Introduction to

Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 2 – Module 1:

Freedom and Responsibility

 Development Team of the Module

Writers: Mark Earvin M. Cervantes

Urayjan M. Borlaza
Reviewers: Cristeta M. Arcos
Illustrator: Ronan DC. Vergara
Layout Artist: Ren Mac Mac G. Motas
Management Team: Wilfredo E. Cabral, Regional Director
Job S. Zape Jr., CLMD Chief
Elaine T. Balaogan, Regional ADM Coordinator
Fe M. Ong-ongowan, Regional Librarian
Susan DL. Oribiana, SDS
Dolorosa S. De Castro, CID Chief
Cristeta M. Arcos, EPS In Charge of LRMS

Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Freedom and
Responsibility!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the
teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by
the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and
economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time.
Furthermore, this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st
century skills while taking into consideration their needs and
circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in
the body of the module:
 Notes to the Teacher
This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use

this module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while
allowing them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are
expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks
included in the module.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Freedom and Responsibility
!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is
often used to depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we
may learn, create and accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning
resource signifies that you as a learner is capable and empowered to
successfully achieve the relevant competencies and skills at your own
pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace
and time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning
resource while being an active learner.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on

any part of the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in
answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other
activities included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking
your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are
through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module,
do not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in
mind that you are not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful

learning and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies.
You can do it!

What I Need to Know

Freedom – one of the most abused and misunderstood words during

these times. A well-loved concept which ancestors fought for, yet poorly
understood by the present generation. There is always something in
being free. People associate freedom with one’s ability to do whatever
he or she wants to do.

Well, the concept of freedom is as wide as the universe. There are so

many notions about it. Some claim to be free means to do anything,
regardless of their actions’ consequences. Some say freedom is the
ability to exercise one’s will towards the good. Others even say there is
no such thing as freedom – that we are governed by natural law.

As starters for this philosophical sojourn, learners – through this

module – will be guided about the basic philosophical teachings about
freedom. The emphasis is on understanding freedom importantly the
dynamism of choices and consequences. As learners who will face
bigger decisions soon, it is important to see how your choices are made.
Do you make decisions based on their impending consequences or you
simply do it because it is what the present situation is asking from us?

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to
help you master the different philosophical concepts of about human
freedom, and thereafter examine the its relationship with responsibility.
The scope of this module permits it to be used in many different
learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse
vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the
standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them
can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the different concepts related to understanding of

human freedom;
2. explain the relationship between Human freedom and
Obligation;
 3. distinguish Human actions from Acts of Man;
4. distinguish intellectual choice from practical choice;
5. apply the concepts to hypothetical situations.

What I Know

Learning Task 1. COMPLETE THE TABLE. Determine the possible

consequences and obligations of the actions listed below. You assume
that intention and voluntariness existed in every happening. Write your
answers in your notebook.

Scenario number 1:
Patrick drove his car without registration and license.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

Scenario number 2:
Erwin used all his income in upgrading his motorcycle.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

Scenario number 3:
Janzen entered in a no-label relationship.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

Scenario number 4:
Mark uses digital devices in finishing his studies.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

Scenario number 5:
Nadine copied someone’s song just to please her mother.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.
 What’s In
Learning Task No 2. EVALUATING SCENARIOS. In your way of
understanding, evaluate the following circumstances whether they are
right or wrong. Write the word “Tama” if you think the action is right
and write “may kakaiba” if the situation is wrong for you. Provide your
reasoning for your classification. Write your answers in your
notebook.

_____________ 1. Selma continuously supports her friend Georgia in

flirting someone else’s husband.

Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 2. President Duterte orders several government agencies

to continue placing dolomite sands in a small portion of Manila Bay
during pandemic. Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 3. MaeMae is in the verge of failing her exam in General

Mathematics. While she is taking the exams, she received a small
piece of paper from his classmate Ben. The piece of paper contains all
the answers for the last portion of the exam.

Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 4. Molina is in-charge of the distribution of medicines in

her barangay. The local government of Imus usually provides for extra
packages of medicines as a buffer stock or reserve in case of
uncounted members of barangay. One day, Josielyn, a citizen from
Calamba City, offers to buy the extra packages of medicine from
Molina, because there is a shortage of medicines in Calamba.
Molina, in turn, sold the extra medicines to Josielyn.
Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 5. Gladys is the gate custodian of Bilibid prison. One day,

the former
Mayor of Calauan Laguna and convicted of complex crime of Rape with
homicide Antonio Sanchez who has kidney illness asks Gladys to
allow him to buy some medicine to alleviate the pain caused by his
kidney disease. However, Gladys did not allow the request and
instead reported the former Mayor’s attempt to go outside the penal
colony.

