Where are we so far in Philo???
Methods of Human Person
Doing as Embodied
Philosophizing
Philosophy Spirit
Human Person
and the
Environment
Freedom of the
Human Person
Learning Objectives:
1. Define freedom in the context of Philosophy.
2. Discern the essence of true freedom as a
human person.
3. Explain the 3 kinds of freedom, Aristotle,
Thomas Aquinas and Jean Paul Sartre’s notion of
freedom.
• When was the
time you felt most
free?
• When was the
time you felt
unfree?
What are the things that you
considered in making choices?
Freedom
• An intrinsic and essential
property of the person.
This means that the
human person by nature is
a free being and that it is
in his nature to seek
freedom.
Freedom
• Ability to make choices and perform
actions.
Freedom as a Historical Struggle…
History shows how
freedom is deprived
from people and
how we demand for
the recognition of
freedom.
FREEDOM
Freedom is rooted in the
human person’s self-
determination and the
exercise of intellect and
freewill. Freewill is the
capacity to choose a course
of action from various
alternatives.
FREEDOM
Requires a degree of control from
the person who exercise it. A
person becomes more free when
he or she exercises control over
himself or herself. Thus, freedom
entails responsibility.
FREEDOM
Also understood as the
power to be with what you
want to be and the ability to
decide and create yourself.
Kinds of Freedom
1. Physical Freedom
2. Psychological Freedom
3. Moral Freedom
1. Physical Freedom – refers to the
absence of any physical restraint.
The person has the freedom of
mobility to go where he or she wants
to go.
2. Psychological Freedom – also called
freedom of choice. A person is free
to act or not to act.
Example
When an individual is
able to surpass his or
her weakness in
attaining his or her goal
in life.
3. Moral Freedom – using freedom in
a manner that upholds human
dignity and goodness.
Example:
Choosing right from
wrong actions.
o Participating in outreach
activities
o Being sensitive on the
needs of other
Identify which kind of freedom is being referred or
violated.
Philosophers’ notion of Freedom
▪ Aristotle (Intellectual)
▪ Thomas Aquinas (Intellectual)
▪ Jean Paul Sartre (Existential)
Aristotle’s Notion of Freedom:
The Power of Volition
Reason/Intellect Will
▪ Being rational enable us to think and act according to our reason.
Because of this, we have the power to choose. (Freedom)
▪ Reason enables us to know something. An example of this is that
you know that cheating is bad. Though we have our reason, our will
is an instrument of free choice that turns into action. We know that
cheating is bad but our will functions if we let the action of cheating.
▪ Free will is an instrument of free choice. With this, we become
responsible for our action and face the consequences of our action.
Intellect/Knowledge
▪ Command: says "Do the best
means!"
Will
▪ Use: exercises control over the
body or mind as needed
Thomas Aquinas
Freedom is Spirituality and Love
▪ Freedom is something that emerges from the will
and that always desire for good. It is our ability to
choose good. Our will is the faculty of desiring.
Whatever our minds grasp as good for us, that is
what we desire for ourselves.
Example: Student wants to obtain a degree. She diligently
attend classes, submit academic requirements on time,etc.,
Thomas Aquinas
Freedom is Spirituality and Love
▪ If we make wealth, money
and fame as an ultimate
end, according to Aquinas,
this would not make us truly
happy.
Thomas Aquinas
Freedom is Spirituality and Love
▪ To achieve the highest level of fulfillment and
happiness, humans must aspire to go beyond
their basic needs to live, eat, and sleep.
▪ This can be possible by living a righteous and
virtuous life.
Thomas Aquinas
▪ We have conscience. Whether
we choose to be good or evil
becomes our responsibility.
Conscience – the power of
reason for working out what is
good and evil.
Jean Paul Sartre’s Existential Freedom
1905-1980
“Existence precedes essence”
Jean Paul Sartre’s Existential Freedom
Existence precedes essence
▪ The person, first, exists and encounters himself
and surges up in the world. It’s not our choice
to be born or no idea of what kind of life to live.
▪ Freedom rests on the realization that we exist,
and from here we create the meaning of our
life. We have self-awareness which enable us to
apprehend as self-image.
Bad Faith
▪ A form of self deception
and inauthenticity. A
denial of human freedom.
▪ It is a natural
outcome of how our
minds work.
Jean Paul Sartre’s Existential Freedom
Existence precedes essence
▪ The person is provided with a supreme
opportunity or absolute freedom of
choice to give meaning to one’s life.
▪ The human person builds the road to the
destiny of his choosing; he is the creator.
▪ Freedom is therefore the very core and
the door to authentic existence.
Jean Paul Sartre
To be human, to be conscious, is
to be free to imagine, free to
choose, and be responsible for
one’s life.
What would it be like to live
where there is little freedom of
choice?
Analyze…
Are we really free? If yes, what
does it really mean to be free?
Expound.