Philo

Freedom of the Human Person

"God created man a rational being, with dignity, who can initiate and control his
own actions, with free will, and a master over his acts."
Freedom - power/right to act as one wants without hindrance (this is just a simple understanding
and is questioned in philosophy)
Determinism and Libertarianism
Determinism - every action is predetermined
- No belief of free will
- Every action is associated with a causal series of events
- Behavior is governed by internal (e.g. hormones) and external (e.g. parents) forces which
we have no control
Two Degrees of Determinism
1. Hard Determinism - different influences (e.g. environment, defense mechanisms)
determine people to act the way they do
- No one is responsible for their behavior
- 3 Famous Socratic Philosophers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle
- e.g. "I didn't choose to get education. I was simply born into an educated family."
2. Soft Determinism - determined by desires
- A person is still responsible for his actions
- "a person act according to his character"
- John Stuart Mill: "One's decisions and actions are necessary and inevitable"
- Not only compatible with morality but as necessary for morality
- Predetermined actions but still free
Libertarianism - humans are free from physical determinism and all other forms of determinism
- William James: "The universe is an unfolding system which can't be completely predicted
from past events."
- If actions are predetermined, then regret won't make sense
• Deliberation or decision-making - process leading up to the choice with the use of free will

Challenge of Freedom
• Humans have a deep desire to be free, but freedom is an often abused term.
• Freedom is the power to act or not. (Catholic Church)
• The more one does is good, the freer one becomes. (Catholic Church)
• Freedom of choice is a great good when used appropriately for it puts the responsibility for
one's relation to oneself, others, and God.
• True freedom entails free choice, but not every free choice is a choice that is free.
• Our freedom is anchored and rooted on the love of God.

"We are free but we are not really free."

Philosophy Page 1
 Intersubjectivity
"Man is a social animal." - Aristotle
Martin Buber - philosopher of dialogue par excellence
- developed his understanding of human relations, human relations with reality, and human
relations with God

I-It Relation - experience; mode that modern man almost exclusively uses
- I is acting more as an observer while its object, the it is more of a receiver of the I’s
interpretation
- no relationship that occurs in experience
I-Thou Relation - encounter
- both the I and the 'other' enter into a genuine relationship as active participants
- made possible by Love because in love, subjects do not perceive each other as objects but
subjects
- all living beings meet each other as having a unity of being and engage in a dialogue
involving each other's whole being
- direct interpersonal relation where no object of thoughts intervenes between I and Thou

The Challenge of I-Thou Relation

• Modern human relationship is mostly grounded on others viewing another human person as
an it rather than as a Thou and treats everyone as a means to their selfish ends.
• The I-Thou could bring an absolute relation, an encounter with an Absolute Thou, God.
• If the individual has a real I-Thou relation with God, the individual has a real I-Thou
relation with the world.
• There is no substitute to the value of real encounter with real people for a sense of care,
respect, and commitment is only built through I-Thou relationship.

Demonstrating I-Thou Relation with the Persons with Disabilities and Those from the
Underprivileged Sectors of Society

1. Change our culture and priorities. - acknowledge, understand, and embrace the
widespread nature of disability
2. Staffing and Training - recognize the talents of people with disabilities
3. Communication
a. Use appropriate language and etiquette
b. Ensure your communications are accessible
c. Make it obvious that your policies are inclusive

Dialogue - signifies the life of relation

- not limited to a human and fellow human; it is also between human and Supreme Being, or
between human and nature (Buber).

Philosophy Page 2
Kinds of Dialogue

1. Technical Dialogue - focused on objective understanding

- e.g. conference, meeting, class discussion
2. Monologue - disguised as dialogue
- the speaker is not focused on the other person whom he speaks to or
communicates with but only on himself.
3. Genuine Dialogue - the two parties involved are focused on each other
- happens outside the confines of speech and gestures or movements

“All in all the seriousness of truth, hear this: without it man cannot live. But he who lives with
it alone is not a man.”

Human Person as Oriented towards their Impending Death

Karl Jaspers: The human existence is limited by impenetrable boundaries or boundary situations
and one of these is infinitude.
Finitude - defining characteristic of one’s existence as human beings
Death - one of the most dramatic phenomena that really makes people aware of their finitude
Life - takes place when one’s brain and heart are functioning
- a person can be biologically alive but not alive at all
"To a person for whom life consists of spiritual gains, life never ends."
Death - physical end of life

Death According to Different Philosophers

1. Plato - the end of a terrestrial life and access to an ideal world.

- Earthly life heavenly life
2. Epicurus or Lucretius - the dissolution (breaking apart) of soul and body
3. Heidegger - very form of human life considered in its finitude
4. Sartre - a fact without any ontological (knowing reality) question

Three Possibilities of Death (according to Steven Luper)

1. Denouement Death - completion of the dying process (breathing and heartbeat stops)
2. Threshold Death - death’s completion is guaranteed, regardless of what is done to
anticipate it
3. Integration Death - when the different physiological systems of the body irreversibly stop
to work as a coordinated entirety

Philosophy Page 3
Hebrew View: Death as Punishment

• Death is the effect of sin (Hebrews 2:14)

• As children of fallen parents (Adam and Eve), all humans must taste death.

Death in the New Testament

• People who are alive physically may be dead in trespasses and sins.
• Death is necessary for life and fruitfulness.

Death as Good

• Death may be seen as a relief from the pain and the suffering of illness.
• It may be viewed as an appropriate conclusion after a long, successful, and well-lived life.
• It may be seen as heroic in that it is caused by some particularly courageous action.
• Death elevates the spirit to a higher level because it emphasizes the urgency of living
authentically without postponement (Karl Jaspers).

Death is the beginning of a New Journey

• Death is not the final end, but a transition to, or participation in, another realm in which at
least some essential but no purely material part of the person continues to exist (Rudolph
Steiner)
• What exactly is it that continues to exist? Soul or Spirit
• The mystery of death is part of the mystery of the soul and of life itself; understanding
death really means understanding life.

"Understanding death really means understanding life."

Philosophy Page 4