Lesson 7 - Freedom.Intro to Philosophy..pptx

Philosophy lessons

1. LESSON 7 Freedom

2. Learning Objectives: Discuss philosophical views on freedom. Relate freedom to human rights, society, politics, and morality Describe philosophical views regarding free will and free action Identify example of people exercising their free will Identify and discuss constraints or limits to freedom Discuss how they can effectively and responsibly use their freedom

3. What is FREEDOM? Freedom or liberty is a social and political concept which has great significance in how people participate in society. The concept of freedom has emerged as an important philosophical issue in 18 th -century Europe during the Age of Enlightenment . During this period, pondered on the origins of society and the state and nature of human freedom. Enlightenment thinkers believed that early man existed in a “natural state” and had absolute freedom.

4. Freedom in a political and social context means the freedom of an individual from oppression, compulsion, or coercion from other persons, an authoritative figure, or from society itself. Political freedom consists of two types of liberties: positive liberty and negative liberty Positive liberty refers to a person taking control of his or her own life and fulfilling one’s potential Negative liberty , on the other hand, is freedom from external restraints, barriers, and other interference from other people.

5. 1. Liberalism Upholds the preservation of individual rights and stresses the role of the government in protecting this civil liberties. Various Ideas On Human Liberty 2. Libertarianism Believes that the individual, not the government, is the best judge in upholding and exercising rights. 3. Socialism Considers freedom as the freedom to acquire economic resources and the ability to work and act according to one’s desires.

6. Natural Rights Refers to rights which are innate in the person such as the right to life. Legal Rights Are rights that are based on society’s customs and laws that are enacted by legislation and enforced by the government.

7. What makes us free? How does freedom shape our experience? Freedom, in its simplest sense, is a freedom to make choices in life Philosophers relate human freedom to the concept of human agency which refers to the capacity of a person to act and exert control over his or her behavior.

8. Human freedom is expressed in two ways: Free will which refers to the capacity to choose from alternative courses of action or decision Free action which refers to the freedom to perform an action without any obstacle or hindrances

9. Human Acts Vs. Acts of Human Human Acts Are voluntary actions where individuals have motive and full knowledge of actions. Human actions are also involved in the question of morality. Acts of Man Are involuntary actions. These are actions that occur naturally in the human being such as functioning of the senses and actions that occur without the knowledge of the agent such as sleepwalking.

10. Ways in exercising free will and free action 1. Faculties model Refers to free will as the use of our mental faculties. It assumes that we have free will due to our intellect because each human action is based on rationality and sound judgment. 2. Hierarchical model Argues that free will is based on human wants and desires. An individual in faced with various wants and desires that need to be met.

11. 3. Reasons-responsive view Believes that man has free will because he or she is able to entertain reasons not to enact a certain decision and act upon them when the need arises.

12. What can prevent us from exercising our freedom? Prohibitions Laws Social controls imposed by society Disability or sickness Weather Accidents Poverty Coercion Manipulation Brainwashing Fear or Emotions

13. Determinism Is a philosophical view that believes that every event in the world is brought about by underlying causes or factors. If man is indeed free, how can he exercise his free will and action in a world where events are already determined by outside forces?

14. How can we effectively exercise freedom in our life? The concept of moral responsibility is an effective guide in the proper exercise of human freedom. Moral responsibility refers to a person’s status of deserving praise and reward, or blame and punishment for an action.