Philosophy Week 2

Freedom and Morality

Freedom – is the ability to choose the best possible good. Humans, as moral beings, are free to
act or not to act. Their will equip them with the power to determine their actions. It is the
dependence of the “will” on the “self” or “I” for the same to act or not to act. Will – (expression
of) desire, willingness.

Kant’s Morality and Freedom

Immanuel Kant’s Philosophy about Freedom
Is defined as a concept which is involved in the moral domain, at the question: What should I
do?
Kant says that the moral law is only that I know myself as a free person.
Phenomena in Kantian thought, are subject to the law of natural causality: each event is the
effect of another, and so on to infinity.
Phenomenon of man, is that the moral rule is free and it has the power to self-start condition.

The central to Kant’s notion of freedom, is “act freely is to act autonomously”. To act
autonomously is to act according to a law I give myself. Whenever I act according to the laws of
nature, demands of social convention, when I pursue pleasure and comfort, I am not acting
freely. To act freely is to choose the end itself, for its own sake.
For Kant, acting freely (autonomously) and acting morally are one and the same thing. To act
autonomously gives humans that special dignity that things and animals do not have.

Why Only Humans can be Ethical?

Only human beings have the capacity to determine their actions because of their freedom
which is absent to other beings. That self-determination is coupled with responsibility, morality
is born. Without self-determination or freedom, no responsibility and there will be no ethics to
talk about.

In moral law, Kant argues that “a human action is only morally good if it is done from a sense of
duty,” and that a duty is formal principle based not on self-interest or from a consideration of
what results might follow. For Kant, morality is not defined by the consequences of our actions,
our emotions or an external factor. Morality is defined by duties and one’s action is moral if it is
an act motivated by duty.

Good Will - According to Kant, the only thing that is good in itself is the “good will”. The will is
what drives our actions and grounds the intention of our act. It is good when it acts from duty.

Kant recognizes that it is difficult to determine one’s intentions, so he makes a distinction

between acting in conformity with duty and acting from duty. Ex.
Duties are principles that guide our actions.
Duties are imperatives in the sense that they tell us what to do. An imperative is essentially a
ought; something I ought to do.

Types of Imperatives by Kant

Hypothetical Imperatives – are the oaths that direct my actions provided I have certain goals or
interests. These oaths are entirely dependent upon my goals or interests.
For example: I want to be a good basketball player I ought to practice free throws or it I want to
go to law school I ought to take a logic class. If I change my goal and decide to be a baseball
player or a welder instead, then my oath may also change. Hypothetical imperatives have
nothing to do with morality.

Categorical Imperatives - does not depend upon my desires or wants. These are necessary and
always binding and are the oats that determine what our moral duties are.
Example: Even if I do not want to help the elderly person across the street, If I have a duty to
do so, my oath is binding. We should all be familiar enough with feeling we must do something
even if we’d rather do something else.

3 Formulas of Kant’s Moral Theory

Formula 1 – states that we ought to act in a way such that the maxim, or principle, of our act
can be willed a universal law. If your maxim cannot be universalized then the act is morally off
limits.
Example: I am considering stealing a loaf of bread. I have to ask myself if my maxim can be
made a universal law. This would look something like this: Is it okay for all people to steal all
the time? The answer is No; the maxim itself would be self-defeating because everyone stole all
the time there would be no private property and stealing would no longer be possible.
Example: I want a loan, but I know I won’t have money to repay it. I’m considering making a
promise I know I can’t keep. Can I make this a universal law, the law that says “every time one
needs a loan and has no money to repay it, one should make a false promise”? Imagine
everyone then acting according to this maxim. We quickly realize that this would result in
negating the whole institution of promise-keeping. We arrive at a contradiction.

Formula 2 - states that we ought to treat humanity (self and others) as an end and never as a
mere means. Essentially, this entails that I treat all persons with respect and dignity; I help
others achieve their goals when possible, and I avoid using them as tools or objects to further
my own goals.

For Kant, since humans have the capacity for autonomy and rationality, it is crucial that we
treat humans with respect and dignity.
We have freedom to do things and to decide things for ourselves. But morality teaches us to
choose from the right and the wrong behavior. Morality is concern about the values, conducts,
and principles of a certain person while freedom is being able to make your own decisions and
getting done.

