Introduction to Philosophy PDF

Introduction to philosophy OBJECTIVES At the end of the lesson, the learner is expected to: 1. Realize that all actions have consequences; 2. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices; and 3. Demonstrate freedom of choice and the consequences of their choices. Lesson 2: The Freedom of the...

Introduction to philosophy OBJECTIVES At the end of the lesson, the learner is expected to: 1. Realize that all actions have consequences; 2. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices; and 3. Demonstrate freedom of choice and the consequences of their choices. Lesson 2: The Freedom of the Human Person A person must possess 4 qualities that validate him or her as a person namely; self-awareness, externality, dignity, and self- determination.  Self-determination is the capability of the person to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences, monitor, and regulate their own actions and be goal-oriented and self-directed. It is in this self- autonomy that we, as human persons are free to choose whatever and whenever our wants and needs to set us into and let us dictate the direction of which our life is heading. An important dictation of human freedom is the ability to make choices and perform actions. Our freedom to act sets us apart from other beings.  Let’s compare how animals and human persons behave to get a better understanding of freedom. We see some animals behave like human beings because they seem to perform actions in response to commands. A well-trained dog can perform certain tasks on command such as “stay” or “fetch” because it has been trained and conditioned to perform them. The same cannot be said about human beings. You cannot just approach a stranger, toss him or her a ball and say “fetch!” Surely, you will be embarrassed with curious and suspicious stares from that person. A person will not respond automatically to the command “fetch” because he or she is not conditioned to obey like a dog.  The human person does not experience the world in the same way that animals do. Animals act instinctively, meaning their actions are more like predetermined responses to certain stimuli. A person ,on the other hand, can choose the course of action to take when given incitement or faces with a certain situation. With us humans, our inherent freedom makes us very dynamic creatures and our actions do not necessarily follow a set pattern. Freedom is categorized into three kinds: 1. Physical Freedom – this is the first type of freedom that comes into mind when talking about freedom. It refers to the absence of any physical restraint and the freedom of mobility to act and go whatever, whenever and wherever he or she pleases. 2. Psychological Freedom – it is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions that he or she considers right and wise. A person is also free to act or not to act. Psychological freedom is innate and cannot be denied a person. No outside force or influence can compel a person to take action against his or her will. 3. Moral Freedom – This refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and goodness. Freedom is not an object that a person may use in whatever way he or she pleases. A person becomes freer when he or she uses freedom well but becomes less free when he or she uses it in a bad way. Humans have a natural inclination for what is true and good and when a person uses his or her freedom to do acts that violate human dignity and goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively negates human freedom.  Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these possible actions. It also enables us to come up with new choices. For example, some may take some of the cash before reporting it to the police to purchase their needs. The essence of freedom is that it does not confine our actions to those who do set or expected by others; we can imagine your actions and decide to undertake them.  Now recall your answer to John’s situation and ask yourself why you chose to take that action. Reflecting upon your actions will enable you to know yourself better as a person. Your actions also determine to uphold human dignity and freedom. Having freedom, however, also entails certain responsibilities. A person can diminish or deny freedom through the choices that he or she makes.  Freedom requires a degree of control from the person who exercises it. A person becomes free when he or she exercises control over himself or herself. On the other hand, a person becomes less free when he or she is no longer in control of himself or herself and is instead controlled by other forces. For example, persons suffering from addiction are less free because they are overpowered by their addiction to certain substances and can barely control themselves when presented with these things. People who act solely based on their emotions are also less free because they allowed themselves to be controlled by their feelings without any regard for ethical considerations. To lose control of oneself diminishes human freedom and dehumanizes the person. “We are who we are because of the choices we make.” Life is a long journey, and, in this journey, we would likely face the same situations again and again. Every repeated choice that we make in the same scenario can develop into a habit. If this habit continues, it becomes one of your character traits.  Element of Freedom What makes us Free? How does Freedom shape our experiences?  Two elements define freedom. Voluntariness refers to the ability of a person to act out of his or her own free will and self-determination. This means that a person may decide to act or not to act, and these decisions are made of his or her own free will. Voluntariness also means that a person may act even if he or she is not required or called to act. Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a corresponding moral value.  Whenever we decide to act, this results in a certain consequence. All human actions have consequences, and this affects not only the person who commits the action, but also other people in our surroundings. As a free being, the person must accept the consequences of his or her actions to take responsibility for them. The second element of freedom, responsibility, refers to the person being accountable for his or her actions and their consequences.  Taking responsibility can either mean a person will voluntarily taking responsibility for his or her own actions or being held responsible by other people. Whenever you know you committed a bad action you can either voluntarily confess to it or other people will point it out and hold you responsible. Responsibility can also have a positive or negative meaning, and it goes hand in hand with voluntariness in determining the morality of an action.  The realization of voluntariness and responsibility in the exercise of our freedom gives our actions and experiences a whole new meaning. We can now reflect on our actions to better understand them and guide us towards making the best possible decision.  Another reality that we must face as we exercise our freedom is the fact that freedom is experienced through the path of making choices. Although human freedom gives us the ability to think of countless decisions and possible actions, we only get to choose one of these possible actions or decisions. Having the ability to choose and to enact a course of action does not automatically mean that we should act every time. It is also possible that the choice not to take action may be acceptable and moral in a given situation.  When we choose to do a particular action, we can never go back and redo our actions and make another choice. Real-life is not a movie where we can stop and get a second take on the situation. Therefore, it is very important that when confronted with choices, we exercise caution and prudence and reflect on our possible courses of action. REFERENCES 1. Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person by Roberto D. Abella, 2016, C&E Publishing, Inc. 2. Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person by Brenda Corpuz, R.A. Paclibar, M.L.C Paclicbar, 2016, Loremar Publishing Inc. 3. Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person by Christine Carmela R. Ramos, 2016, Rex Bookstore Inc.