THE QUESTION OF

HUMAN FREEDOM
Are human beings really free?
Our Hero

Who loves a
doughnut more
than Homer
Simpson?
When Homer
wakes up,
though, does
he freely
choose to have
a doughnut for
breakfast? Or
does he have a
doughnut
simply because
he has 17
doughnuts
every morning
for breakfast?
The Homer Simpson Brain
Since it is so small, we had better define some
words for poor Homer.
Habits

Unfortunatel
y, Homer
has some
bad habits.

A habit is an
acquired
behavior
pattern
regularly
followed until
it has become
almost
involuntary.
[www.dictionary.co
m]
Some Good Habits

Homer is
concerned
about his
personal
hygiene.
Some Good Habits

Homer
spends
time
with his
wife
Marge.
Homer Has Some Good Habits
But Homer has some bad
habits . . .
 Homer is a little lazy . . .

He is a
couch
potato.
He likes doughnuts (a little too
much)
Habits

Good Habits are Called Virtues Bad Habits are called vices

Cardinal Virtues  Greed

 Courage
 Laziness
 Justice

 Temperance
 Lust
 Prudence
 Rash Judgment
Theological Virtues
 Faith

 Hope

 Love
Types of Ideas about Human Freedom

 The modern world often defines “freedom” as

“doing whatever one wants”.
 This kind of “freedom” is more precisely

defined as “license” or “freedom of

indifference” .
 True freedom is not license. License is

unbridled, excessive, undisciplined freedom

that abuses true liberty.
Types of Ideas about Human Freedom

 True freedom serves what is good, just and true.

 True freedom is when we follow the Good.
 True freedom makes us more human, in the image
and likeness of God.
 True freedom is often exercised by limiting our
license.
 [Your parents got up in the middle of the night when
you were sick to make you feel better. You knew
then they loved you, and they became more alive.
Servais Pinckaers, O.P.
Freedom of Indifference/ License
 The power to choose between
contraries. (This or that)
 Has no need for virtue (only for
the moment)
 Is entire from the first moment
(feels good only right now)
 Moral law, Natural law and any
form of legality is seen as
constrictive to freedom
 Synonymous with self-assertion
(I always get what I want)
Freedom of Excellence/ True
Freedom
 The power to act freely with
excellence and perfection.
 Recognizes inclination towards
good.
 Resides in the reason and the
will.
 Develops through education and
discipline.
 Virtue and habit are essential.
 Open to the common good.
 If the law is founded on the true
and good, it creates a structure to
enhance freedom
Determinism
 Human beings are determined by forces they
cannot control.
 Religious determinism – God has the power to do
anything, he knows everything that has happened,
is happening, will happen. As a result, since
everything is already seen by God, human beings
do not have freedom, they are only doing what they
are programmed to do by God.
 Rejected by most religions, but supported by John
Calvin (1509-1564). Sometimes referred to as
predestination.
predestination
Determinism
 Human beings are determined by forces they
cannot control.
 Scientific determinism – Sir Isaac Newton was a
strong proponent in what could be called physical
determinism.
determinism The entire universe is governed by
physical laws, such as gravity, so there is no real
freedom. Even human beings, because they are
physical in nature, are without freedom.
 Biological/Genetic Determinism.
Determinism The law of
nature, or genetic makeup controls human beings.
Determinism
 Human beings are determined by forces they cannot
control.
 Historical, Cultural or Social Determinism – Georg
W.F. Hegel (1770-1831) believed we are neither
responsible for nor able to control the period of
culture or history into which we are born, since there
is an inevitable force in nature. The character and
actions of an individual are completely determined
by current culture and preceding culture.
 Economic/Social Determinism.
Determinism Karl Marx (1818-
1883) The economic class into which we are born
determines in every way human nature.
Determinism
 Human beings are determined by forces they
cannot control.
 Psycholocial Determinism – Sigmund Freud (1856-
1939) Human beings are determined, even prior to
birth in the womb, by unconscious minds and
natural drives that society’s mores require them to
repress. Oeduipus Complex (All sons are in love
with their mothers) or Electra Complex (all
daughters are in love with their fathers).
Hard Determinism
 If you trace all actions back far enough, you can
prove that basic causes of things are never really in
human control.
 For example, let us say that Mary Smith is born in the 1930’s to a middle-
class working family, during the great depression. Already she has no
control over the century or culture into which she is born, the depression
her country is in, her economic class, or most important, th egenetic
makeup inherited from her parents. She could be born crippled, blind, or
quite normal; she has no control over this, either. Let us say that she is
born blind, and that her father is an alcoholic and her mother a child
abuser. Let us also assume that, due to these factors, she endures a
miserable childhood that leads to a miserable adult life.
 Hard Determinism
 Mary may react, out of anger at her lot, by becoming a criminal, resorting to
violence against both men and women in an attempt to avenge herself for the
treatment she received from her mother and father.
 The problem with this?
 We excuse human choices – we all become victims.
 Mary may in fact lead a blameless life. Many people
overcome terrible childhoods and circumstances to lead
outstanding lives.
 Hard determinists would answer that regardless
of what Mary chose, there is a circumstantial
answer for why she turned out the way she did.
She only reacted to external forces.
Soft Determinism/Indeterminists
 Events are largely controlled, but
there is still a limited degree of
human freedom.
 Indeterminists argue there is a small

