RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig

MODULE NO. 5

LESSON NO. 5: Freedom of the Human Person

Topics to be delivered in the module:

1. What is freedom?
2. Political Ideologies on Human Liberty
3. Realize that “all actions have consequences”

Overview

This chapter highlights freedom from the intellectual, political, spiritual, and

economic aspects. To be free is a part of humanity’s authenticity. In one way,

understanding freedom is part of our transcendence. Freedom consists of going

beyond situations such as physical or economic. For instance, students can be

young and poor, but they can still pursue their dreams of becoming a doctor, teacher

or a stage actor. Critical thinking is an important tool towards freedom and truth.

Study Guide

 The learner understands the human person’s freedom.

 The learner shows situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and
the consequences of choices.

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Learning Competency

1. Realize that “all actions have consequences.”

2. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices.
3. Realize that:
a. Choices have consequences; and
b. Some things are given up while others are obtained in making choices
4. Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the
consequences of their choices.

Topic Presentation

1. WHAT IS FREEDOM?

 The concept of freedom has emerged as an important philosophical issue in

the 18th century Europe during the age of enlightenment. Enlightenment
thinkers believed that early man existed in a “natural state” and had absolute
freedom.
 However, the establishment of societies required people to surrender some of
their freedom in order to live in harmony with others and ensure their survival
in the society.
 In establishing a society, people entered into a “social contract” which defined
the freedoms that they will be enjoying as members of a society and the state.
 Freedom or liberty is a social and political concept which has great
significance on how people participate in society.

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 RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
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2. POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES ON HUMAN LIBERTY

Liberalism - upholds the preservation of individual rights and stresses the role
of the government in protecting the civil liberties.

Libertarianism - believes that the individual, not the government, is the best
judge in upholding and exercising rights.

Socialism - considers freedom as the freedom to acquire economic resources

and the ability to work and act according to one’s desires.

Freedom also entails the recognition of certain rights and entitlements of

persons.

Natural Rights - refer to rights which are innate in the person such as right to
life. These rights are considered universal and inalienable

Legal Rights - are rights that are based on society’s customs and laws and are
enacted by legislation enforced by the government. The
enjoyment of these rights is based on citizenship.

Theological Views - define freedom as freedom from sin and living a life of
righteousness. Christians define freedom in context of living in
accordance with the will of God.

Human freedom is expressed in two ways:

Freewill - the capacity to choose from alternative courses of action or

decision.

Free action - the freedom to perform an action without any obstacles or

hindrances.

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3. REALIZE THAT “ALL ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES”

A. ARISTOTLE : The Power of Volition

 Volition - the faculty or power of using one's will.
 Also known as the Power of Choosing.
 The task of practical intellect is to guide will by enlightening it. If there
were 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.
 Therefore, we all have the inner awareness of an aptitude to do right
or wrong.
 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.
 For Aristotle, a human being is rational. Reason can legislate, but only
through will can its legislation be turned into action. Our will is an
instrument of free choice.
 Reason, will and action drive each other.

B. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS – Love Is Freedom

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

change themselves and the things around them for the better. St.
Thomas Aquinas considers the human being as a moral agent.
 Through our spirituality, we have a conscience. Whether we choose to
be “good” or “evil” becomes our responsibility.
 A human being, therefore, has a supernatural, transcendental
destiny. This means that he can rise above his ordinary being or self
to a 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.
 Aquinas gives a fourfold classification of law: the eternal law, natural
law, human law, and divine law.

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 St. Thomas wisely and aptly chose and proposed Love rather than
Law to bring about the transformation of humanity. 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 his self-perception and happiness – his ultimate
destiny.

