ETHICS

FREEDOM AND MORALITY

CHAPTER 2
Lesson 1
Freedom and Moral Acts
Kant’s Morality and Freedom

To act freely is to act autonomously. To act autonomously is to act

according to a law I give myself. Whenever I act according to the laws of

nature, and demands of social convention, when I pursue pleasure and

comfort, I am not acting freely. To act freely is not to simply choose a

means to a given end. To act freely is to choose the end itself, for its own

sake.
 To arrive at a proper understanding of Kant’s notion of moral law and the
connection between morality, freedom and reason, let’s examine these
contrasts:
1. Duty vs. Inclination (morality) – Only the motive of duty, acting
according to the law I give myself confers moral worth to an action. Any
other motive, while possibly commendable, cannot give an action moral
worth.
2. Autonomy vs. Heteronomy (freedom) – I am only free when my will is
determined autonomously, governed by the law I give myself. Being part
of nature, I am not exempt from its laws and I’m inclined or compelled to
act according to those laws (act heteronomous).
3. Categorical vs. Hypothetical Imperatives (reason) – Kant acknowledges
two ways in which reason can command the will, two imperatives.
Hypothetical Imperative uses instrumental reason; If I want X, I must do
Y. (If I want to stay out of jail, I must be a good citizen and not rob banks).
Hypothetical imperative is always conditional.
 o Main
Tw ns!!
What is Categorical Imperative? Form
ulati o

1. Act only on the maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should
become a universal law. “Maxim” is a rule, a principle that gives reason to action.
This is a “universalizing test” that checks whether my action put my interests and
circumstances ahead of everyone else’s. My action will fail the test if it results in a
contradiction.
EX: I want a loan, but I know I won’t have money to repay it. I’m considering
making a promise I know I can’t keep. Can I make this a universal law, the law that
says “every time one needs a loan and has no money to repay it, one should make a
false promise”? Imagine everyone then acting according to this maxim. We quickly
realize that this would result in negating the whole institution of promise-keeping.
We arrive at a contradiction.
2. “Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person
or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time
as an end.”
For Kant, human existence has in itself an absolute value – it is an end in itself
and the only ground of a possible categorical imperative.
The Role of Freedom in Morality

The personal aspect of morality – which might more properly be called ethics

– is about the cultivation of virtue; the development of character traits so that

choosing the good becomes a matter of habit. But a person, in order to be truly

virtuous, must be free to cultivate the virtues, or not.

Freedom remains essential. Freedom is so precious that God will not override

it, even when we badly misuse that freedom. In other words, we can’t get where

we’re going if we’re not free to walk the road. Thus, freedom is essential to a

genuinely good human life at all the levels of morality.

Freedom: The Foundation of Moral Act

Freedom is humans’ greatest quality and it is a reflection of our creator.

Freedom is the power rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or

that and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility. Having

freedom means having responsibility. Every action you choose further

determines our character.

What separates human from animals?

Reason (intellect) and will (moral action)

Freedom and Free Will

While the existence of freedom is a central premise in Catholic morality, we

are not all equally free. There are many possible limits to our freedom; both

external and internal. External freedom is a freedom from factors outside

ourselves that limit or destroy our free will. Internal freedom is a freedom from

interior factors that limit our free will.

Requirement of True Freedom

True freedom is dependent upon truth, “You will know the truth, and the

truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Ex, lying to a teacher or to friends. True

freedom is oriented toward the good. We should not understand freedom as the

possibility of doing evil. Evil enslaves us and diminishes our ability to be free.

True freedom requires responsibility. There is no such thing as irresponsible

freedom.
Human Acts vs. Acts of Humans

Human acts make use of his knowledge and free will. Ex: love your enemy,

pray to God, sacrifice for others. Acts of human do not make use of his intellect

or will knowledge. His action is natural. Examples of acts of human are

breathing, blinking, and sneezing.

True freedom liberates us to develop our God-given talents in a responsible

way so we can live our lives for others and for God. True freedom serves what is

good, just and true.

Human Acts vs. Acts of Humans

Man is created by God as a human person who can begin and control his own

actions. He is meant to seek God and gain perfection by clinging to him. By

freedom which is rooted in his intellect and will, man has the power to act or not

to act. He can shape his own life, mature in goodness, and gain a perfection

which is rooted in God. Until man attains God, he can choose to do good or evil,

to grow in perfection or to sin. Because human acts are free, they are worthy of

praise or blame. By constantly doing good, man grows in freedom. Doing evil

leads man into a “slavery of sin” (Rom 6:17).