amount of freedom and chance.

William James (1842-1910) argues
that our feeling of regret and our
strivings for good imply freedom.
Arguments for Freedom
 If hard determinism is true, there is
no point in a moral system, since
human beings have no control over
their actions.
 If soft determinism or indeterminism

are true, then human beings are free

some of the time, which means they
are, in fact, free.
Arguments for Freedom
 While human beings sometimes fall
prey to circumstance, environment,
genetics, etc., this does not prove that
human beings are never free.
 If soft determinism or indeterminism

are true, then human beings are free

some of the time, which means they
are, in fact, free.
Arguments for Freedom
 We can discuss that there are degrees
of complexity. Humans are more
complex than a rock, etc.
 The idea of a moral system implies

that we are, in fact, free.

Arguments for Freedom
 There are instances where we are
controlled by external circumstances,
but our response to these
circumstances is within our control.
 Sources:
Thiroux, Jacques. (1998) Ethics: Theory and Practice. (6th
Edition). Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Accountability

 Actions that we perform is necessary

consequence of our intelligence and
freedom.
 Our intelligence enables us to
distinguish between right and wrong
actions or between actions that we
ought and ought not to do.
 Hence performing actions deserve
either blame or praise.
Types of accountability

 A. Legal Accountability – results from

the application of legal accountability.

 A person is given punishments or

penalties by the state for performing an
illegal action, while given certain
benefits doing an legal action
Types of accountability

 B. Moral accountability - result from

the application of moral standards in
assessing the rightness and wrongness
of our actions.

 A person is taught to deserve moral

blame for performing an immoral act,
while moral praise for performing a
moral act.
Conditions of Accountability

 A. Intentionality conditions – full

intention of doing the action

 B. Knowledge conditions – capable of

knowing that the action is good or bad.
Two kinds of Ignorance

 A. Irresponsible Ignorance – should

have known better

 B. Real Ignorance – no knowledge and

we cant say you should have known
better
Degrees of Accountability

1. Degree of difficulty – pressure that

forces one to perform actions that on
believes to be wrong.
- the greater the degree of pressure the
lesser the degree of accountability
Degrees of Accountability

2.Intensity of Injury – injury that results

from a wrongful action

The lesser the degree of injury and lesser

the accountability
Degrees of Accountability

3. Degree of one’s involvement- case of

collective action

The greater the degree of involvement the

greater the accountability
Degrees of Accountability

4. Degree of one’s knowledge – of the

wrongfulness of an action and
relevant facts.

The more knowledgeable one is , more

accountable one is.