Lesson 5:

Freedom of the Human

Person
 What is freedom? What is the essence of
freedom?

Freedom is an intrinsic (Tunay) 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.
• 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 met with curious and suspicious stares. A
person will not respond automatically to the command to
"Fetch!" because he or she is not conditioned to obey like the
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 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
pattern or a pre-determined course. Your mother may ask you
to clean your room one day and you will follow her instruction.
The following week, however, you may decide not to clean your
room when told because you feel lazy. The week after, you may
decide to clean your room without even being told. These
varied actions indicate that you are exercising your freedom.
- Freedom is also understood as the power to be what
you want to be and the ability to decide and create
yourself. You may have a good idea of your personal
identity at this point in your life.

-Though we have certain inherent traits such as physical

attributes and temperament, many of the characteristics
that define our personality are often a 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. Our preferences and views are other
aspects of our personality that we freely adopt. You may
have also imagined yourself as a successful professional
in the future.
 Your nature as a human person gives you the ability to
imagine that future. Your freedom, meanwhile, gives you the
ability to strive to achieve that goal. Freedom is rooted in the
human person's self-determination and the exercise of
intellect and free will.

This means that a person's every action is freely determined

and these actions define him or her. 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.
 Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these
possible actions. It also enables us to come up with new
choices. For instance, some may laugh at Samuel, but decide
to help him later. The essence of freedom is that it does not
confine our actions to those set or expected by others; we can
imagine new actions and decide to undertake them.

Reflecting upon your actions will enable you to know

yourself better as a person. Your actions also determine if you
uphold human dignity and freedom. Having freedom, however,
also entails certain responsibilities. It is possible for a person to
diminish (magbawas) or negate (tumanggi) freedom through the
choices and actions that he or she makes.
 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 person and
is confined to prison life. That same person, however, also
dehumanized the person whom he or she wronged.
Kinds of Freedom

1. Physical Freedom
Physical freedom refers to the absence of any physical
restraint (pigilan). The person has the freedom of mobility
(move freely) to go where he or she wants to go. He or she is
not impeded (pumigil) in his or her actions by any physical
force. Granted that the person has natural limitations. physical
freedom allows him or her to act and move in a determined
manner. You cannot be everywhere at once, but your freedom
allows you to move from one place to another and to go
wherever you want to go.
2. Psychological Freedom
Psychological freedom 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 are influence can compel a
person to take action against his or her will.
3. Moral Freedom
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
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.
What makes us free? How does freedom shape
our experiences?

There are two elements that 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 person may decide to act or not to act, and
these decisions are made out 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 take action.
Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a
corresponding moral value.
 Whenever we decide to take action, this results in a certain
consequence. All human actions have consequences, and
these affect not only the person who commits the action,
but also other people and our surroundings. As a free
being, the person must accept the consequences of his or
her action and 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
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.
 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 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 a bank may not be held fully 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

(Nabawasan), 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
decision.
 We can therefore begin to examine our actions, habits,
and behavior by asking ourselves the following
questions:

✓What should I do?

✓Why should I do it?
✓What will happen if I do it?
✓How will my actions or behavior affect myself, others, and
my surroundings?
✓Will my actions or behavior be considered correct, proper,
beneficial, and moral?
• Another reality that we have to face as we exercise our freedom
is the fact that freedom 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 whenever we act. 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 I exercise my freedom in a responsible and
beneficial manner?

You may have heard the saying: "My freedom to swing my fist
ends where your nose begins." This simple statement points to the fact
that human freedom, though essential, is not absolute. 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.
• A person may choose not to enter the jeepney first despite being
first in line to give way to an elderly woman. A young professional
may choose not to speak up in a meeting regarding serious
concerns about a worker, but instead directly confront the person
concerned in private. You may be very angry at your teacher for
scolding you in front of the entire class but you refrained from
answering back at him or her since it will be considered a
disrespectful act. Citizens may be angry about corruption in the
government but they do not go to the streets and engage in
violence just to express their anger. Instead, they find other more
reasonable and lawful means to express it.
• Limiting our personal freedom requires us to sacrifice
certain self interests and accept certain realities that
are beyond our control. 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. Our sense of right and wrong guides us in
recognizing and deciding on the limitations to our
freedom.
• Our society also imposes restrictions on our
individual freedom. From determining the places
where we can cross a street to controlling our
actions through laws and regulations, society
implements reasonable restrictions to personal
freedom in order to maintain order and harmony
and uphold the welfare of the public.
• 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 in
order to come up with decisions and courses of actions
when confronted with difficult situations.
• To correctly answer a multiple choice item in an exam, a
student should study and prepare beforehand to know
the correct information needed to answer the test.
Otherwise, he or she will be unable to answer the test
correctly.
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.

For instance, in voting for officials in your student

council elections, some students may choose to vote
for candidates they know and like, or even candidates
that they find attractive or appealing. More discerning
students, however, will choose to find out each
candidate's views on important school issues and cast
their vote based on their judgment of who is the better
candidate to address these concerns.
• A courtroom judge has the freedom to make any decision on any
case. But if he or she wishes to uphold justice and render proper
judgment, he or she must carefully study the facts of the case in
order to arrive at correct conclusions regarding the issues. Truthful
knowledge is also needed for people who wish to invest in business
ventures to determine if they are getting into legitimate transactions
or are just being deceived into participating in a scam.

• Determining the proper information needed before we choose the

best course of action is not easy, but it 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 to be our guide in making sound choices.
❑As human persons, our nature drives us to uphold
human dignity and goodness. In exercising our
freedom, We should also recognize and uphold
not only our individual freedom but also the
freedom of others. This view has led to the assertion
that freedom is a recognized and guaranteed right for
all persons. 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
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.
Review

• Freedom is an intrinsic and essential property of a person.

The human person is by nature free and seeks freedom.
Our freedom to act sets us apart from other beings.

• Freedom is also understood to be the power to create and

define oneself. It is also rooted in the person's self-
determination and the exercise of intellect and free will.
• Having and exercising freedom entail certain
responsibilities Human actions can either uphold or
diminish freedom. A person becomes less free when he or
she does not exercise control over his or her actions.
Actions that diminish freedom also dehumanize a person.

• There are three kinds of freedom. Physical freedom refers

to the absence of physical restraint. Psychological
freedom is the freedom of choice. Moral freedom refers to
the responsible use of freedom which upholds human
dignity and goodness.
• The two important elements of human freedom are
voluntariness and responsibility. Voluntariness refers to the
ability of the person to act out of his or her own free will and
self-determination. Responsibility refers to the person being
accountable for his or her actions and their consequences.

• Freedom is experienced through the act of making

choices. It is therefore important for persons to exercise
caution and prudence and reflect on possible courses of
action in making decisions or doing actions.
• Freedom should be exercised in a responsible and
beneficial manner. Individuals must exercise control over
their actions and recognize reasonable limits to their
freedom.
• Freedom should also be exercised with regard for
knowledge and truth, and each choice or action must be
made after careful thought and reflection. Finally, it is our
responsibility as persons to uphold not only our individual
freedoms, but also the freedom of others.