Q2 MOD. 1 PHILOSOPHY - NN.pptx PDF

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON HAZEL DREAM N. GARCIA Subject Teacher OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to: discern the essence of true freedom; identify the different concepts related to understanding of human freedom WORD...

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON HAZEL DREAM N. GARCIA Subject Teacher OBJECTIVES: At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to: discern the essence of true freedom; identify the different concepts related to understanding of human freedom WORD WEB: What comes into your mind, when you hear the word FREEDOM?.. FREEDOM.. ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: 1. What do you think makes us free? 2. How do we know that we are free?  What is FREEDOM? Freedom is an intrinsic and essential property of the person. This means that the human person by nature is a free being and that it is in his or her nature to seek freedom. An important indication of human freedom is the ability to make choices and perform actions. Our freedom to act sets us apart from other beings. ANIMAL VS HUMAN The human person does not experience that 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 a stimulus or faced with a certain situation. You expect your dog to always respond in the same way to your commands. With us humans, our inherent freedom makes us very dynamic creatures and our actions do not necessarily follow a set of patterns or a predetermined course. This means that animals, unlike humans, just obey and follow commands given by their owners or their masters, in which they call conditioning. Humans think first before obeying someone’s command. Freedom is also understood as the power to be what you want to be and the ability to decide and create something for yourself. As humans, we have some things that we don’t want, and yet we have. For example, we have those physical qualities that we inherited from our parents. Despite these inherited qualities, there are still a lot of characteristics that define our personality which are the product of our choices. Our talents, for instance, are developed to their fullest only if we choose to dedicate time and effort to improve them. You may also have imagined yourself as a successful professional in the future. Our nature as a human person gives us the ability to imagine that future. Meanwhile, freedom gives you the ability to strive to achieve that goal. It is rooted in the human person’s self-determination and their exercise of intellect and free will. This means that we can freely choose to be a good person and to act in a good way. A good act makes a person better while its opposite has a negative impact on him or her as a person. This is the nature of self-determination: that a person’s actions determine what kind of person he or she becomes. Imagine that you are one of her classmates who witnessed this. What will be your truthful reaction? Freedom also requires a degree of control from the person who exercises it. A person becomes more 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 allow themselves to be controlled by their feelings without any regard for ethical considerations. People who behave impulsively and erratically are more similar to animals than persons. To lose control of oneself diminishes human freedom and dehumanizes the person. Persons who are denied their freedom by other individuals, groups, and institutions are also dehumanized. Slavery is a dehumanizing act because a person is forced to work for life without the possibility of ever leaving a life of bondage. A person who is imprisoned is also dehumanized because he or she is denied his or her freedom and is confused to prison life. That same person, however, also dehumanized the person whom he or she wronged. 3 KINDS OF FREEDOM 1. Physical Freedom 2. Psychological Freedom 3. Moral Freedom  1. Physical Freedom - refers to the absence of any restraint. This means that a person has the freedom to go anywhere he or she wanted to do. On the other hand we cannot go to two places at a time yet we have the ability to go to wherever we want to go.  2. Psychological Freedom - is also called freedom of choice. This means that a person has the will power whether to act or not to act on what he or she considers to be right and wise.  3. Moral Freedom - 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 must use his or her freedom to grow as a person. A person becomes more free when he or she uses freedom well, but he/she 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 something, that violates human dignity and goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively negates human freedom. Instructions: Determine whether the given scenarios represent an exercise of freedom or not. Say “YES” if it is exercising freedom and “NO!” if not exercising freedom. Scenario 1: Mary is presented with various job opportunities after completing her education. She carefully evaluates her interests, values, and career goals before choosing a job that aligns with her aspirations. Scenario 2: John, feeling stressed, impulsively quits his job without considering the consequences. He acts solely based on his emotions and the desire to escape the pressure. Scenario 3: Sarah, despite facing financial challenges, decides to pursue her passion for art. She acknowledges the difficulties but believes in the importance of following her dreams. Scenario 4: Alex, addicted to social media, spends hours each day scrolling through feeds despite knowing the negative impact on productivity and well-being. Scenario 5: Tom is confined to a job he dislikes due to societal expectations and family pressure. He feels compelled to follow a career path that he has no interest in. Being human in nature means that we are free physically, mentally and morally. It means that we are free to do or think whatever we want to in a good manner. On the other hand, we may think that some things are also determined which means if we act in a good way we will be considered as a good person, But, if we act in a wrong manner we will be considered as a bad person. 2 Elements that define FREEDOM 1. VOLUNTARINESS 2. RESPONSIBILITY  2 Elements that define FREEDOM 1. VOLUNTARINESS -refersto 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 out of his or her own free will. It also means that a person may act even if he or she is not required or called to take action. These are acts which can be assigned a corresponding moral value.  