningless, apart from will.
• Reason can legislate (control), but only through will can its
legislation be translated into action.
• If there is no intellect, there would be no will.
• The will of humanity is an instrument of free choice. It is within
the power of everyone to be good or bad, worthy or worthless.
This is borne out by:
• The will of humanity is an instrument of free choice. It is within the
power of everyone to be good or bad, worthy or worthless. This is
borne out by:
– Our inner awareness of an aptitude to do right or wrong;
– The common testimony of all human beings;
– The rewards and punishment of rulers
– The general employment of praise and blame.

• Moral acts, which are always particular acts, are in our power and we
are responsible for them. Character or habit is no excuse for immoral
conduct. (e.g. cutting classes)
 Action

Will

Reason

■ For Aristotle, a human being is rational (based on facts or

reason and not by emotion). Reason is divine
characteristic. Humans have the spark of the divine. If
there were no intellect, there would be no will.

• Our will is an instrument of free choice. Reason, will,

and action drives each other.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS LOVEISFRE EDOM

• Of all creatures of God, human beings have the unique power to

change themselves and the things around them for the better
• A human beings therefore, has a supernatural transcendental destiny.
This means that he can rise above his ordinary being or self to
highest being or self.
• This is in line with the idea of St. Thomas that in the plan of God, a
human being has to develop and perfect himself by doing his daily
tasks.
• Hence, if a human being perseveringly lives a righteous and virtuous
life, he transcends his mortal state of life and soars to an immortal
state of life.
• Since God is love, then love is the guiding principle of humanity
toward –self- perception and happiness his ultimate destiny.
• For love is in consonance with humanity`s free nature, for law
commands and complete; love only calls and invites. 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 –self- perception and happiness his ultimate destiny.
St. Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Freedom
• St Thomas Aquinas establishes
the existence of God as a first Action
cause of all God`s creations, (Good or
human beings have the unique Evil)
power to change themselves and Conscienc
things around them for the better. e

• As humans, we are both material God’s

and spiritual. We have a
conscience because of our Love
spirituality. God is Love and Love
is our destiny.
JEAN PAUL SARTRE: INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

• Sartre`s philosophy is considered to be a representative of

existentialism. The human person is desire to be God. The human
person builds the road to the destiny of his/her choosing; he/she is
the creator.
• Sartre emphasizes the importance of free individual choice,
regardless the power of other people to influence and coerce our
desire, beliefs, and decisions.
• To be human, to be conscious, is to be free to imagine, free to
choose and be responsible for one`s life.
THOMAS HOBBES
THE THEORY SOCIAL CONTRACT
• A Law of Nature (Lex naturalism) is a precept, or general rule, found out by reason, by which a person is
forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life, or takes away the means of preserving the same; and
to omit that by which he thinks it may be best preserved.
• This becomes his first law of nature. The reasonableness of seeking peace, indicated by the first law,
immediately suggests a second law of nature, which is that we mutually divest ourselves of certain rights
(such as the right to take another person’s life) so as to achieve peace. That a person be willing, when
others so too (this is necessary for peace-building), to lay down this right to all things; and be contented
with so much liberty against other people, as he would allow other people against himself
• The laws of nature can be said to represent axioms and postulates that render this deduction possible.
They answer the question: What are the conditions under which the transition from the natural state of war
to the state of human beings living in organized societies becomes intelligible? These systems are rooted
from human nature and are not God-given laws. Nor do they state absolute values for, according to
Hobbes, there are no absolute values (Sorell, 1996). In Leviathan, Hobbes asserts: “the fundamental law
of nature seeks peace and follows it, while at the same time, by the sum of natural right, we should defend
ourselves by all means that we can. It follows from this that there are “some rights that no human being
can be understood by words, or other signs, to have abandoned or transferred.” Contracts made in the
state of nature are not generally binding, for, if one fears that you will violate your part of the bargain, then
no true agreement can be reached. No contracts can be made with animals since animals cannot
understand an agreement.”
• The third law of nature is that human beings perform their covenant made. Without this
law of nature, covenants are in vain and but empty words; and the right of all human
beings to all things remaining, we are still in the condition of war. Further, this law is the
fountain of justice. When there has been no covenant, no action can be unjust.
• However, when a covenant has been made, to break it is unjust. Hobbes adds: “that
covenants of mutual trust are invalid when there is fear of non- performance on either
part, and that in the natural condition of war this fear is always present. It follows
therefore that, there are no valid covenants, and hence no justice and injustice until the
commonwealth is established; that is, until a coercive power has been established which
will compel human beings to perform their covenants.”
• The laws of nature are unable to achieve the desired end by themselves alone; that is,
unless there is coercive power able to enforce their observance by sanctions. For these
laws, though dictates of reason, are contrary to humanity’s natural passions.
• That is to say, they must appoint one man (or woman), or assembly of human beings, to
bear their person, a person being defined as “he whose words or actions of another
human being, or of any other thing, to whom they are attributed, whether truly or by
fiction.”
• That is to say, they must appoint one man (or woman), or assembly of human
beings, to bear their person, a person being defined as “he whose words or actions
of another human being, or of any other thing, to whom they are attributed, whether
truly or by fiction.”
• That is to say, they must appoint one man (or woman), or assembly of human
beings, to bear their person, a person being defined as “he whose words or actions
of another human being, or of any other thing, to whom they are attributed, whether
truly or by fiction.”
1. A commonwealth is said to exist by institution when it has been established through
the covenant of every member of a multitude with every other member. The
multitude of human beings subjects themselves to a chosen sovereign from fear of
one another.
2. A commonwealth is said to exist by acquisition when the sovereign power has been
acquired by force. Here, human beings fear for death or bonds of that human being
who holds power over their lives and liberty.
JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU SOCIAL CONTRACT
■ He is the most famous and influential philosophers of the French enlightenment
in the 18th century. In his book The Social Contract. He elaborated his theory of
human nature.
■ Human beings have to form a community or civil community to protect
themselves from one another, because the nature of human beings is to wage
war against one another,
■ And since by nature, humanity tends toward self-preservation, then it follows that
they have to come to a free mutual agreement to protect themselves.
■ Hobbes thinks that to end the continuous and self-destructive condition of
warfare, humanity founded the state with its sovereign power of control by means
of a mutual consent.
• Rousseau believes that a human being is born free and good. Now, he
is In chains and has become bad due to the evil influence of society,
civilization, learning, and progress.
• Because of this human being lost his original goodness, his primitive
tranquility of spirit.
• In order to restore peace, bring his freedom back, and as he returned
to his true self, he saw the necessity and came to form the state
through the social contract whereby everyone grants his individual
rights to the general will.
• The term social contract is a certain way of looking at a society of
voluntary collection of agreeable individuals.
 Sovereign Ruler
(State)