Reason:_________________________________

_____________ 6. Samson oversees the installation of an internet

satellite in Camp Caringal. While the construction is ongoing, his wife
Lizjoy called him because their son Erwin is sick. Lizjoy asked Samson
to return to their house because Erwin misses him so much. Samson
said he cannot return immediately because the Chinese contractors
are spoof.

Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 7. Ruby is the best online seller in her town. She can
earn as much as 10,000 php per day. On the other hand, Celeste is a
newbie in online selling. She barely earned a thousand peso for a day.
Knowing Ruby’s ability to sell online, Celeste approached Ruby and
asked the latter to teach her how to be a successful online
entrepreneur. Ruby asked for a tutorial fee, because she said that it
entails a lot of work just to make a online strategy work.

Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 8. Ylah is a dean’s lister in her department – School of

Business Management and Accountancy of De La Salle University. At
the same time, she is the captain of the table tennis team in the said
school. Her boyfriend, Armando usually complains because Ylah has
minimal time for him. Because Armando thinks Ylah is too busy with
her own life, he broke his 6 years relationship with the young lady.

Reason:__________________________________

_____________ 9. Jovi and Rency are good friends. They are

schoolmates since their. However, there is no venue to hold the
meeting. Jovi requested Rency to allow them first year in college.
Because of great academic performance, Jovi has been elected as the
vice-president of the college department. On the other hand, Rency
has been chosen as the in-charge of the college’s laboratories since
she is trustworthy and keen in details. One day, the college’s student
council needs to meet for a quarterly review of their activities to use
the department’s physics laboratory, but Rency denied such a request.
Reason:__________________________________
_____________ 10. Ariel is an LTO officer who has a lot of connections
is the said office. He usually accepts under the table transactions from
people who want to expedite their application for a driver’s license. His
sister Amor once asked him why he’s doing those kinds of
transactions. Ariel answered that he simply wants to help people by
avoiding the grueling application process in the LTO.
Reason:__________________________________

What’s New
Learning Task 3: COMPLETE THE CHART BELOW. Recall three decisions
you have made recently. Then, analyze them. What are the good things they
produced for you and your community and what are the negative effects do
they caused to yourself and others? Write your answers in your notebook.
Decision No. 1:

Positive Effects Negative Effects

1.

2.

3.

Decision No. 2:

Positive Effects Negative Effects

1.

2.

3.

Decision No. 3:

Positive Effects Negative Effects

1.

2.

3.
Learning Task No. 4: PROCESSING. Answer the following questions based
on how you answered the activity above. Write your answers in your
notebook.

1. What are your prior considerations for making those decisions?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

2. What are your considerations for classifying the effect of your action
as a positive one?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

3. What are your considerations for classifying the effect of your action
as a negative one?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

4. In making those decisions, are you free in doing them? If yes, how? If
no, what binds you?

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
5. What are your considerations in saying that you made a “best
decision?”

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

What is It
HUMAN ACTIONS VS ACTS OF MAN

An act that is performed only by a human being and thus is proper to

man. Not every act that a human being does is a distinctively human
act. Some acts that human beings do are performed also by animals,
e.g., vegetative acts and acts of perception and emotion. When a human
being does such acts, they are called acts of man but not human acts.
Acts of man are actions shared by humans and other animals while
human acts refer to the appropriate actions of human beings. What
makes an act performed by a human being distinctively a human act is
that it is voluntary, that is, an act in some way under the control or
direction of the will, which is proper to man. One can therefore identify
the human activity with the voluntary act. A voluntary act continues
either by the will - like an act of love or choice - or from another human
power that may be motivated by the will, either by an act of intellect or
by the sense of reasoning or emotion; even a gesture commanded by
the will can be a voluntary act.

Aristotle’s Distinction of Voluntary and Involuntary Actions

Voluntary Actions - these are acts originating from the

individual performing the act using knowledge about the
situations of the act.

1. Classifications of Voluntary Actions

A. Voluntary – actions are performed from will and

reason.

B. Related to Compulsion - it is considered as mixed of

voluntary and involuntary. It is more voluntary if the
desire and choice has been performed and involuntary
 if it has considered preferences or alternatives.
Example: You are asked to perform a crime and your
options are; either you do it and your family survives
or you don’t do it but they will be murdered.

2. Involuntary Actions – are acts done under a) force or

coercion and b). ignorance where the doer failed to
understand the effect and feels sorry on the result.

