2nd Q Freedom of the Human Person PDF

PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES  OBJECTIVES At the end of the lesson you should be  able to:freedom and explain the Define freedom of the human person.  Prove that all actions and choices have consequences.  Evaluate and exercise pruden...

PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES  OBJECTIVES At the end of the lesson you should be  able to:freedom and explain the Define freedom of the human person.  Prove that all actions and choices have consequences.  Evaluate and exercise prudence in choice  Realize that some things are given up while others are obtained in making choices  Show situations that demonstrate Imagine you won a big contest, and you were asked to choose just one of the following prizes:  A luxury car with a non- transferable contract.  A 4-year college educational scholarship at any school in the Philippines.  A one-month all-expense paid to three European countries. Which prize will you choose? What factors made you come up with that Let us find out the decision? answers ! Learn about it! In the previous example, you were asked to choose just one prize. Seemingly all of them are great prizes. However if you will weigh the pros and cons of each, you will easily realize that one maybe Luxury Car Status symbol, but there is high cost of maintenance and the burden of Gasoline European Trip Fun but impractical 4-yr Scholarship Best choice. It is long term and useful. In choosing which prize to get, you have already exercised your freedom to make decisions. HOWEVER, It is important to realize that the choices you make have corresponding consequences. The power or right to act, speak, or think as you want without hindrance or restraint is called FREEDOM. The ability to exercise one’s freedom is called FREEDOM By law, all humanOF beings are entitled to make decisions for CHOICE. themselves in whatever way they choose to. The only exception to this rule is when one’s absolute choice harms or delimits the self and others. Freedom of choice also includes the way one acts towards another. All forms of actions, therefore, are brought about by a person’s decision to accomplish them. All decisions, big or small, have corresponding consequences which may be good or bad Two concepts of FREEDOM NEGATIVE FREEDOM (Isaiah Berlin) -Freedom from interference or restrictions - Freedom from control by others POSITIVE FREEDOM - Freedom to control oneself - to be one’s own master - Man is positively free only when the higher self is in command FREEDOM AND CONSCIOUS SELF - AWARENESS SELF-AWARENESS - knowledge of one’s own existence and one’s environment. - “knowing that you know” -Determines whether a particular being is free or not. - It is what separates us from animals. SELF - AWARENESS Due to self awareness We are aware that we are aware of something We are able to judge if our choices are good or bad, advantageous or disadvantageous. SELF - AWARENESS Without self awareness We would not recognize the value of our decisions We will be consigned to an existence that is fully determined by our environment We would not feel remorse for our failures. We would not hope for SELF - AWARENESS Importance to Human Freedom Self awareness gives us the capacity to imagine possibilities and alternatives to our present conditions These possibilities and alternatives are the reasons why we have choices to FREEDOM and AUTONOMY AUTONOMY Autos – self Nomos - law The ability to choose in accordance with one’s own motivation. the capacity to be one's own person, to live one's life according to reasons and motives that are taken as one's own and not the product of manipulative or distorting external forces. To be autonomous is to have the FREEDOM to act in accordance with FREEDOM and LIMITATIONS NATURAL LIMITATIONS Being Human, Growing old, Diseases, Death, Form of your body, Our existence, INTERPERSONAL LIMITATIONS Parents, Family, Personality, Friends, Body Type, Height, Skin color, SOCIO-HISTORICAL EVENTS Time of Birth, Language,Culture, Society, Religious beliefs, Technology Things you can no longer change  Does our Freedom have limits? Of course our freedom is limited. FIRST, we are limited by our own human abilities and the physical laws to which we are subjected. We cannot fly like a bird, regardless of how hard we try. Second, some actions are explicitly prohibited, or sometimes mandated, by the laws to which we are subjected. As a Filipino citizen, I have to pay my taxes; I cannot commit murder in the first degree; and so on. Now, it is worth asking: How are these limits? Is it an exercise of freedom, properly speaking, to indulge into fantasies like flying like a bird, or to murder someone? Or is it delusional or beyond the realm of freedom proper? If I know what is possible and what is not possible; what is within my power to control and what is out of it; then I can adjust my mind to that, and make decisions that shall never be met with contradiction. Hence I shall be absolutely free. FREEDOM ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY Your freedom affects others. Your decisions affect other people’s lives! In making decisions and exercising freedom of choice, determine the adverse effects (short-term or long-term) Exercise Prudence in your beforehand. choices! SUMMARY Self-awareness provides us with AUTONOMY and RESPONSIBILITY Our past and other external forces in our environment influence our behavior but they cannot fully determine our choices. Our choices and decisions are based on our own motivations. We are accountable for our own SUMMARY Genuine freedom involves our responsibility towards others. Being Free requires prudence in our choices To develop prudence is to develop our ability to carefully consider the short and long term consequences of our actions.