Freedom of the Human

Person
LESSON 5
OBJECTIVES:

a. The learner understands the human person’s freedom

b. The learner shows situations that demonstrate freedom of choice
and the consequences of choices.
c. Realize that “all actions have consequences.”
d. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices
e. Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the
consequences of their choices
Boosting the Interest
Philosophical Inquiry:

• What is freedom?
• Are we free?
• What is the real essence of freedom?
 Honing the Potential

Philosophical Dialogue

Introduction:
“A life without freedom is to be like a bird without wings, to be like a
ship without a propeller, it is nothing but like a rainbow without color.”
- Almond Augustine
History has a lot to teach us about freedom and slavery, from the
time of Moses and the Hebrews in Egypt to the gladiators in
ancient Rome and the Atlantic Slave Trade. These events help us
understand the importance of the freedom we have today, which
is the same freedom our forefathers fought for and died for. Our
freedom comes with a certain degree of responsibility, as to be
free is to be responsible for our freedom.
What is freedom?
Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants
without hindrance or restraint. It is associated with having free will
and being without undue or unjust constraints. To most reasonable
people, freedom means more than just 'free to do whatever one
wants'. It also stands for securing an equal opportunity for life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom does not mean the
right to do as one pleases until one's choices start to infringe on
another person's freedom.
Types of freedom

1. Freedom from
- a freedom from the constraints of society. This is the
freedom to either willingly conform or deviate from the
norms, values, and traditions of a given society.
Types of freedom

2. Freedom to
- a freedom to do what we want to do. To be able to do
what we want without any hindrance is one of the greatest
pleasures in life.
Types of freedom

3. Freedom to be
- a freedom, not just to do what we want, but a freedom to
be who we were meant to be. In other words, this is our
freedom to fulfill our destiny.
Freedom that is
enunciated in the Bill of
rights:
Freedom of the press
The government cannot interfere with the printing and
distribution of information or opinions, but can limit it
by libel and copyright laws.

Freedom of assembly
The right to freedom of association is a human right, a
political freedom and a civil liberty, which can be
limited by laws that protect public safety.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of speech, press, association, assembly and
petition does not include expression that defames,
causes panic, creates fighting words, incites people to
crime, creates sedition, or is obscene.

Freedom of speech
People have the right to express their opinions publicly
without government interference, but this does not
extend to hate speech, advertising, child pornography.
Freedom of religion

The right of an individual or community to manifest

religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and
observance extends to any religious belief, but not all
religious activities that involve breaking other laws.
Existentialism and their
notion of human
freedom
Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes individual
existence, freedom and choice. It focuses on the question of
human existence and the feeling that there is no purpose or
explanation at the core of existence. It holds that the only way
to counter this nothingness is by embracing existence.

Existentialism believes that individuals are free and must take

responsibility for themselves, emphasizing action, freedom and
decision as fundamental. It holds that the only way to rise
above the absurd condition of humanity is by exercising our
personal freedom and choice.
Existentialists such as Jean Paul Sartre and Soren Kierkegaard
believe that freedom is essential for living an authentic
existence. This can be achieved by taking personal
responsibility over one's decisions and actions, creating one's
own essence, and owning the freedom to be who one wants to
be.
The concept of freedom
according to
philosophers:
“Happiness and freedom begin with clear understanding of one
principle. Some things are with your control, and some things are
not.”
-Epictetus
“To renounce freedom is to renounce one’s humanity, one’s rights
as a man and equally one’s duties.”
-Jean Jacques Rousseau
“Most People do not really want freedom, because freedom
involves responsibility, and most people are frightened with
responsibility.”
- Sigmund Freud
“I call him free who is led solely by reason.”
- Baruch Spinoza
“Man is condemned to be free.”
- Jean Paul Sartre

“The Fuhrer alone is the present and future of German reality and
its law. Learn to know ever more deeply: from now on every
single thing demands decision, and every action responsibility.”
- Martin Heidegger
“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a
way that respects and enhance the freedom of others.”
-Nelson Mandela
“True liberty is only for what is good and never for what is evil; it
is always in consonance with reason and the upright and honest
conscience of the individual.”
He further said, “The thief is not free when he steals for he allows
himself to be led by evil and becomes a slave to his passions.
When he is punished, it is precisely because he did use true
liberty.”
-Apolinario Mabini
Free will and Determinism

The ability to make choices and perform actions is an

indication that we are free, but there are certain things that
make us think otherwise. For example, we were born in this
world without our consent, have no choice over the color of
our skin, and have no freedom over our sexuality. Some of us
would have wanted to be six feet tall, but what can we do if 5
feet (or 4 feet) is all that or genes can give us? We must ask
ourselves if we are really free.
Many Philosophers argued that man possesses "free will" that
is, that we are able to have some choice in how we act and
assume that we are self-determined. This does not mean that
behavior is random, but we are free from the causal influences
of past events. According to the concept of freewill, a person is
responsible for their own actions and the consequence of their
choice. For example, a person who commits a crime when they
are under the influence of alcohol or drugs is still held
accountable for their actions. It would appear to be preposterous
for him to argue that he was not "free" when he committed the
crime, as he was able to exercise his freedom of choice over that
matter.
Additionally, he is aware of the danger that comes along with
consuming alcohol and the use of drugs.

