FREEDOM OF THE

HUMAN PERSON
GROUP 8
LETS TRY!
What do
you think
makes us
feel free

How do we
know that
we are
free?

Do you use
your freedom
responsibility
?
WHAT IS FREEDOM?
WHAT IS THE ESSENCEOF 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.
EXAMPLE:
Let's compare how animals and human persons behave to get a
better understanding of freedom. We see some animals behave
like human beings because they seem to perform actions in
response to commands. A well-trained dog can perform certain
tasks on command such as "stay" or "fetch" because it has been
trained and conditioned to perform them. The same cannot be
said about human beings. You cannot just approach a stranger,
toss him or her a ball, and say "Fetch!" Surely, you will be met
with curious and suspicious stares. A person will not respond
automatically to the command to "Fetch!" because he or she is
not conditioned to obey like the dog.
EXAMPLE:

Look at the situation. Samuel is

carrying a heavy load of books
along the hallway when he
suddenly loses his balance and
drops all the book.
EXAMPLE:

This pictures present three possible reactions:

Just watch Samuel or ignore him while he picks up his books

Choose to help him pick up his books
Or choose to laugh at him and refuse to help
FREEDOM
Freedom is rooted in the human person’s self-determination
and the excercise of intellect and free will.

Freedom is associated with free will

Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these

possible actions. It also enables us to come up with new
choices. For instance, some may laugh at Samuel, but decide
to help him later. The essence of freedom is that it does not
confine our actions to those set or expected by others; we can
imagine new actions and decide to undertake them.
TAKE NOTE!

Your freedom Freedom

ENDS where Freedom is
requires respect
the freedom of not
of the other
another person ABSOLUTE
person
BEGINS