What is Freedom?

➢ considers freedom as the freedom to

acquire economic resources and the
Freedom or Liberty ability to work and act accordingly to
➢ is a social and political concept one’s desires.
which has great significance in how
people participate in society. Freedom
➢ emerged as an important ➢ also entails the recognition of certain
philosophical issue in 18th century q and entitlements of persons.
Europe during the age of
enlightenment. Natural Rights
➢ Enlightenment thinkers believed that ➢ refers to the rights which are innate
early man existed in a “natural state” in the person such as the rights to
and has absolute freedom. life.
➢ freedom in a political and social ➢ these rights are considered universal
context means that freedom of an and inalienable.
individual from opinion, complusion,
or coercion from other persons, an Legal Rights
authoritative figure, or from society ➢ refers to rights that are based on
itself. society’s customs and laws that are
enacted by legislation and enforced
2 Types of Liberties by a government.

1.Positive Liberty Theological Views

➔ refers to a person taking control of ➢ define freedom from sin and living a
his/her own life and filfilling one’s life or righteousness.
potential.
Christians
2.Negative Liberty ➢ define freedom in the context of
➔ freedom from external restraint, living in accordance with the will of
barriers, and other interferences God.
from other people.
WHAT MAKES US FREE? HOW DOES
Liberialism FREEDOM SHAPE OUR EXPERIENCES?
➢ upholds the preservation of
FREEDOM
individual rights and stresses the
➢ is the freedom to make choices in
role of the government in protecting life.
these civil liberties.
HUMAN AGENCY
Libertarianism ➢ refers to the capacity of a person to
➢ believes that the individual not the act and exert over his or her
government, is the best judge in behavior.
upholding and exercising rights.
HUMAN FREEDOM IS EXPRESSED IN
TWO WAYS:
Socialism
1.Free Will
➔ capacity to choose alternative EXAMPLE:
courses of action and decisions.
➔ A newly-graduated high school
2.Free Action student who decides to pursue either
➔ the freedom to perform an action Engineering or Medicine in college is
without any obstacles or hindrance. exercising free will. Should he or she
choose Medicine, he or she must
Human Act want to become a doctor. His or her
➢ Voluntary action subsequent actions to enroll in the
➢ the individual has motive and full college of Medicine and devote his
knowledge of the action. or her efforts to studies indicate that
he or she freely and voluntarily
Acts of Man made this decision out of his or her
➢ involuntary action own free will.
➢ action that occur naturally in the
human being such as the functioning Reasons-Response Views
of the senses and action that occur ➢ believes that man has free will
without knowledge of the agent as because he or she is able to
such sleepwalking. entertain reasons not to enact a
certain decision and act upon them
* Philosophers identify various ways that when the need arises.
people can exercise free will and free
action. These perspectives emphasize EXAMPLE:
different views regarding the nature of free ➔ A person decides to cross the
will and how it influences human action. street but sees a car rapidly
approaching. He or she exercises
WAYS TO EXERCISE FREE WILL AND free will by choosing not to cross the
FREE ACTION: street and allow the speeding car to
pass.
Faculties Models
➢ refers to free will as the use of our How does an individual relate with other
mental faculties. people?
* assumes that we have free will because of
our intellect because each human action is Interpersonal relations are influenced by:
based on rationality and sound judgements.
Self-awareness
EXAMPLE: ➢ the understanding of oneself as an
➔ A student deciding to actively existing human being; recognizes
participate in class to improve human existence as distinct from
his/her grades indicate that he/she
other living beings and other human
uses judgement to implement an
action, thus exercising free will. beings as well.

