Freedom of human person (lesson 5 dicussion)

lesson 5

1. Freedom of the human person LESSON 5

2. This lesson highlights freedom from the intellectual, political, spiritual, and economic aspects. To be free is a part of humanity`s authenticity.

3. Realize that “action have consequences.” aristotle

4. 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.

5. Reason can legislate (control), but only through will can its legislation be translated into action. If there is no intellect, there would be no will.

6. 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:

7. Our inner awareness of an aptitude to do right or wrong; The common testimony of all human beings; The rewards and punishment of rulers

8. The general employment of praise and blame.

9. 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)

10. 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.

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

12. St. Thomas aquinas Love is freedom

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

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

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

20. St. Thomas aquinas Spiritual freedom

21. ACTIONS (GOOD OR EVIL) CONSICENCE GOD`S LOVE

22. 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.

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

24. Jean paul sartre Individual freedom

25. 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.

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

27. To be human, to be conscious, is to be free to imagine, free to choose and be responsible for one`s life.

28. Jean Jacques rousseau Social contract

29. He is the most famous and influential philosophers of the French enlightenment in the 18 th century. In his book The Social Contract. He elaborated his theory of human nature.

30. Human beings have to form a community or civil community to protect themselves from one another, because the nature of human beings is to wage war against one another,

31. And since by nature, humanity tends toward self-preservation, then it follows that they have to come to a free mutual agreement to protect themselves.

32. Hobbes thinks that to end the continuous and self-destructive condition of warfare, humanity founded the state with its sovereign power of control by means of a mutual consent.

33. Rousseau believes that a human being is born free and good. Now, he is In chains and has become bad due to the evil influence of society, civilization, learning, and progress.

34. Because of this human being lost his original goodness, his primitive tranquility of spirit.

35. In order to restore peace, bring his freedom back, and as he returned to his true self, he saw the necessity and came to form the state through the social contract whereby everyone grants his individual rights to the general will.

36. The term social contract is a certain way of looking at a society of voluntary collection of agreeable individuals.

37. 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).

38. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices Careful good judgement that allows someone to avoid danger or risks.

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

40. Yelon 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.

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

42. 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.

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

44. Life is full of paradoxes, nobody could nor should control it. We have to be open to life, learn to accept and live with paradoxes. Learning with contradiction is not the same as living contradiction.

45. 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.

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

47. 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.

48. 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 environment.s

49. As Plato believes, the soul of every individual possesses the power of learning the truth and living in society that is accordance to its nature.

50. Choices have consequences and some things are given up while others are obtained in making choices

51. 20 th century gave rise to the importance of the individual, the opposite of medieval thought that was God.

52. For Ayn Rand, individual mind is the tool for economic progress, since the mind is important, the sector that molds it should not be controlled by the government.

53. Rand believes that thinking is volitional. A person has the freedom to think or not.

54. 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.

55. 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.

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

57. 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.

58. 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).

59. It bridges individual differences and is the common factor among human beings

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

61. 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.

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

63. 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.

64. Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the consequences of their choices

65. 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.

66. 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.

67. 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.

68. 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.

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

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

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

72. 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 .

73. 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.