C. JEAN PAUL SARTRE: Individual Freedom

 Sartre’s philosophy is considered to be a representative of

existentialism (Falikowski, 2004).
 Sartre’s existentialism stems from this principle: Existence precedes
essence (we exists first before we develop who we are)
 The person, first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in
the world and defines himself afterwards. The person is
nothing else but that what he makes of himself.
 The person is provided with a supreme opportunity to give
meaning to one’s life. In the course of giving meaning to one’s
life, one fills the world with meaning.
 Freedom is therefore the very core and the door to authentic
existence. Authentic existence is realized only in deeds that
are committed alone, in absolute freedom and responsibility
and which therefore the character of true creation.
 The person is what one has done and is doing, not what
he/she dreams, hopes and expects.
 On the other hand, the human person who tries to escape
obligations and strives to be en-soi, (i.e., excuses such as “I
was born this way” or “I grew up in a bad environment”) is
acting on bad faith (mauvais foi).

D. THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTRACT

Social Contract – the idea of social contract aims to explain the relationship of
people and government where the belief is the right to
rule comes from the people.

D.1 THOMAS HOBBES

 rejected the theory of the Divine Right of Kings.

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 In his book Leviathan he wrote, “Hereby it is manifest that during the

time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they
are in that condition which is called war; and such a war is of every
man against every man . . . In such condition there is no place for
industry, because the fruit thereof is uncertain: and consequently no
culture of the earth; no navigation, nor use of the commodities that
may be imported by sea; no commodious building; no instruments of
moving and removing such things as require much force; no
knowledge of the face of the earth; no account of time; no arts; no
letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear, and
danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty,
brutish, and short.”
 According to Hobbes, men are naturally and exclusively self-
interested, they are more or less equal to one another, (even the
strongest man can be killed in his sleep), there are limited resources,
and yet there is no power able to force men to cooperate.
 Hobbes believed that people need to have a strong authoritative figure
who can force men to cooperate.
 Hobbes on social contract believed that people should willingly give up
their freedom to authority in exchange for security and protection.

D.2 JOHN LOCKE

 Locke believed that people were born with what he called a tabula
rasa or blank slate and there is no inherent anger or destructive
tendencies in people.
 In his book Second Treatise of Government he wrote, “Men being, as
has been said, by nature, all free, equal, and independent, no one can
be put out of this estate, and subjected to the political power of
another, without his own consent. The only way whereby any one
divests himself of his natural liberty, and puts on the bonds of civil
society, is by agreeing with other men to join and unite into a
community for their comfortable, safe, and peaceable living one
amongst another, in a secure enjoyment of their properties, and a
greater security against any, that are not of it.”

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 Locke believed that people are not only free to enjoy their rights and
freedoms but also have the right to select a leader and their
governments.
 He believed in Representative Democracy – people elect
representatives that make laws and govern on their behalf.
 Also, Locke believed that if people felt that the leaders aren’t acting in
their interests anymore; people have the power to overthrow those
leaders.
 Locke on social contract believed that government only governs with
the consent of the people, therefore, can be overthrown. The role of
the government is to protect rights to life, liberty and property.

D.3 JEAN-JACQUES ROUSSEAU

 According to Hobbes and Rousseau, the state owes its origin to a

social contract freely entered into by its members. The two
philosophers differed in their interpretations. Hobbes developed his
idea in favor of absolute monarchy, while Rousseau interpreted the
idea in terms of absolute democracy and individualism.
 Both have one thing in common, that is, 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.
 Rousseau believed that “Man is born free but everywhere is in
chains”.
 Rousseau on social contract believed that people should surrender
themselves to the general will (will of the people). A form of
association in which an individual alienates himself completely to the
general will, and therefore regains his freedom in a political form.

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Additional Knowledge

Freedom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FuGPe4-WC0

Sartre: Existentialism and the Anguish of Freedom

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ET7pPcc8U

What are the Four Kinds of Law, according to St. Thomas Aquinas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OHkz2aZuF0

What Is Libertarianism?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIa35LlpqAc

What Is Socialism?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBYmeLBWjeI

Social Contract Theory

https://iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/#SH2a

Guided Exercises / Learning Activities

1 page activity

What is your concept of freedom?

Assessment

 Link will be posted in our G Classroom.

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References

Ramos, Christine. P. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human

Person. Rex Book Store, Inc.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/emma-arban-palicpic/lesson-5-freedom-of-
the-human-person-philopsalmsproverbs/1096280893754757/

https://iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/#SH2a

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jul/15/rousseau-shows-us-
way-break-chains

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