Hierarchical Models Individuality

➢ argues that free will is based on ➢ The person's awareness that he or
human wants and desires. she should live his/her life on his/her
➢ an individual is faced with various own terms
wants and desires that need to be
met.
Authenticity Constructivist
➢ Is then achieved once the ➢ Human relationships shape
individual's thoughts, ideas, and knowledge and truth within a certain
actions express and upholds his/her society
individuality.
Phenomenologists
For interpersonal relations to exist, there ➢ Shared experience between persons
must be: can shape the perception of reality

● Self Different views on Genuine

➔ One's individuality Relationships

● Other POSITIVE
➔ Objects or other individuals
apart from the self Edith Stein
➢ relationship is driven by "empathy"
● Intersubjectivity
➔ Interaction of the self and the Edmund Husserl
other ➢ intersubjectivity is more than shared
understanding, but is the capability
Self-Other Interactions to put oneself "in the place where
➢ Simple awareness of the existence the other is"
of the other.
➢ Awareness of the self as being seen Gabriel Marcel
by others. ➢ relationship is based on
"availability"- the willingness of a
Martin Buber identified: person to be present

Dialogue NEGATIVE
➢ A much deeper level of interaction
where a genuine relationship Jean-Paul Sartre
established among individuals ➢ frustrating, inauthentic, ambiguous;
gives rise to feeling of "alienation"
Seeming
➢ Where an individual presents Karl Marx
himself/herself in a certain way when ➢ Alienation happens when a human
dealing with others. being is treated as an object

Different views on Human Relationships The Ethics of Moral Care

➢ This moral perspective encourages
Existentialists individuals to see the needs of other
➢ Human relationships are a defining people, most especially the
influence on human life vulnerable.
 ➢ "Being-with-others" - a human ➢ Not confined by territory; composed
person who continually seeks and by individuals coming from various
maintains harmonious relationships. backgrounds.
➢ Christian perspective compels us to
be sympathetic most especially to How is Society formed?
the least of our brethren. The
marginalized in the society, the poor ➢ "natural state"
and differently-abled, are among
those who deserve of assistance, Thomas Hobbes
kindness, and care. ➢ Social Contract
➢ An agreement where individuals
Man and Society sacrifice some of their rights and
submit to higher authority
Society
➢ refers to a large, independent, and John Locke
organized group of people living in ➢ Consent of the governed
the same territory and sharing a ➢ Man is seen to be more cooperative
common culture and heritage and reasonable; social contract iş, a
covenant among individuals to
Hunting-and-gathering societies cooperate and share the burden of
➢ Adopt a lifestyle dependent on upholding the welfare of society.
resources readily available from their
surroundings; "primitive" like Jean Jacques Rousseau
nomadic tribes in remote locations ➢ General Will
➢ This comes from the sovereign
Agriculture societies citizens and they entrust their will to
➢ Those engaged primarily in the goverment
agricultural activities such as
farming, fishing, and John Rawls
livestock-raising as a primary way of ➢ Original Position
life ➢ Human beings approach social
cooperation in a rational manner in
Industrial Societies order to meet, self-interest;, humans
➢ Are centered on mechanized have a veil of ignorance
production and the exchange of
goods and services David Gauthier
➢ Self-interest
Modern Societies ➢ This is seen as a significant factor in
➢ Are technologically-advanced building and maintaining societies.
societies characterized by industry, People choose to. cooperate since
mass production, and advanced it, is beneficial to meet their
communication and transportation self-interests.

Virtual Societies Socialization

 ➢ Is the process by which an individual
learns the prevailing behaviors, Existentialism
attitudes, and values within his/her is a philosophy that seeks to understand
society; a person adopts a set of human existence and the significance of
ideals and behavior considered human experience. It focuses specifically on
appropriate within his/her own the ability of the individual to make choices
society. and commit to such choices to make
something out of his or her life.
Stanford Prison Experiment by Philip
Zimbardo in 1971 What is the Meaning of Life?

Hypothesis: the inherent traits of prisoners Life

and guards were a factor in abusive have focused on how human life attains
behavior in prisons meaning or how humans achieve a
“meaningful life”
Result: With a given set of conditions and
an atmosphere permissive of abuse, normal Supernaturalist Views
humans will tend to behave in an abusive believe that life gains meaning from a
way. relationship with the divine.