Freedom
(General will or
mutual transferring
of rights)

Citizens
(individual Rights)

• There must be a common power or government which the plurality of individuals

(citizens) should confer all their powers and strength into (freedom) one will (ruler).
5.2
EVALUATE AND EXERCISE PRUDENCE IN CHOICES
• Skinner maintains that behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences.
• Yelon accepted that behavioral psychology is at fault for having overanalyzed the words reward and
punishment. We might have miscalculated the effect of the environment in the individual.
• There should be a balance in our relationship with others and the environment.
• Skinner thinks that the problem is to free human beings not from control but from certain kinds of
control, and it can be solved only if we accept the fact that we depend upon the world around us
and we simply change the nature of dependency.
• We do not need to destroy the environment or escape from it. What is needed, according to
skinner, is to redesign it.
• Life is full of paradoxes, nobody could nor should control it. We have to be open to life, learn to
accept and live with paradoxes. Learning with contradiction is not the same as living contradiction.
• In the spirituality of imperfection, we learn to accept that life, our environment is both evil and
good. We learn to be flexible and adaptable.
• Indeed, the theory of freedom has negative and positive tasks. Our lives should not merely
controlled by rewards and punishments.
• According to Yelon, punishment is an educative measure, and as such is a means to the
formation of motives, which are in part to prevent the wrongdoer from repeating the act and in
part to prevent others from committing a similar act.
• Indeed, the environment plays a significant part in our lives. Since the stone age, we had
proven that we are not completely under its mercy. We have and shall continue to tame and
adapt to the changes in the conditions of the environment.s
• As Plato believes, the soul of every individual possesses the power of learning the truth and
living in society that is accordance to its nature.
5.3
CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES AND SOME THINGS ARE GIVEN UP WHILE
OTHERS ARE OBTAINEDIN MAKING CHOICES

• 20th century gave rise to the importance of the individual, the opposite of medieval
thought that was God.
• For Ayn Rand, individual mind is the tool for economic progress, since the mind is
important, the sector that molds it should not be controlled by the government.
• Rand believes that thinking is volitional. A person has the freedom to think or not.
• Rand cited the right to gain, to keep, to use, and to dispose of material values. Most
developed countries have disposed their toxic wastes developing countries.
• Filipinos embraced family and political parties. For the Filipinos, one does not only
fulfill reasons of the mind but of the heart and personal involvement as well.
• Filipinos look at themselves as holistic from interior dimensions under the principle
of harmony. •It aspires harmony with others and nature to be in
• Filipinos loob is the basis of Christian value of sensitivity to the needs of others and gratitude. It
encompassed give and take relationship among Filipinos.
• As such, repaying those who have helped us is a manifestation of utang na loob or debt of
gratitude. Loob prioritized family, relatives, and even non-kinsmen (male relative).
• It bridges individual differences and is the common factor among human beings
• The concept of Rand`s free individual and Filipino`s view of the free human being may have
differences but can be overcome.
• The potential of the Filipino should be able to grow so that he will be aware of his uniqueness.
Children should be brought up to the identity of the members of the family and simultaneously
with that of the nation.
• Self-sufficiency (kasarinlan) should recognize human worth and dignity.
• Kagandahang loob, kabutihang loob and kalooban are terms that show sharing of one`s self to
others. Loob puts one in touch with his fellow beings.
5.4
Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the
consequences of their choices
• According to Rand, individual freedom should be aligned with economic freedom. The
Filipino harmony can be a helping value to the full development of Filipino if it opens
up to embrace the whole Philippine society.
• There are cases where the Filipino may adversely affect the social and financial
status of the one moving upward the social ladder. For instance, the more well-off
members of a family share their gains with their relatives and friends in need.
• Sometimes, the beneficiaries of the monetary assistance (utang or loan) just use the
money for non-essentials. Where there are more important concerns that should be
prioritized.
• As leader or manager with “magandang kalooban” is not passive but plays active role
in economic development. Leaders should not just focus on the impact of job
performance but treats every individual worker as persons and not as objects.
• kasarinlan” promotes entrepreneurship which minimize foreign control of Filipinos.
• Individualism should be tied with social responsibility and should not
be just “tayo-tayo” or “kami-kami”. Our own individuality should be
interact with others.
• As individuals who are free, Filipinos should recognize their own
brand of uniqueness, instead of copying foreign cultures.
• For Aristotle and Rand, reason and will or volition is part of our being
human. In relation to this, Filipinos had proven matured thinking,
pertaining to EDSA revolution.
• The decision Is based on the Filipinos` belief in freedom. They also
voluntarily risked their lives as they face danger. Again, the EDSA
Revolution is one example of social contract as discussed earlier in
this lesson.
THANK YOU
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