Determinism is the philosophical belief that every event,

decision and action is determined by an unbroken chain of prior
occurrences. This does not mean that humans have no influence
on the future and its events, but that the level of influence is
dependent on present and past events. Baron D'Holbach argued
that everything is the inevitable result of what came before, and
that the Big Bang triggered every single action and mental
thought through a system of cause and effect.
Rousseau’s concept of freedom

Jean Jacques Rousseau believes that man is born free, but this
freedom comes with limitations due to internal and external
factors. Each free person has a chain of their own, such as
poverty, the law, traditions and customs, and the past. Despite
these chains, we all have the freedom to live with our chains or
break free from them and live a life that is not determined by
outside forces. Rousseau's concept of freedom reminds us that
our freedom no matter how limited it is, always comes with a
cost.
Freedom and Responsibility
Nelson Mandela once said that freedom and responsibility are
two sides of the same coin. Freedom is the ability to set one's
schedule and make decisions, while responsibility is being
held accountable for one's actions. The life of a student is a
continuous reminder of their academic freedom, but it also
comes with responsibility. The Philippine government upholds
academic freedom by designing public education to be free,
but students must reflect on this reality and become more
responsible for the freedom and privilege they get from the
government.
“Responsibility is the price of freedom.”

The most important details in this text are the experiences of

some of my students who made cutting classes and absences a
part of their lives. These students would only go to school on the
day of enrollment, and spend 4-5 months playing computers,
basketball, and hanging out with their peers. When the semester
is about to end, they will come to me with excuses, but still
expect to pass the course. I tell them that education is similar to
farming, and that no student ever graduates by just enrolling and
doing nothing.
“I am free because I know that I alone am morally
responsible for everything I do.”

We are called to be responsible with our freedom, with our

decisions, choices, and actions. To commit mistakes is
understandable, but the point is to be willing to admit them,
correct them, and take responsibility for the consequences
of our actions and decisions.
We are free to choose our actions, but we are not free to
choose the consequence of our actions. It is important to
exercise caution and reflect on possible courses of action
in making decisions. Prudence is the ability to be cautious
in making decisions and to weigh the consequences of an
action or decision before they happen. A prudent person is
not driven by compulsion or hasty decisions.
 In that regard we also have to be
mindful of the responsibilities
that goes along with marriage
husband/wife

Freedom to drive Drive safely and responsibly

You have to remember to take

Freedom of speech
responsibility for everything that you
and expression say and that you express.
PHILOSOPHICAL
PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE
APPLIED TO UPHOLD
FREEDOM AND
RESPONSIBILITY.
1. “WHEN FACED BETWEEN TWO EVILS, IT IS
WISER TO CHOOSE THE LESSER EVIL.”

“To prefer evil to good is not in human nature; and when a man
is compelled to choose one of two evils, no one will choose the
greater when he might have the less.”
. - Plato
Have you ever been caught in a dilemma, or have found
yourself in two undesirable choices? When you are
vegetarian and you were offered pork and fish, when you
woke up late, will you choose to skip your breakfast so
that you won’t be late for school, or you’ll still eat your
breakfast, and hold the consequence of being late? Either
way, you’ll be faced with a consequence, but this principle
of choosing the lesser evil will surely spare you from
having the greater consequence.
2. Immanuel Kant’s Principle of Humanity:
“Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in
your own person or in the person of any other, never simply
as a means, but always and at the same time as an end.” In
this principle, Kant put emphasis on the dignity of the
human person. He writes:
Now I say: man, and generally rational being, exists as an
end in himself, not merely as a means to be arbitrarily used
by this or that will, but all his actions, whether they
concern himself or other rational beings, must be always
regarded at the same time as an end.
Kant therefore stresses that man is not a means to an end,
but he is an end in himself. Thus, in line with this
principle, we should never use our freedom as a means to
subvert the dignity and to limit the freedom of others.
Furthermore, Kant stresses that our actions should not lead
to the depersonalization, dehumanization, and alienation of
man.
QUIZ (LESSON 5)
1. Define as the power or right to act, speak, or think as
one wants without hindrance or restraint.
2. Is a type of freedom that constraints of society?
3. Is a type of freedom that we do what we want to do?
4. Is a type of freedom, not just to do what we want, but a
freedom to be who we were meant to be?
5. The right of people to express their opinions publicly
without governmental interference.
QUIZ (LESSON 5)
6. The freedom of an individual or community, in public or
private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice,
worship, and observance.
7. A philosophy that emphasizes individual existence,
freedom and choice.
8. Is the ability to make choices and perform actions.
9-10. Name two(2) philosophers stated above