Freedom of the Human Person

freedom

is the ability to choose and to act.

freedom as license

• doing whatever you want without thinking

freedom as responsibility

choosing what is good and right even if its hard

St Thomas Aquinas

He said: “Freedom is not doing what we like, but having the right to do what we

ought.”

 Meaning: True freedom is not just about doing anything (ex. eating junk food all

day), but about choosing what leads to growth and good (ex. eating healthy to

take care of your body).

consequence 

whenever we make a choice, there will always be a

Jean-Paul Sartre 

a modern philosopher, said: “Man is condemned to be free.”

Strange, right? Why “condemned”?

 Because no matter what, we always have to choose. Even not choosing is still a

choice.

 Example: You have a project due tomorrow. You either:

 Work on it tonight (choice).

 Do it tomorrow morning (choice).

 Do nothing (still a choice).

freedom is inescapable—but it also means we cannot run away

from responsibility.

Prudence

the ability to make wise, practical, and

responsible choices.

It is about seeing not only what feels good now, but

also what is truly good in the long run.

Aristotle

called prudence phronesis or “practical wisdom.”

For him, being free is not enough—freedom must be guided by reason.
believed a truly good person is not just one who has freedom,

but one who uses reason to direct freedom toward good actions.

St. Thomas Aquinas

continued Aristotle’s idea but placed it in a Christian

context.

 He said: Prudence is the “charioteer of the virtues.” → meaning it leads and

guides other virtues.

 Without prudence, even good intentions may go wrong.

 Example:

 You want to help a friend (a good intention).

 But if you help by lying to a teacher to cover them up, the action is not truly good.

 Prudence would remind you: helping is good, but do it in a way that does not

harm truth or justice.

Søren Kierkegaard

the “Father of Existentialism,” believed that our

identity is shaped by the choices we make.

He said: “Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.” But

more simply, our choices define who we are becoming.

We are not just the product of our talents or environment—we are the

product of our choices.

trade off

Every choice we make means gaining something but also giving up something.

This is called a

sacrifice

is not just “losing” something—it often means choosing what matters most.