INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN

PERSON

FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN PERSON

WHAT IS FREEDOM?

→ Freedom is an intrinsic and extrinsic property of the person.

→ Freedom is also understood as the power to be what you want to be and the ability
to decide and create yourself, it also gives you the ability to strive to achieve your
goal.

ELEMENTS OF FREEDOM

 VOLUNTARINESS
→ Refers to the ability of a person to act out his/her own free will and
self-determination.
→ This means that a person may decide to act or not to act, and the
decisions are made by his/her own free will.

 RESPONSIBILITY
→ Refers to the person being accountable for his/her actions and their
consequences.
→ As a free being, the person, must accept the consequences of his/her
actions and take responsibility.
→ Responsibility can also have positive and negative meaning, it goes
hand-in-hand with voluntariness in determining the morality of an
action.

KINDS OF FREEDOM

 PHYSICAL FREEDOM
→ This refers to the absence of any physical restraint.
→ The person has the freedom of mobility to go where he/she wants to
go.
→ You cannot go anywhere you want but you are free to move from
one place to another and to go wherever you want to go.
  PSYCHOLOGICAL FREEDOM
→ This freedom also known as freedom of choice.
→ The person is free to perform actions that he/she considers right
and wise.
→ This kind of freedom is innate and cannot be denied a person.
→ No outside force or influence can compel a person to take an action
against his/her will.

 MORAL FREEDOM
→ Moral freedom refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds
human dignity and goodness.
→ A person must use his/her freedom to grow as a person.
→ A person become freer when he/she uses freedom well, but
becomes less free when he/she uses it in a bad way.

FREEDOM ACCORDING TO PHILOSOPHERS

 ARISTOTLE: THE POWER OF VOLITION

→ Human beings are rational.
→ To reason is a divine characteristic.
→ Reason, will, and action drives each other.

 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: LOVE IS FREEDOM

→ “Human beings have the unique power to change themselves and the things
around them for the better.”

FOURFOLD CLASSIFICATION OF LAW

 ETERNAL LAW
→ No one can know this, it is beyond our human understanding.
→ Is the decree of God that governs all creation.
 → The laws which govern the universe and control the life cycle of everythig
in existence.
→ The plan of divine wisdom as directing all acts and movements.

 DIVINE LAW
→ Revealed by God, through messiah or prophet.
→ The law of God revealed to people through the Bible, which Christians
call the “Word of God”.
→ The historical laws of scripture given to us God’s self revelation.
→ Code of Hammurabi, The Qur’an, the Ten Commandments.
→ Old (Mosaic)
→ New (Christian)

 NATURAL LAW
→ The moral law built in to human nature, also a reflection of the eternal
law of God.
→ Can be seen by everyone as doesnt depend on revelation but in reason.
→ A theory asserting that certain rights or values are inherent by virtue of
human nature and can be universally understood through human reason.
→ Good is to be done and evi is to be avoided, which is some call human
nature.
→ It is what directs our conscience and if applied with reason to a situation
will lead to eight outcome.
→ Right to life, self-defense, pursuit of happiness.
→ It is ethical sense, applies only to human beings.

 HUMAN LAW
→ Things like the law and school rules.
→ These are everybody rules that governs our lives from the legal system at
one end.
→ An interpretation of natural and divine law.
→ Ordinances, Policy, Bill, and Act.
→ There are sometimes human laws that are contrary to the divine law and
natural law.
→ Considered as the conclusions from natural law.

 JEAN PAUL SARTRE: EXISTENCE PRECEDES ESSENCE

→ He is considered as the representative of existentialism.
→ The person is nothing else but that what he makes himself.
→ The person is provided with a supreme opportunity to give meaning to
one’s life. In order to do this, one fills the world with meaning.
→ Freedom is the core and the door to authentic existence.
→ The person is what one has done and is doing.
 → The human person who tries to escape obligations and strives to be en-soi is
acting on bad faith.

 EN-SOI
→ Excuses, such as “I was born this way” and “I grew up in a
bad environment”.

SARTRE’S NOTION OF FREEDOM

1. Freedom is existence.
2. Existence comes before essence.
3. Freedom is absolute.

PRUDENCE

→ The ability to make wise and cautious decisions based on reason and good
judgment.
→ Defined as the ability to have good judgment that allows avoidance of
dangers and risks.

THE KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF PRUDENCE

 Considering the consequences of choices before making any decision.

 Weighing the pros and cons of different options.
 Seeking advice and guidance from trusted sources.
 Being patient and not rushing into decisions.
 Learning from past mistakes and experiences.

HUMAN ACT

→ Human act are action done with “will” and “knowledge”.

ACT OF HUMAN

→ Acts of man are actions with the absence of either “will” or “knowledge”.