Notes on Freedom, Intersubjectivity, Society, Death, and the Freedom of the Human Person
HUMAN ACTIONS VS ACTS OF MAN
Distinction in the transcript: An act performed only by a human being and thus proper to man; not every act that a human being does is a distinctively human act.
Acts of man vs human acts:
Acts of man: actions shared by humans and other animals (vegetative acts, perception, emotion).
Human acts: appropriate actions of human beings; voluntarily controlled by the will.
What makes an act a distinctive human act: it is voluntary, i.e., under the direction or control of the will, which is proper to man.
Identification: human activity is identified with the voluntary act.
A voluntary act continues by the will (e.g., an act of love or choice) or from another power (intellect, reasoning, emotion); even a gesture commanded by the will can be voluntary.
Aristotle’s distinction of voluntary and involuntary actions introduced in the module.
VOLUNTARY VS INVOLUNTARY ACTIONS
Voluntary Actions: originate from the individual performing the act and involve knowledge of the situation.
Classifications of Voluntary Actions:
A. Voluntary actions are performed from will and reason.
B. Related to Compulsion: a mix of voluntary and involuntary; more voluntary if desire and choice are performed, more involuntary if one considers preferences or alternatives.
Example: Being asked to commit a crime with two options—commit the crime and save your family, or refuse and lose their safety.
Involuntary Actions: performed under force or coercion and/or ignorance about the effects.
Example illustration: Through Ignorance of Particular Circumstances — a man steals and is ignorant of the law; an arrow or gun is shot by mistake.
ARISTOTLE AND THE VOLUNTARY/VOLUNTARY DISTINCTIONS
Voluntary Actions: originate from the agent and are guided by awareness of the act and its circumstances.
Involuntary Actions: due to external force or due to ignorance of important aspects of the situation.
INTELLECTUAL CHOICE VS PRACTICAL CHOICE
A. Intellectual Choice: deliberate selection based on a moral standpoint; normative answers about what one ought to do according to a moral system.
These normative answers consider societal expectations and moral principles.
Typically prescriptive and hypothetical (as in imagined dilemmas) rather than actual lived situations.
(Practical) Choice: not explicitly labeled here, but implied as decisions made in real situations, incorporating concrete considerations.
HUMAN FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION
Core claim: Freedom and obligation are two indispensable conditions for morality to occur (John Mothershead).
Freedom: present when one chooses a course of action and takes full responsibility for its consequences; anchored to the individual's moral and rational capacity to discern right from wrong.
Obligation: often follows from freedom in meta-ethical traditions; responsible action commonly arises after freely made choices.
Freedom in morality: present when a person makes choices in the moral realm, i.e., deciding what is right in given situations.
Filipino saying: "Buntot mo, hila mo!" (You must own and bear the consequences of your actions.)
Caution: actions are not fully moral if freedom or rationality is altered by the environment; external influences can affect judgment.
Question prompts included: when do we escape consequences? how blame is shifted in marriages and court cases? Atty. Jim Lopez’s claim about civil cases being cycles of blame—solvable if someone holds themselves accountable.
INTELLECTUAL CHOICE VS PRACTICAL CHOICE (revisited):
Intellectual Choice: normative, hypothetical, and prescriptive; based on moral principles; considers societal norms; not necessarily an actual decision in a real dilemma.
FIVE CLARIFICATIONS ON MORAL CHOICE AND RESPONSIBILITY
The relation of freedom to responsibility: freedom requires control over one’s actions; lack of control (addiction, overpowering emotions) reduces freedom and diminishes moral status.
Reflection and self-knowledge: reflecting on one’s actions helps to know oneself and live morally.
The danger of blaming others for one’s choices is discussed (e.g., in relationships and marriage).
The need for prudence: when faced with multiple options, we must exercise caution and reflect on potential consequences.
The module reinforces the idea that we are responsible for our choices and their outcomes.
WHAT IS IT? LESSON 1.1: WHAT IS FREEDOM?
Four essential qualities of a person (as per the course): self-awareness, externality, dignity, and self-determination.
Self-determination: the ability to make choices, monitor and regulate actions, and set goals; core component of freedom.
Freedom to act sets humans apart from other beings.
Animals vs humans: animals can be conditioned to respond to commands (e.g., a well-trained dog), but humans are not simply conditioned by commands; humans can choose.
Humans differ from animals in that humans can choose the course of action when faced with incitement or situations; inherent freedom makes humans dynamic.
Three kinds of freedom:
1) Physical Freedom: absence of physical restraint and freedom of movement.
2) Psychological Freedom: freedom to choose and act according to what is right and wise; internal, innate; not coerced by external forces.
3) Moral Freedom: using freedom in ways that uphold human dignity and goodness; freedom should be used to do good; misused freedom dehumanizes.
Important implication: freedom must be exercised with responsibility to uphold dignity and goodness.