Classifications of Involuntary Actions

A. Under Compulsion – circumstances which are

beyond the control of the agent and
contributes none to the action. Example: A
person was kidnapped, hence impossible to
resist.

B. Through Ignorance of Particular

Circumstances. Example: a man steals and
ignorant of the law, arrow or gun shot by
mistake.

HUMAN FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION

According to John Mothershead, freedom and obligation

are two indispensable conditions for morality to occur. Freedom
is understood to be present when one is choosing a course of
action, and he or she is taking full responsibility for consequence
of his actions. Importantly, this is anchored to the individual’s
moral and rational capacity to discern what is right and wrong.

In several meta-ethical traditions obligation usually

follows or arrives from freedom. Freedom can be said to be
present if the human person is free in making choices in the
realm of morality – that is, in making choices with regards to
determining what is the right thing to do in situations and
circumstances in his own life. This can be summarized in our
Filipino saying, “Buntot mo, hila mo!” It is taking full
responsibility for your actions and being obliged to do so. Hence,
an action is not in the full extent of morality if a person does
something while his or her freedom and rationality is altered or
modified. This event can happen if the person’s environment
highly affects his judgement.

When was the last time you see yourself escaping from the
consequences of your actions? When was the last time you hide
from the problems brought about by your irresponsible actions?
 We have the tendency to blame others for their choice of a course
of action. At present times, several marriages – most especially
in the Philippines – are being brought to different courts of law
to be annulled. What is the main reason for this? Atty. Jim Lopez
in one of his books says that most of the marriages which are
tried in civil courts are sagas of unending throwing of blame and
accusations between two lovers. Which can be simply be solved
had one of the parties make himself accountable for a problem
which sit between them.

INTELLECTUAL CHOICE VS PRACTICAL CHOICE

A. Intellectual Choice – This is a choice which is
deliberately selected based on a moral standpoint.
Basically, they are normative answers about what we
ought to do from a moral system that we uphold and
its moral principles. These normative answers would
take into consideration the behavior which the society
will accept. For example, when you are to decide in a
moral issue, you can try to give intellectual choice as
a normative answer. Here you are simply assuming
because you are not, as it were, facing that actual
moral situation described in the dilemma. In this case,
the answers that you are inclined to give are
prescriptive in this imaginary and hypothetical
situation.

B. Practical Choice – a choice which is borne out of

psychological and emotional considerations. Unlike
the previously discussed type of choice, practical
choices are made when confronted with the actual
situation, and usually affected by psychological aspect
of the person embroiled in the moral situation or
dilemma. For instance, psychological and emotional
stress and lack of time to deliberate during an actual
moral situation may affect a person’s moral decision in
that situation. A person may be so engulfed by
emotions that he may sometimes fail to make the right
choice. Likewise, stress could make a person’s
practical choice inconsistent with his intellectual
choice.
 What’s More

Learning Task No 5.A. Find the differences and similarities, if any, between
Human Acts and Acts of Man. Write your answers in your notebook.

Learning Task No 5. B. List down five Human Acts and Acts of Man
you have done this week. Write your answers in your notebook.

Human Acts Acts of Man

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.

Learning Task No 5. C. Give three examples of the following and

write your answers in your notebook.

1. Clearly voluntary actions

2. Actions which are voluntary yet influenced by
compulsion
3. Actions did out of ignorance
4. Actions did out of ignorance of a circumstances
 What I Have Learned
Learning Task No. 6: SOLVE THE TROLLEY
PROBLEM. There is a runaway trolley barreling down
the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five
people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for
them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a
lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of
tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the sidetrack.
You have two options:

1. Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five

people on the main track.

2. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the

sidetrack where it will kill one person.

Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right
thing to do? Justify your answer using the lesson above. Write your
answers in your notebook.

Process Questions:

1. Was there freedom on your part in facing the situation?

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. What are your considerations for saying that your choice is
the right thing?
______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______

3. Following the concept of Intellectual choice, will your decision

be the same? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______

4. Following the concept of Practical choice, will your decision

be the same? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______
______________________________________________________________
______

5. Was your decision a choice based on your understanding or

based on some reference?
______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______

______________________________________________________________
______
 What I Can Do
Learning Task No. 7: Supposed that you are the main
character in the situation, and you are required to act
or to decide:

a. What will you do?

b. How will you classify your choice? Is it practical or
intellectual?
c. What will be the cost of your decision?
You must answer the following questions for each situation. Write
your answers in your notebook.

