Introduction to the

Philosophy of the Human

Person
The Freedom of the Human Person
The freedom of the human person
•When you woke up this morning, what
did you do first? Did you wash your
face? Took a bath? Or immediately
walked towards the dining table for a
hearty breakfast?
The Freedom of the Human Person

•What made you do so? Who decided

what you wanted to do? If your answer
is yourself then you already have some
practical application of freedom.
INSTRUCTIONS: Fill the graphic organizer below
with what you know of the meaning of freedom.
What is Freedom?
In our previous discussions about the human person,
we have learned that a person must possess 4 qualities
that validates him or her as a person namely:

• self-awareness,
• externality,
• dignity, and
• self-determination.
What is Freedom?

•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.
What is Freedom?

• It is in this self-autonomy that we, as human

persons are free to choose whatever and
whenever our wants and needs set us into
and let us dictate the direction of which our
life is heading. 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.
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 the 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.
Read and reflect on the situation below:

Bert was on his way

home from school
when unknowingly, he
stumbled upon a wallet.
It appears to be full of
cash as well as several
Identification Cards of
the owner.
Read and reflect on the situation below:

Bert knows he was short on the budget he

needed to complete the school project he
was working on and he could also spend
some on new shoes.
• Imagine that you are in his situation. Which
among the situations pictured below will be
your most truthful action?
Read and reflect on the situation below:
• 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 do set or expected by
others; we can imagine you actions and
decide to undertake them.
• Now recall your answer 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. It is possible for a person to
diminish or deny a freedom through the
choices that he or she makes.
•Freedom requires a degree of control
from the person who exercises it. A
person becomes freer 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 dehumanizes the person.
Freedom and
“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.
Elements of Freedom

1. 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.
2. Responsibility
refers to the person being accountable
for his or her actions and their
consequences.
Elements of Freedom
• Taking responsibility can either mean a person will
voluntarily taking responsibility actions for his or
being held responsible by or her own 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
give 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.
EVALUATION

1. ________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.
2. Freedom is also understood to be the
power to create and define oneself. It is
also rooted in the person’s _________
and the exercise of intellect and free will.
3. Having and exercising freedom requires
certain responsibilities. Human action can
either uphold or diminish freedom. A person
becomes _________ free when he or she
does not exercise control over his Actions
that diminish dehumanize a person. Or her
actions. Freedom also
There are three kinds of freedom.
4._______ refers to the absence of
physical restraint. 5. _________ freedom
of choice. 6. _________ is the refers to
the responsible use of freedom which
upholds human dignity and goodness.
The two important elements of human
freedom are voluntariness and responsibility.
7.__________ refers to the ability of the
person to act out of his or her own free will
and self-determination. 8._________ refers
to the person being accountable for his or
her actions and their consequences.
9. Freedom is experienced through the
act of making choices. It is therefore
important for persons to exercise caution
and __________ and reflect on possible
courses of action in making decisions or
doing actions.
10-13 What are the 4 qualities that
person must possess in validating
him or her ?
14-15 Elements of Freedom
The end!!

Prepared by: Marsha Pasco