WHAT'S NEW? ETHICAL SCENARIOS FOR FREEDOM
Case study: Bert finds a wallet with cash and IDs; he is short on funds for a project and wants shoes.
Action options: turn wallet to police, take cash and spend, or leave wallet.
Freedom allows choosing any of these actions; each choice reflects a personal moral stance.
The exercise asks students to reflect on why they chose a particular action and how it relates to their sense of freedom and dignity.
Key idea: freedom enables imagined actions and new choices; responsibility follows freedom.
FREEDOM REQUIRES CONTROL AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
Freedom involves self-control: a person becomes freer when they exercise self-control; becomes less free when controlled by external forces.
Examples:
Addiction reduces freedom because it overwhelms self-control.
Emotions can reduce freedom if acting impulsively without consideration of ethics.
The idea: "We are who we are because of the choices we make."
Recurrent life situations can form habits; repeated selections in similar scenarios can become character traits.
LESSON 1.2: ELEMENTS OF FREEDOM
Two defining elements of freedom:
Voluntariness: the ability to act out of free will and self-determination; to decide to act or not to act; voluntary acts carry moral value.
Responsibility: accountability for actions and consequences; can be self-imposed or imposed by others.
Case example: Freddy rescuing two children at a pool:
Freddy is not a trained swimmer; he chooses to rescue the children despite potential risk to himself; actions illustrate voluntariness and moral courage.
Reflection questions: Why did Freddy act? What are the moral obligations of a non-professional in emergencies? What are the consequences of inaction?
Core message: every action has consequences that affect oneself and others; freedom entails accepting those consequences.
Additional point: even when one has many possible actions, a single chosen action cannot be repeated as a real take; real life is not a movie.
Ethical guidance: exercise caution and prudence when making choices in complex situations.
INTERSUBJECTIVITY
What is intersubjectivity: sharing of subjective states among two or more individuals; universal feature of human existence; relates to the intersection of personal experience and shared reality.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan is used to illustrate intersubjectivity in the context of social relations.
Key concept: intersubjectivity is the organic union of subjective reality and objective reality; we relate to others by placing ourselves in their situations (empathy, solidarity).
WHAT PHILOSOPHERS SAY ABOUT INTERSUBJECTIVITY
1) Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.) – Ren (human-heartedness): a virtue central to social life and intersubjectivity; emphasis on order and harmony; practical humanism; love others through actions and social conduct.
2) Martin Buber (1878–1965) – I-Thou vs I-It relationships: treat others as subjects with minds and free will; avoid treating others as objects; the most meaningful relationships are person-to-person (subject-to-subject).
I-You (I- Thou) denotes mutual recognition and dialogue; emphasizes sincerity, acceptance, and authentic dialogue.
3) Karol Wojtyla (1920–2005) (St. John Paul II) – theory of Participation: human action is the foundation of being; human reality includes being with others; actions directed toward others; membership in a community of persons (I-You, We).
Experience with others gives meaning and enables collaborative creation of meaning.
HUMAN PERSON AND SOCIETY
Distinguishing social stages and their features:
A) Pre-Industrial Societies
a) Tribal Society: small, leader-led groups; often called a primitive or preliterate society; closed moral codes; kin-based organization; languages largely unwritten; tight social cohesion.
b) Feudal Society: Europe from ~9th to 15th centuries; decentralized power; lords and kings grant land and protection; serfs bound to land; formation of a capitalist transition; urban centers with merchants and artisans; manufacturing shifts and local markets emerge.
B) Industrial Society: driven by advanced technology to enable mass production; large-scale factories; standardized products; machine plus human labor; focus on fast, efficient production of goods.
C) Post-Industrial Society (Daniel Bell): 1973 concept; shift from manufacturing to services; rise of technical/professional workers; replacement of practical knowledge with theoretical knowledge; ethical and environmental considerations of new tech; emphasis on universities and polytechnics; changing values and norms; outsourcing and new social roles.
DIGITAL SOCIETY AND THE INFORMATION AGE
Digital technologies reshape learning, work, and socializing; information society emphasizes circulation and control of information through digital tech; implications for politics, economy, culture.
Digital citizenship: a knowledgeable and responsible user of digital platforms; active participation in societal and political life online; rights and duties of citizenship in the digital era.
Isin and Ruppert (Being Digital Citizens, 2015): constituting oneself as digital citizens implies becoming subjects of power in cyberspace; interacting with anonymity, communication, and influence.
Virtual vs embodied life: more interactions occur in virtual spaces; questions arise about identity, commitment, and authenticity in online contexts.
THE DISembodied SUBJECT (focus on personal identity in digital age)
Digital society reshapes human interactions leading some to prefer virtual interaction over bodily presence; avatars and disembodiment allow risk-free self-presentation.
Selfies and monopods: markers of shifting modes of relating; they can reflect a tendency toward disembodied relationships.