The interpersonal aspect of morality - is more about rule following. These rules are important
because they prevent us from “colliding” with each other. They permit us to live together in
harmony, and they also make us recognize, the rights of others.

Freedom - is human’s greatest quality and it is a reflection of our Creator. Freedom is the
power rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act. Having freedom means having
responsibility. Every action you choose further determines our character. The existence of
freedom is a central premise in Catholic morality. Our secular culture greatly exalts freedom.
Yet it also questions whether freedom really exists.

FREEDOM AND FREE WILL

While the existence of freedom is central premise in Catholic morality, we are not all equally
free. There are many possible limits to our freedom both external and internal.
External freedom - implies assuming the responsibility to do while being conscious of the
actions that need to be done to adapt to the environment. This is also freedom from factors
outside ourselves that limit or destroy our free will.
Examples: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble
peaceably, and freedom to petition government for redress of grievances.

Internal freedom - is limited and confined to an individual, and results in the ability to act as
what one would like to act inside the effects of outside influences. It is determined through self-
control and the acceptance of personal responsibilities, affecting one's conscious choices as
well as their habits. Internal freedom is a freedom from interior factors that limit our free will.
Examples: Achieving goals set by oneself, breaking bad habits, and having perseverance are all
examples of having internal freedom.

REQUIREMENT OF TRUE FREEDOM

True freedom - is dependent upon truth, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free” (John 8:32). Example: Lying to a teacher or to friends. True freedom is oriented toward
the good. We should not understand freedom as the possibility of doing evil. Evil enslaves us
and diminishes our ability to be free. True freedom requires responsibility. There is no such
thing as irresponsible freedom.

HUMAN ACTS VS. ACTS OF HUMANS

HUMAN ACT - an act that is performed only by a human being and thus is proper to MAN.
Human acts make use of his knowledge and free will.
Example: Love your enemy, pray to God, sacrifice for others.

ACTS OF HUMAN – do not make use of his intellect or will knowledge. His action is natural.
Examples: Breathing, blinking sneezing.

CULTURE AND MORALITY

As humans, our behaviors are guided in part by a set of social norms about morality that forms
a basic and important part of our culture.
Morality - refers to a system of beliefs about what is right and good compared to what is wrong
or bad. Morals vary dramatically across time, place and across cultures.

Culture – is derived from the Latin word “cultura” or “cultus” which means care or cultivation.
Culture as cultivation implies that every human being is a potential member of his own social
group.

“Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, law, art, moral, custom and
other capabilities and habits acquired as a member of society”. (Anthropologist Edward B.
Tylor)

Sociologists defined culture as the entire way of life followed by people, and everything learned
and shared by people in society. (Hunt, et. Al, 1994).

The Influence of Culture in Moral Development

Culture - is a social environment in which a person is born and wherein he or she lives together
with other persons. Culture has a great impact in the development of the human person in
varied ways; may it be physical, knowledge, thought, relationship, religious or moral
development. Culture is the conditioning principle of the moral development of its members.

HOW CULTURE INFLUENCES THE MORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PEOPLE. The points below
are the following:
1. CULTURE IS ALWAYS SOCIAL AND COMMUNAL BY WHICH THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE PEOPLE
TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER AND THEIR EXPERIENCE AS A PEOPLE ARE THE CULTURE’S MEADOW.
2. THE CULTURE DEFINES THE NORMATIVE PRINCIPLES AND BEHAVIORS OF THE SOCIETY.
3. CULTURE, AS BEST EXEMPLIFIED IN THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PEOPLE, DEVELOPS
RESTRICTIONS AND SETS BOUNDARIES AND LIMITATIONS AS THEY LIVE AND RELATE ONE
ANOTHER.
4. AS CULTURE HELPS IN GENERATING THE CHARACTER AND IDENTITY OF ITS PEOPLE, IT ALSO
INCLUDES THEIR MORAL CHARACTER.
5. THE CULTURE IDENTIFIES THE AUTHORITIES OR THE GOVERNING INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS.