Objectives:

1. To realize the consequences of one's actions

2. To show situations that demonstrate freedom of choices
3. To evaluate and exercise prudence on one's actions

FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN PERSON

REALIZE THAT “ACTION HAVE CONSEQUENCES.”

ARISTOTLE: INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM

•The power of Volition (the power to make your own choice or decisions) – The imperative quality of a
judgement of practical intellect is meaningless, apart from will.

•The will of humanity is an instrument of free choice. It is within the power of everyone to be good or
bad, worthy or worthless. This is borne out by:

•Our inner awareness of an aptitude to do right or wrong;

•The common testimony of all human beings;

•The rewards and punishment of rulers; and

•The general employment of praise and blame.

•Moral acts, which are always particular acts, are in our power and we are responsible for them.
Character or habit is no excuse for immoral conduct. (e.g. cutting classes)

•For Aristotle, a human being is rational (based on facts or reason and not by emotion). Reason is divine
characteristic. Humans have the spark of the divine. If there were no intellect, there would be no will.

•Our will is an instrument of free choice. Reason, will, and action drives each other.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: LOVE IS FREEDOM

•Of all creatures of God, human beings have the unique power to change themselves and the things
around them for the better.

•A human beings therefore, has a supernatural transcendental destiny. This means that he can rise
above his ordinary being or self to highest being or self.

•This is in line with the idea of St. Thomas that in the plan of God, a human being has to develop and
perfect himself by doing his daily tasks.

•Hence, if a human being perseveringly lives a righteous and virtuous life, he transcends his mortal state
of life and soars to an immortal state of life.

•The power of change, however, cannot be done by human beings alone, but is achieved through
cooperation with God. Between humanity and God, there is a gap, which God alone can bridge through
His power.
•AQUINAS FOURFOLD CLASSIFICATION OF LAW: ETERNAL (IS A DECREE OF GOD THAT GOVERNS ALL
CREATION), NATURAL (1st PRINCIPLE / FOUNDATION OF MORAL & CIVIL LAW), HUMAN AND DIVINE
LAW.

•For love is in consonance with humanity`s free nature, for law commands and complete; love only calls
and invites. St. Thomas emphasizes the freedom of humanity but chooses love in governing humanity`s
life.

•Since God is love, then love is the guiding principle of humanity toward –self- perception and happiness
his ultimate destiny.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS: SPIRITUAL FREEDOM

•St Thomas Aquinas establishes the existence of God as a first cause of all God`s creations, human
beings have the unique power to change themselves and things around them for the better.

•As humans, we are both material and spiritual. We have a conscience because of our spirituality. God is
Love and Love is our destiny.

JEAN PAUL SARTRE: INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM

•Sartre`s philosophy is considered to be a representative of existentialism. The human person is desire

to be God. The human person builds the road to the destiny of his/her choosing; he/she is the creator.

• Sartre`s Existence stems from this principle: existence precedes essence.

• Human being is solely responsible for their actions because we choose who we are.

•Sartre emphasizes the importance of free individual choice, regardless the power of other people to
influence and coerce our desire, beliefs, and decisions.

JEAN JACQUES ROUSSEAU AND THOMAS HOBBES: POLITICAL FREEDOM

HOBBES (THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTRACT)

•THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTRACT - It is the theory that wherein the mutual transferring of rights is the key
in order to achieve freedom.

• ABSOLUTE MONARCHY

ROUSSEAU (THEORY OF SOCIAL CONTRACT)

•IN HIS BOOK THE SOCIAL CONTRACT.

•EDSA REVOLUTION IS AN IMPERPECT ONE EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS THEORY OF THE SOCIAL CONTRACT.

•ABSOLUTE DEMOCRACY AND INDIVIDUALISM

•There must be a common power or government which the plurality of individuals (citizens) should
confer all their powers and strength into (freedom) one will (ruler).

EVALUATE AND EXERCISE PRUDENCE IN CHOICES

•Skinner maintains that behavior is shaped and maintained by its consequences.

•Yelon (1996) accepted that behavioral psychology is at fault for having overanalyzed the words reward
and punishment. We might have miscalculated the effect of the environment in the individual.