1. Atty. Nathalie Joy is one of the best criminal lawyers in the

country. One time her boyfriend Mark who is the judge of the
Regional Trial Court of Calamba was assassinated by the
unknown armed men. One evening, she received a call from
her friend saying that she has to meet her old client and
friend. Upon coming to her office, she received her former
client and friend Zandy. Zandy confessed that she is the one
who commanded the assassins to assail the judge. Unknown
to Zandy is the relationship between the celebrity lawyer and
the deceased judge. However, before they talked, both signed
an agreement that says that what shall transpire in their
conversation shall be considered as privileged
communication. Zandy asked Atty. Nathalie to be her legal
counsel. Atty. Nathalie Joy and her deceased fiancé highly
believe in the sanctity of the legal profession. If you are Atty.
Nathalie Joy, what will you do?

2. Victoria, the mother of Rico, is known to be a church servant

in their Local Church. One night while she was preparing for
diner, suddenly, her son came rushing to her. This son of hers
confessed that her girlfriend Gayle was found pregnant. Her
girlfriend, being a minor, told her parents that she was just
simply seduced by her boyfriend that is why they ended up
with a child in her womb. Frederico, the father of Gayle and
a military sergeant, becomes furious and hunts the lover of
his daughter to harm the latter. Afraid of the father of Gayle,
Aling Victoria brought his son to Pastor Denggoy, the eldest
brother of Vicoria, to seek refuge for his son. It so happened
that the said pastor and Frederico are “compadres” because
the former is one of the godfathers of Gayle in her baptism. If
you are Pastor Denggoy, what will you do?
 3. During a buy-bust operation conducted by the PNP San
Gabriel City, the daughter of the incumbent city mayor,
Chenelyn, was accosted by the policemen in pot – session.
There is a strong public belief that Chenelyn is behind the
rampant drug activities in his town. During the preliminary
investigation, Dr. Nicole, the resident criminal laboratory
doctor is given
the task of conducting a drug test to the accosted daughter
of the city mayor. Dr. Nicole is known for her credibility for
her profession and is even recognized by the United Nations
as one of the excellent practitioners in her field. In the
afternoon before she would conduct the drug test for the
accused, she received a call from her mother, who was a
victim of a drugrelated crime, saying that she must perform
the drug test well. After a few minutes, the city mayor himself
shows up and offers 1.5 million pesos surety just to falsify
her soon to be findings. The mayor indirectly conveyed that if
she does anything against his will, evil may befall on Dr.
Nicole’s family. Outside the Crime Laboratory is a group of
anti-drugs citizens shouting for justice and conviction
against the accused daughter of the city mayor. If you are Dr.
Nicole, what will you do?

Assessment

True or False. Write the word True if the statement is correct and write
the word False if the statement conveys otherwise. Write your answer
on a separate sheet of paper.

1. Human actions are always conceived intellectually.

2. According to Aristotle, Acts of man are actions which are
deliberately done.
3. Freedom and obligation are two distinct philosophical concepts.
4. A person is totally responsible for an action even if he acted with
an impaired conscience.
5. A choice is made from freedom if the person totally knows the
kind of choice he makes even though unsure with the
consequences.
6. Intellectual choice usually refers to answers for hypothetical
moral issues.
7. Practical choice usually pertains to choices for an actual moral
dilemma.
8. Freedom is present in the Acts of Man.
9. Involuntary actions are excused from moral examination.
10. Without freedom, obligation does not exist.

Additional Activities

CASE ANALYSIS: The case below is a real case decided

by the Supreme Court. Read it and try to determine the
morality of the action below. In a moral standpoint, do
you think Ah Chong’s action is morally upright or not?
Defend your answer based on philosophical concepts
discussed.

Note: You are not required to answer the case based

on legal principles, because it is a different thing.
Some actions may be morally upright but illegal and
sometimes actions are considered legal but immoral.

US vs. Ah Chong (15 Phil 488)

Ah Chong was a cook in Ft. Mckinley. He was so afraid of
bad elements. One evening, before taking his night rest,
he locked himself in his room by placing a chair against
the door. Then, he was awakened by someone who was
trying to open the door of his room. He called out twice,
“Who is there?” but received no answer. Fearing that the
intruder is a robber, he leaped from his bed and called
out again, “If you enter the room, I will kill you.” But at
that precise moment, the chair which he placed against
his door has strucked him. Believing that he was going
to be attacked, he seized a knife and stabbed and fatally
wounded his roommate.

In a moral standpoint, do you think Ah Chong’s action is

morally upright or not? Should he be held liable for
stabbing his roommate?
Answer Key