Freedom as

Foundation for
Moral Acts
✔ Unlike the lower form of
animals, human persons have
a choice or freedom, hence
morality applies only to human
persons
Ethics therefore, applies
only to human persons
✔ Making moral choice is a necessary
consequence for being free, a consequence
of being person
Because human person has freedom,
he/she has a choice and so is
responsible for the consequences of
his/her choice.
The lower forms of animals have no
choice since they are bound by instinct
and so cannot be held responsible for
their behavior
✔ Owning a moral standards
means internalizing them,
making them part of your
conviction. Internalized or
embodied moral standards are
being followed with or without
anyone telling you.
 Kant’s Morality and Freedom
1. Duty vs. Inclination (morality)

2. Autonomy vs. Heteronomy (freedom)

3. Categorical vs. Hypothetical (reason)

 What is Categorical Imperative?

1. Act only on that 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
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
 The Role of Freedom in Morality

The personal aspect of morality – which

might more properly 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 freely
virtuous, must be free to cultivate the
virtues, or not.
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. Every action you
choose further determines our character.
 Freedom and Free Will
There are many possible limits to our
freedom:
> 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”
True freedom is oriented toward the
good
True freedom requires responsibility
 Human Acts vs Acts of Humans
Human acts make use of his
knowledge and free will

Acts of human do not make use of

his intellect or will knowledge. His
action is natural