*** The influence of society on individual Naturalist Views

behavior believe that one can achieve meaning in life
even without the spiritual realm and reject
Social Roles the influence of supernatural forces in life.
➔ entails a set of expected behaviors
that must be performed by a person. Subjectivism
views the individual as the one who define’s
Social group his or her own life’s meaning based on his
➔ people who belong in this tend to or her desires, goal, and choices.
behave a certain way, and the
continuous interactions within the Objectivism
group reinforce such behavior a believes that there are no subjective bases
for life’s meaning.
Cultural influences
➔ in society also affect individual Nihilistic Views
behavior consider it futile and irrelevant to ponder on
the question of life’s meaning.
"Smooth interpersonal relationships”
➔ in a Filipino society; Pakikišama, What does it mean to be happy?
pakikipagkapwa-tao, utang-na-loob,
damayan, and bayanihan Happiness
it can be interpreted as a state of mind
How does Philosophy ponder upon it can be an evaluation of one’s expriences
significant Life question? in life.
 happiness as “satisfaction with one’s life as
Eudaimonia(Good spirit) a whole”
a term used by the Ancient Greeks to refers
to a person’s state of well-being or Richard Brandt
happiness. traces a person’s happiness based on a
total life patterns.
Philosophical Views on Happiness
Wayne Sumner
Greeks ● From a cognitive perspective
happiness is something to be achieve ● On the emotional or a affective side

Plato Jean Baudrillard

equates happiness with living a moral life. criticized modern society for focusing on
materialism and consumption as influences
Aristotle on a person’s happiness.
happiness is the primary reason for human describes that within a consumerist society,
action a “succesful” and “happy” life is determined
by one’s social standing, wealth, and power.
Epicurus
happiness means a life of peace. Elements of Happiness

St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas Contentment

happiness is a union with God. satisfaction with one’s life

Utilitarianism Welfare
proposes a view on happiness based on the refers to the satisfaction of a person’s wants
greatest happiness principle. and desires.
This principle states that a person’s actions
are considered moral or desirable when Dignity
they produce the greatest happiness for defined as the ability to control and define
other people. Based on this, society should one’s own destiny and the freedom to live a
promote activities or actions that produce life of one’s choosing.
the greatest happiness or satisfaction for its
members. How can one live a happy life?

Contemporary Philosophers Ethics

approach happiness in terms of whole life plays a significant role in discussing
satisfaction, where a person is able to happiness and the means to achieve it.
evaluate his or her life experiences and
determine his or her level of satisfaction Aristotle
with how he or she has lived life. a person must plan his or her activities, aim
for excellence, and form a set life goals to
Wladyslaw Tatarskiewicz achieve a worth while life.
Epicureans
happiness is possible if one enjoys the Right Effort
simple pleasures of life and commits to a life one must have the right enthusiasm and
of virtue. attitude to avoid misconduct and maintain
harmonious relations with others.
St. Augustine
believes that happiness can be found in the Right Mindfulness
afterlife when the spirit reunites with God. one must be attentive to the world and the
things in it.
Jeremy Bentham
believes that happiness is achieved through Right Concentration
wise decision-making. one must not have a distracted and
cluttered mind.
Immanuel Kant
takes a more critical approach in his
analysis of happiness.

Noble Eightfold Path

a series of teachings that identify the things
one must abstain from and the things that
one must practice in order to attain a good
life.

Right Faith
one must understand that life comes from
suffering

Right Thought
one must be free from lust, cruelty, and ill
intent.

Right Speech
one must abstain from lies, slander, and
harsh and abusive language.

Right Action
one must not kill, steal, engage in immoral
sexual behavior and take intoxicating drugs
and drinks.

Right Livelihood
one must choose the right livelihood and
avoid accupations such as slave trading,
arms dealing, and prostitution.