Philosophy: Freedom and Volition

• Human capacity to act or not act, as we choose, free from external compulsion, is freedom.
• Freedom is an intrinsic and essential property of a person.
• Freedom empowers choice and action, differentiating humans from other beings.

Aristotle (The Power of Volition)

• Volition is the power to use one's will.
• Without intellect, there is no will; everyone has the potential to be good, bad, worthy, or worthless.
• Happiness is in one's own hands, to be preserved, developed, or cast away.
• Humans are rational; reason is a divine characteristic.

St. Thomas Aquinas (Freedom is spirituality and love)

• Intellectual beings seek universal goodness through freedom.
• Freedom is a condition of the will arising from our nature within our world.
• The human being is a moral agent.
• Spirituality separates humans from animals and defines the moral dimension of actions.
• Spirituality gives us conscience, making us responsible for our choices.
• Summa Theologica establishes God as the first cause and that humans can change themselves & their surroundings for the better.

Jean Paul Sartre (Individual Freedom)

• Existentialism explores human existence that we exist."
• Each person builds their road to their chosen destiny; each person is the creator.
• Existentialism stems from existence precedes essence.
• Humans are solely responsible for their actions.
• Free individual choice is important, regardless of external influences.
• Freedom is exercised through our choices.

Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau & John Locke (Theory of Social Contract)

• Freedom is defined in the context of a governing body, forming the basis of moral obligation and duty.
• Social Contract: Individuals sacrifice some freedom to a higher authority.
• Ensuring the government and people work as one is necessary.

Kinds of Freedom

• Physical: Absence of physical restraint; freedom of movement.
• Psychological (Freedom of Choice): Acting as one sees fit; innate and undeniable.
• Moral: Using freedom to uphold human dignity and goodness.
• Positive: Proactive effort to do good, exercising control and responsibility.
• Negative: Absence of interference or coercion.
• Absolute: Without any hindrances.

Choices

• Freedom comes with great responsibilities.
• Actions have consequences.
• The ability to choose implies responsibility for the outcomes.
• Freedom enables self-creation and the pursuit of goals.
• Freedom is rooted in self-determination, intellect, & free will.
• Freedom requires control to avoid dehumanization.

Elements of Freedom

• Voluntariness: Acting out of free will, even without external prompting.
• Voluntary acts have moral value and consequences.
• Responsibility: Being accountable for actions and their results.
• Diminished awareness reduces freedom.

Ethics

• Ethics systematically questions and critically examines the basis of morality.
• A moral agent discerns right from wrong; held accountable and must not cause unjustified harm.
• Moral decisions are choices based one's ethics and influence oneself and others.

Intellectual Choice vs. Practical Choice

• Intellectual: Deliberately chosen based on moral considerations; societal standards are considered
• Practical: Based on psychology and emotions when immediately facing a situation.

Moral Dilemma

• Moral dilemma is a situation where one must choose between two or more conflicting options, neither of which is acceptable.

Intersubjectivity

• Intersubjectivity refers to meanings people build together via interactions.

Different Concepts

• Jean Paul Sartre: Objectification limits one's freedom.
• Stereotypes/Totalization: Limiting a person to categories like race or gender.
• Edmund Husserl: Intersubjectivity: Empathy and Availability, putting oneself "in another's shoes."
• Ethics of Care: Moral dimension of relationships.
• Seeming: Presenting oneself in a certain way, potentially to deceive.
• Rene Descartes: Individualism: Emphasizing the importance of individual thought.

Recognizing and Relating to Others

• I-I Relationship: Self-centered; not caring for others.
• I-It Relationship: Treating others as objects.
• I-Thou Relationship: Genuine sharing and connection; valuing others.

Some People with Disabilities (PWDs) with Great Contribution to Society

• Hellen Keller: A deaf-blind author and activist who earned a bachelor's degree; wrote "The Story of My Life".
• Anne Sullivan: Hellen Keller's visually-impaired mentor.
• Nick Vujicic: An evangelist/speaker born with phocomelia, founder of Life Without Limbs.
• Roselle Ambubuyog: First visually-impaired Filipino Summa Cum Laude; supports mobile accessibility tech.

Other Underprivileged Sectors

• The Underprivileged suffer from social deprivation due to economic and social issues; include women, children, LGBT, jeepney drivers, farmers and fisherfolks.

Emmanuel Levinas

• Going beyond ourselves, concentrate more on assisting Passionately and acting with concern towards others.

Society

• Society is a permanent union of people united by shared behavior and common purposes.

Social Contact Theory

• Thomas Hobbes: People's desires lead to conflict; society controls natural tendencies.
• John Locke: People are more cooperative and society is formed through mutual consent.
• Jean Jacques Rousseau: Focuses on the general will and the government acts on the people's behalf.
• John Rawls: Rational social cooperation; humans have that "veil of ignorance" for fair treatment.

Different Types of Society

• Hunter and Gathering: Egalitarian, consensus-based.
• Pastoral: Animal domestication; specialized tasks develop.
• Horticultural: Simple cultivation; women plant, men hunt.
• Agrarian: Farming technology develops.
• Feudal: Based on land ownership in Medieval Europe.
• Industrial: Specialized machinery and internet use.

Human Person as Impending Death

• Death: End of bodily functions; separation of body and spirit.
• Death defines our lives: We are born into human life and eventually die.
• Human paradox defines the uniqueness of human existence.
• Death is an integral part of our life.
• Temporality can give us a clearer purpose and focus on our activities.
• Self-determination is the capacity to choose and act for oneself. "Leave a Legacy Behind"
• Terminus: Means the full stop at the end of the line. NO AFTERLIFE
• Telos: Means a goal, purpose of fulfillment. REBIRTH
• Happiness: an achievement and must gained by living a productive and moral life;
• There lies a state of being; lies within the person's perspective.

Sources of Happiness

• Noble good is love and friendship.
• Useful good is considered good if it serves as a means to an end or what it can provide. EX: MONEY
• Pleasurable good, focuses only on wants

Why do we suffer?

• SUFFERING takes place when one's patient to endure unpleasantness
• The Pursuit of Happiness: requires that we go through the effort to achieve it.
• BALANCED: WE WORK AND ENJOY