2 Elements that define FREEDOM 2. RESPONSIBILITY - refers to the person being accountable for his or her actions and their consequences. This means that in everything that we do, there are consequences. Taking responsibility can either mean a person 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 and negative meaning, and it goes hand-in-hand with voluntariness in determining the morality of an action. Voluntariness and responsibility go hand-in-hand in determining a person’s freedom. In any situation where a person is forced to do an action against his or her free will, it follows that he or she cannot be held responsible for his or her involuntary actions. A person who is forced by bank robbers to open the safety vault in the bank may not be held responsible for the crime of robbery, since he or she acted without much voluntariness. On the other hand, a person who had no awareness of the effect of his or her actions can be considered as acting with diminished freedom. One example may be a person who tried to scare his or her friend by jumping out of a corner wearing a scary mask. The surprised friend decided to run away but in his or her panic, he or she hit a wall and was injured. It was not the intention of the person who committed the prank to get his or her friend hurt, but it happened because he or she did not fully consider the consequences of his or her actions. Without these two elements, human freedom is diminished, and the person makes imperfect actions and unwise decisions which may have negative effects on the self and others.  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 toward making the best possible decisions.  Another reality that we have to face as we exercise our freedom, is the fact that it is experienced through the act of making choices. Although human freedom gives us the ability to think of countless decisions and possible actions, we only get to choose to enact one of these possible actions or decisions. Having the ability to choose and enact a course of action does not automatically mean that we should take action every time. It is also possible that the choice, not to take action may be an acceptable and moral choice in a given situation.  When we make the choice 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 rewind events 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.  Self-reflection is vital in the proper exercise of human freedom. As persons, we cannot allow ourselves to be slaves to sudden emotions and moods in a given situation. As free and rational beings, we must recognize the importance of exercising freedom responsibly. This requires us to reflect on our actions, consider their effects, and make the proper choices regarding the most beneficial decisions or actions. “How can we exercise our freedom in a responsible and beneficial manner?” 1. Human freedom should be exercised with control and a recognition of reasonable limits. We set limits to our own freedom and learn to moderate or control our thoughts, emotions, and actions depending on the situation. A person can even choose to limit his or her own freedom or even surrender it entirely if it will result in greater benefits. Limiting our personal freedom requires us to sacrifice certain self-interests and accept certain realities that are beyond our control. Our sense of right and wrong guides us in recognizing and deciding these limitations to our freedom.  Example: You may have the freedom to pursue a degree in medicine but, realizing that your parents do not have the means to send you to medical school, you decide to take a less expensive course. 2. Freedom should also be exercised with regard for knowledge and truth. As rational beings, it is natural for us to think before we act. We use our freedom to act and acquire more knowledge, and we use this knowledge inorder to come up with decisions and courses of actions when confronted with difficult situations. The ability to acquire information and truthful knowledge regarding a particular situation is very important, since it aids us in making wise and informed choices.  Determining the proper information needed before we choose the best course of action is not easy, but is a necessary step to ensure that our choices, decisions, and actions are proper, reasonable, and just. If we make a choice and act on false or incomplete information, we may end up making decisions which will bring harm to ourselves and others. It is therefore necessary to cultivate the intellectual virtue of prudence, and use it as our guide in making sound choices. 3. We should also recognize and uphold not only our personal freedom, but also the freedom of others. Many societies identify certain freedoms that should be enjoyed by all, as these contribute to the quality of life of the individual and the welfare of the society. These include the freedom to live and determine one’s identity; freedom from slavery and other constraints; freedom of speech; and freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. Freedom should be exercised with due regard for the welfare of other persons and one’s freedom should be exercised not as a tool to restrict the freedom of others, but as a means to enable others to fully enjoy their own freedom. Final note (The Given and the Chosen) People often think the fullness of freedom is found in one’s ability to make decisions about one’s life. Choice, is indeed, an element of freedom, but freedom goes beyond mere choosing. Freedom is not absolute, and in our lives, there are a lot of things that we could not choose from. We are not in total control of everything around us. Many things in life are given. Although some things are given, it does not mean that we do not really have freedom. On the contrary, there are instances when we can exercise our freedom because we are not determined by these forces or situations. Difficult situations may not always be avoided, especially if we happen to be victims of circumstances. But, we may take these difficult situations positively or negatively. We may not always have the best family, but it does not mean that our future family will turn out the same way as our current one. A person with an indifferent attitude may find it hard to be motivated and excited about things in general, but it doesn’t mean that he or she is incapable of being interested and inspired to act passionately. These “givens” or predetermined things do not negate our freedom but give us opportunities to exercise our freedom when we determine it ourselves.  The key is that we should always act well in any given situation because the self is determined by the self. We have given tendencies or inclinations, and the world also exerts some forces over us, but we can transcend all of these and determine our choices in the manner we want because we are free to do it. As much as possible, we must use our freedom in a good way so that we may become better people and better versions of ourselves for our own sake and the sake of others.