LECTURE HANDOUT 4 - FREEDOM AS

FOUNDATION OF MORAL ACTS

 
OBJECTIVES:
 
At the end of lecture handout 4, you will be able to:
 
 understand the basic tenets why only human beings can be
ethical
 know the philosophical insights on freedom
 When talking about freedom and responsibility, aren’t these
contrasting words? Freedom connotes no ties, no hindrance, no blocks,
responsibility connotes doing something, not because you want to but
because it is expected of you. There are Eastern and Western
philosophers who viewed that responsibility follows freedom. What
does this mean?
Only Human Beings Can Be Ethical
 

Another basic tenet in ethics is the belief that only human beings
can be truly ethical. Most philosophers hold that unlike animals,
human beings possess some traits that make it possible for them to be
moral:
 Only human beings are rational, autonomous, and self-
conscious. The qualities of rationality, autonomy, and self-
consciousness are believed to confer a full and equal moral status to
those that possess them as these beings are the only ones capable of
achieving certain values and goods. For instance, in order to attain the
kind of dignity and self-respect that human beings have, a being must
be able to conceive of itself as one among many, and must be able to
consciously select his actions rather than be led by blind instinct.
 Only human beings can act morally or immorally. Strictly
speaking, an animal which devours another animal cannot be said to be
immoral. In the same manner, no matter how good an animal’s action
seems to be, it cannot be technically said to be moral. Only human
beings can act morally or immorally. This is important in Ethics
because only beings that can act morally can be required to sacrifice
their interests for the sake of others. Not able to truly act morally,
animals could not really sacrifice their own good for the sake of others,
but would even pursue their good at the expense of others.
 Only human beings are part of the moral community. The so-called
moral community is not defined in terms of the intrinsic properties that
beings have, but rather in terms of the essential social relations that exists
between or among beings. Distinctively, only human beings can possess or
practice values such as love, honor, social relationships, forgiveness,
compassion, and altruism. Moreover, only human beings can communicate
with each other in truly meaningful ways, can engage in economic, political,
and familial relationships with each other, and can also form deep personal
relationships with each other.
These kinds of relationships require the members of such
relationships to extend real concern to other members of
these relationships in order for the relationships to
continue. Another thing human beings have that no
animal has is the ability to participate in a collective
cognition. That is, we, as individuals, are able to draw on
the collective knowledge of humanity in a way no animal
can.
Freedom as a Foundation of Morality
 
As explained above, one of the reasons animals cannot be
truly ethical is that they are not really autonomous or free.
Likewise, a robot, no matter how beneficial its functions may
be, cannot be said to be moral, for it has no freedom or choice
but to work according to what is commanded based on its
built-in program.
 Basically, morality is a question of choice. Morality, practically,
is choosing ethical codes, values, or standards to guide us in our daily
lives. Philosophically, choosing is impossible without freedom.

Morality requires and allows choice, which means the right to choose
even differently from our fellows. In their daily lives, people make the
choice to give to charities, donate time and money to schools, mentor
and children, open businesses, or protest against animal cruelty.
 Everyone who wishes to function morally or rationally in a
society has to make choices virtually every minute of the day.
Practically, the sum of our choices can be said to define our specific
‘morality.’ Applicably, using the government or one’s culture to coerce
people to behave in a certain way is not morality but the antithesis of
morality. This principle in ethics applies even when the motive is pure.
 Philosophical Insights on Freedom

1. Freedom is a Gift
According to Gabriel Marcel, freedom is the ability to act
significantly. Free acts are significant because they help to
make us who we are as human beings. Freedom is not merely
the ability to make arbitrary choices because we are not free if
everything that we can choose to do is insignificant in the first
place. Freedom is the ability to make significant choices and,
according to Marcel, it is gift given to us by God.
2. Freedom is Complementary to Reason
One of Aristotle’s ethical doctrines asserted that freedom and
reason are complementary. In Aristotle’s view, the human person
as a moral agent must exercise practical rationality in order to
determine how to pursue his or her ultimate end. Self- direction,
rather than bare spontaneity, is the crucial characteristic of the
free person. Aristotle considered freedom and reason as
necessary faculties for consciously making sense of things
(events, occurrences, phenomena, situations).
3. Freedom is Absolute

Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Satre’s concept of freedom is

not the freedom to do something or anything. In Sartre’s view, the
human person is “absolutely free”. Freedom sets the human person
apart from other creatures. You might say “But what about animal
freedom? Animals- unless caged- are also free.
 Animals just roam around, eat when they need to, and sleep
where they want. Animals are not tied down with responsibilities like
humans.” Yes, it is true that animals are- unless caged- free. In fact,
animals also have a notion of freedom. When they are caged, animals
will try to escape from their cages. This kind of freedom is called
freedom from restrictions. It is a primitive kind of freedom. It is
freedom for mere survival.
 Humans, on the other hand, have higher kind of freedom. The
freedom of the human person is beyond freedom from restrictions. In
fact, a person in jail is still free. He is free to think, to change, and to
become a better person. A prisoner is free to redefine himself. As
human persons, we are free to make choices. We are free to decide.
And we are free to use this freedom to attain goals higher than
satisfying basic needs.
4. Freedom Demands Responsibility

Jean-Paul Sartre said “You are free” because he believed a

person always has a choice, Thus, according to Sartre, you must
choose. His idea was that freedom is the capacity to choose, that even
not choosing is a choice. It is important to note however, that he also
added the concept of responsibility to freedom.
 According to Sartre, even though individuals must make
their own choices because they are free, these choices (though
freely made) also have consequences to it. These consequences
to freedom are something that the person must endure.
Therefore, it can be said that in Sartre’s concept, responsibility
follows freedom.
 Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu also discussed freedom and
responsibility. Lao Tzu advocated that a person can and should choose to
act, but his or her actions should be that which would result in harmony.
Lao Tzu’s idea was that in any society, the exercise of one’s freedom is
not absolute. The person is free to do anything; but it is not without
consequence of one’s actions. Responsibility, as a moral quality serves as
voluntary check and balance of one’s freedom. Without proper balance
limitless freedom is a dangerous as an extremely controlling social
group. Great social injustices have resulted from such radical mindsets.
End of this Lesson
Assignment week 4:
Instruction: In one paragraph (ONLY), answer the question briefly
and concisely. You are allowed maximum of 7 VERY DIRECT
SENTENCES . Your points this time will include your compliance
to the instruction.
Question:
How are freedom, responsibility, and morality linked to each
other? Give one simple example.
Note: Include in this submission the question in the week 3
lesson.