Freedom of the Human Person

What is Freedom?
- The ability to make choices and
perform those choices.
- The ability to be what we want and
to decide and create oneself.
Freedom of the Human Person

Two concepts that will help us fully

understand freedom:

1. Freedom itself
2. Free will
Freedom of the Human Person

1. Freedom itself
“Freedom is generally defined as
having the ability to act or change
without constraint. -Wikipedia”
Someone or something is “free” if
he/it can do or change anything
effortlessly and responsibly.
Freedom of the Human Person

1. Freedom itself
A person or an animal has the freedom
to do things that will not, in theory, or
practice, be prevented by other forces. But
freedom has its particular limitations
beyond himself because he is bound by
consequences of his actions either to
promote goodness or destruction to himself
or other persons.
 Freedom of the Human Person

2. Free will
Free will is the ability to choose different
courses of action without restrictions. If we
exercise our free will, we get to decide on
things that will lead to results, either good
or bad, beneficial or not. To be precise, free
will is our ability to choose things according
to our moral reasoning.
Freedom of the Human Person

KINDS OF FREEDOM
1. Physical Freedom
2. Psychological Freedom
3. Moral Freedom
 Freedom of the Human Person

1. Physical Freedom
Physical freedom refers to the absence of any
physical restraint. The person has the freedom of
mobility to go where he or she wants to go. Granted
that the person has natural limitations, physical
freedom enables him or her to act and move in
determined manner. You cannot be everywhere at
once, but your freedom allows you to move one
place to another and to go whenever you want to go.
Freedom of the Human Person

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 to a
person. No outside force or influence can
compel a person to act against his or her will.
 Freedom of the Human Person

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
freer when he or she uses freedom well but becomes less free
when he or she uses it in a wicked way. Humans have a natural
inclination for what is right and moral, and when a person uses his
or her freedom to do acts that violates human dignity and
goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively
negates human freedom.
Freedom of the Human Person

Two elements that define

freedom:
1.Voluntariness
2. Responsibility
Freedom of the Human Person

1. Voluntariness
It is the ability of a person to act of his or
her own free will and self-determination. A
person may decide to do things or not to do
it according to his own free will. It also
means that even though she/he is not
required to do such things he/she could still
do it or act on it.
Freedom of the Human Person
1. Voluntariness
Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a
corresponding moral value. One must always remember
that in every action we make, in every choice we make
there is an equivalent consequence. These consequences
affect not just the individual who does the decision but
also other people in their surroundings. With that, one
must always accept the consequences that results from
his or her choices or actions and take responsibility for
them.
Freedom of the Human Person

2. Responsibility
Responsibility refers to the person being
accountable for his or her action and their
consequences. Taking responsibility can mean
either you take responsibility to your doing
voluntarily or other people will hold you
responsible. For example, if you made a bad action
it’s either you take responsibility of it or other
people will hold you accountable for it.
Freedom of the Human Person

There are significant

factors to consider in the
exercise of freedom.
Prudence
Self-reflection
Freedom of the Human Person

• Prudence is the ability to govern and

discipline oneself with the use of reason; it is
having caution and giving good judgments in
making decisions. Making hard choices is an
exercise of freedom. But freedom should also
be based on truthful knowledge and wise
reasoning. Hence, we should practice self-
reflection on every decision we make.
 Freedom of the Human Person

• Self-reflection allows each person to analyze his

life both in small and big details in terms of the
decisions, actions and choices. It is a deeper form
of learning where if practiced with higher sense of
wise judgement and keen perception, the
experiences he makes are more meaningful and
serve as guide for improved and informed
decisions, actions and choices.