FREEDOM AND RATIONALITY

act of man

–is performed without deliberation or an act performed without the exercise of the will, the faculty of decision making.king

Human act

–is a conscious act that presupposes the element of rational analysis or deliberation. It is a “voluntary” act. “voluntas” or will

Nuances of freedom

freedom of, freedom from, freedom to, freedom for

freedom of

“freedom-of-the-self” refers to the ability of the individual to determine his or her future actions or personal goals and to pursue a personal good

freedom from

refers to the ability of the individual to be unimpeded or unaffected by external factors

freedom to

“political freedom” points to the ability of the individual to actualize his/her goals in the society

freedom for

“cooperative freedom” entails the ability of the individual to pursue the goals not only for him/herself but also for the community

The Christian perspective

sees freedom as emanating from the ability of the agent to deliberate his/her action. The moment the person considers the merit of his/her action, its consequences, and so on… the person is free

The existential perspective

through Sartre, views freedom as an absolute condition where man has no essence or beginning and without determinations and who he is, is what he makes of himself

freewill

refers to a kind of power to control one’s choices and actions

Answerability

What kind of responses is an agent allowed to perform?”

Attributability

Whether certain judgments can be imputed to the agent…?”

Accountability

The conditions in which the agent is allowed to do an act”

Freedom to do otherwise

–refers to having a “second order volitions which can result in the action through the use of volition”

Faculty model

agent has free will if he/she has the power of cognition or knowing and the power of volition, that is, an appetite for the good.

Reasons-responsiveness model

an agent has free will so long as he/she is disposed to respond to reasons (caveat: open to manipulation or coercion)

Compatibilism

any agent may be determined in all her actions, but is still able to choose freely

Incompatibilism

freewill and determinism are incompatible

Pessimism

free will does not exist but is not a conditio sine qua non for ethical responsibility