•There should be a balance in our relationship with others and the environment.

•Skinner thinks that the problem is to free human beings not from control but from certain kinds of
control, and it can be solved only if we accept the fact that we depend upon the world around us and we
simply change the nature of dependency.

•We do not need to destroy the environment or escape from it. What is needed, according to skinner, is
to redesign it.

•In the spirituality of imperfection, we learn to accept that life, our environment is both evil and good.
We learn to be flexible and adaptable.

•Indeed, the theory of freedom has negative and positive tasks. Our lives should not merely be
controlled by rewards and punishments.

•According to Yelon, punishment is an educative measure, and as such is a means to the formation of
motives, which are in part to prevent the wrongdoer from repeating the act and in part to prevent
others from committing a similar act.

•Indeed, the environment plays a significant part in our lives. Since the stone age, we had proven that
we are not completely under its mercy. We have and shall continue to tame and adapt to the changes in
the conditions of the environments.

CHOICES HAVE CONSEQUENCES AND SOMETHINGS ARE GIVEN UP WHILE OTHERS ARE
OBTAINED IN MAKING CHOICES

•20th century gave rise to the importance of the individual, the opposite of medieval thought that was
God.

•For Ayn Rand, individual mind is the tool for economic progress vis-a-vis laisseez faire capitalism. Since
the mind is important, the sector that molds it should not be controlled by the government.

•Similar with Aristotle, Rand believes that thinking is volitional. A person has the freedom to think or
not.

•Rand cited the right to gain, to keep, to use, and to dispose of material values. Most developed
countries have disposed their toxic wastes developing countries.

•Filipinos embraced family and political parties. For the Filipinos, one does not only fulfill reasons of the
mind but of the heart and personal involvement as well.

•Filipinos look at themselves as holistic from interior dimensions under the principle of harmony. •It
aspires harmony with others and nature to be in

•Filipinos' loob is the basis of Christian value of sensitivity to the needs of others and gratitude. It
encompassed give and take relationship among Filipinos.
•As such, repaying those who have helped us is a manifestation of utang na loob or debt of gratitude.
Loob prioritized family, relatives, and even non-kinsmen (male relative). It bridges individual differences
and is the common factor among human beings

•The concept of Rand`s free individual and Filipino`s view of the free human being may have differences
but can be overcome.

•The potential of the Filipino should be able to grow so that he will be aware of his uniqueness. Children
should be brought up to the identity of the members of the family and simultaneously with that of the
nation.

•Self-sufficiency (kasarinlan) should recognize human worth and dignity.

•Kagandahang loob, kabutihang loob and kalooban are terms that show sharing of one`s self to others.
Loob puts one in touch with his fellow beings.

SHOW SITUATIONS THAT DEMONSTRATE FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND THE CONSEQUENCES

OFTHEIR CHOICES

•According to Rand, individual freedom should be aligned with economic freedom. The Filipino harmony
can be a helping value to the full development of Filipino if it opens up to embrace the whole Philippine
society.

•There are cases where the Filipino may adversely affect the social and financial status of the one
moving upward the social ladder. For instance, the more well-off members of a family share their gains
with their relatives and friends in need.

•Sometimes, the beneficiaries of the monetary assistance (utang or loan) just use the money for non-
essentials. Where there are more important concerns that should be prioritized.

•As leader or manager with “magandang kalooban” is not passive but plays active role in economic
development. Leaders should not just focus on the impact of job performance but treats every
individual worker as persons and not as objects.

•“kasarinlan” promotes entrepreneurship which minimize foreign control of Filipinos.

•Individualism should be tied with social responsibility and should not be just “tayo-tayo” or “kami-
kami”. Our own individuality should be interact with the individuality of others.

•As individuals who are free, Filipinos should recognize their own brand of uniqueness, instead of
copying foreign cultures.

•For Aristotle and Rand, reason and will or volition is part of our being human. In relation to this,
Filipinos had proven matured thinking, pertaining to EDSA revolution.

•The decision Is based on the Filipinos` belief in freedom. They also voluntarily risked their lives as they
face danger. Again, the EDSA Revolution is one example of social contract as discussed earlier in this
lesson.