Consequences: risk of reduced commitment, fragility of relationships, and difficulty in forming authentic embodied connections.
The section emphasizes concerns about how digital life can alter personal meaning and social bonds.
THE DISembODIED SUBJECT (reiterated themes)
The shift toward disembodied interaction: reliance on devices leads to less face-to-face contact, potential fragmentation of communities, and altered sense of self.
Self-presentation across different platforms may involve different behaviors; the online self may deviate from the offline self.
Ethical and social implications: commitment, empathy, and genuine social participation can be challenged in a highly mediated environment.
DEATH: PHENomenological NOTION OF DEATH
Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time view (1889–1976): death is a fundamental aspect of human existence; it is (a) certain, (b) indefinite, (c) one's property, (d) non-relational, (e) not to be outstripped.
Details:
Death is certain: central to human finitude; we are “thrown” into the world with a beginning and an end.
Death is indefinite: while inevitable, the exact time is unknown; we should live a meaningful life given mortality.
Death is one’s own property: only the individual experiences death; no proxies.
Death is non-relational: in dying, the person is ultimately alone; it severs relationships in a radical way.
Death is not to be outstripped: cannot be avoided or overcome; immortality remains fictional; death is real and unavoidable.
THE FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN PERSON (Module 1 – Quarter 2)
LESSON 1.1: WHAT IS FREEDOM?
Four essential qualities for personhood (as per the module):
Self-awareness
Externality
Dignity
Self-determination
Self-determination: ability to make choices and decide actions based on personal preferences; monitor and regulate actions; goal-oriented and self-directed.
Freedom to act is a defining feature that differentiates humans from other beings.
Comparison: Animals vs humans in terms of responsiveness to commands:
Animals (e.g., a well-trained dog) can perform tasks on command due to conditioning.
Humans are not simply conditioned and can choose how to respond to incitements or situations.
Three kinds of freedom:
Physical Freedom: absence of physical restraint; mobility to act freely.
Psychological Freedom: freedom of choice; internal capacity to act according to reason and morality; not compelled by external forces.
Moral Freedom: using freedom to uphold human dignity and goodness; freedom misused leads to dehumanization.
Core ethical implication: freedom must be used in a way that preserves dignity and fosters goodness.
WHAT’S NEW? APPLYING FREEDOM IN A MORAL DILEMMA
A scenario: Bert finds a wallet with cash and owner’s IDs; he is short on funds for a school project and to buy shoes.
Decision options: turn wallet in to police; take some cash for needs; leave wallet and continue home.
Analysis prompts: how freedom allows imagining actions beyond normative expectations; reflect on why a person chooses a particular action; how action reflects dignity and freedom.
FREEDOM AND CONTROL; HABITS AND RESPONSIBILITY
Freedom requires self-control: one is freer when they exercise self-control; less free when controlled by addictions or strong emotions.
Concepts:
Habit formation: repeated choices in similar situations can shape character traits.
Responsibility: taking ownership of consequences; can be voluntary or externally attributed; moral weight depends on voluntariness and outcomes.
The course emphasizes that exercising freedom involves prudent choices and accountability for consequences.
LESSON 1.2: ELEMENTS OF FREEDOM
Two key elements defining freedom:
Voluntariness: acting from free will and self-determination; choosing to act or not; voluntary acts carry moral value.
Responsibility: accountability for actions and their consequences; can be self-imposed or others-imposed; can be positive or negative.
Freddy’s rescue scenario (from the text): he rescues two children at a pool despite not being a trained swimmer; this illustrates voluntariness and moral courage.
Reflective questions: Why did Freddy act? What are the responsibilities of a non-professional in emergencies? Could inaction be morally wrong? Can others imitate heroism?
Key ideas:
Every action has consequences for the actor and others.
Freedom can entail moral responsibility for outcomes.
Real-life decisions are singular and cannot be retried like in a movie; prudence and caution matter when choosing.
CONNECTIONS AND REAL-WORLD RELEVANCE
The modules connect to broader philosophical discussions of moral agency, virtue, accountability, and social ethics.
Intersubjectivity ties personal experience to collective life; ethical action often requires recognizing others as subjects with dignity (I-You) rather than objects (I-It).
The digital age section highlights contemporary challenges to freedom, commitment, and authentic social life in virtual environments.
Heidegger’s being-toward-death frames human existence as finite, granting urgency to moral choices and authentic living.
Practical implications: real-world decisions in family life, law, technology use, social media engagement, and civic participation depend on understanding freedom and responsibility.
These numeric placeholders appear in the module as brief demonstrations of arithmetic; they do not bear direct philosophical content but serve as didactic examples of simple calculations within the text.
Overall takeaway: Freedom is a dynamic, morally charged capacity that requires self-awareness, responsibility, and prudent action; human life unfolds through relational and social contexts, with technology shaping modern intersubjective experiences and ethical considerations.