SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Module 1- Quarter 2
The Freedom of the Human Person

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encourage teachers and other education stakeholders to email their feedback,
comments and recommendations to the Department of Education at
action@deped.gov.ph

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Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

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 OVERVIEW
Good day learners! Congratulations on making it this far in Introduction to the
Philosophy of the Human Person. We continue now with the next topic at hand, the Freedom
of the Human Person. In this module, we will explore the concept of freedom and the
different aspects connected to it. Further, we will examine different situations in our life
wherein the importance of our choices is emphasized. Afterwards, we will test how far you
have understood the lesson through short tests as well as reflective activities.

Specifically, this module consists of the following lessons:

• Lesson 1: What is Freedom?

• Lesson 2: Elements of Freedom

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

For the learners: For the teacher:

To be guided in achieving the To facilitate and ensure the students’
objectives of this module, do the learning from this module, you are
following: encouraged to do the following (you
may edit this part):
1. Read and follow instructions
carefully. 1. Clearly communicate learning
2. Write all your ANSWERS in competencies and objectives
your PHILOSOPHY ACTIVITY 2. Motivate through applications
NOTEBOOK. and connections to real life.
3. Answer the pretest before 3. Give applications of the theory
going through the lessons. 4. Discuss worked-out examples
4. Take note and record points 5. Give time for hands-on
for clarification. unguided classroom work and
5. Compare your answers discovery
against the key to answers 6. Use formative assessment to
found at the end of the give feedback
module. 7. Introduce extensions or
6. Do the activities and fully generalizations of concepts
understand each lesson. 8. Engage in reflection questions
7. Answer the self-check to 9. Encourage analysis through
monitor what you learned in higher order thinking prompts
each lesson. 10. Provide alternative formats for
8. Answer the posttest after you student work
have gone over all the lessons. 11. Remind learners to write their
answers in their Philosophy
Activity Notebook

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 Lesson The Freedom of the Human

5 Person

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW?

When you woke up this morning,
what did you do first? Did you wash your
face? Took a bath? Or immediately
walked towards the dining table for a
hearty breakfast?

What made you do so? Who decided what you wanted to

do? If your answer is yourself then you already have some
practical application of freedom.

In this module, the learner will be able to:

• Realize that all actions have consequences.

https://www.cleanpng.com/free/waking-
• Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices up.html
• Realize that choices have consequences and some things are given up while others
are obtained in making choices
• Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the consequences of their
choices.
•
 WHAT’S IN?

Lesson 1.1: What is Freedom?

In our previous discussions about the human person, we have
learned that a person must possess 4 qualities that validates him or her as a person namely:
self-awareness, externality, dignity, and self-determination. Self-determination is the
capability of the person to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences,
monitor, and regulate their own actions and be goal-oriented and self-directed. It is in this
self-autonomy that we, as human persons are free to choose whatever and whenever our
wants and needs set us into and let us dictate the direction of which our life is heading. An
important indication of human freedom is the ability to make choices and perform actions.
Our freedom to act sets us apart from other beings.
Let’s compare how animals and human persons behave to get a better
understanding of freedom. We see some animals behave like human beings because they
seem to perform actions in response to commands. A well-trained dog can perform certain
tasks on command such as “stay” or “fetch” because it has been trained and conditioned to
perform them. The same cannot be said about human beings. You cannot just approach a
stranger, toss him or her a ball and say “fetch!” Surely, you will be embarrassed with curious
and suspicious stares from that person. A person will not respond automatically to the
command “fetch” because he or she is not conditioned to obey like a dog.
The human person does not experience the world in the same way that animals do.
Animals act instinctively, meaning their actions are more like predetermined responses to
certain stimuli. A person on the other hand, can choose the course of action to take when
given incitement or faces with a certain situation. With us humans, our inherent freedom
makes us very dynamic creatures and our actions do not necessarily follow a set pattern.
Freedom is categorized into three kinds:

1. Physical Freedom
This is the first type of freedom that comes into mind when talking about freedom. It
refers to the absence of any physical restraint and the freedom of mobility to act and go
whatever, whenever and wherever he or she pleases.
2. Psychological Freedom
It is also called the 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 a person. No outside force or influence can
compel a person to take action against his or her will.
3. Moral Freedom
This 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 becomes freer when he or she uses freedom well but becomes less free when he
or she uses it in a bad way. Humans have a natural inclination for what is true and good
and when a person uses his or her freedom to do acts that violate human dignity and
goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and effectively negates human
freedom.

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 WHAT’S NEW?

Read and reflect on the

situation below:
Bert was on his way home
from school when unknowingly, he stumbled upon a
wallet. It appears to be full of cash as well as
several Identification Cards of the owner.
Bert knows he was short on the budget he needed
to complete the school project he was working on
and he could also spend some on new shoes.
Imagine that you are in his situation.
Which among the situations pictured below will be
your most truthful action?
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/lost+wallet

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/lost+wallet

Turn-in the wallet to the Take the money and Leave the wallet alone
nearest police station and spend it on the things you and continue walking
tell them what happened need and want home

Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these possible actions. It also
enables us to come up with new choices. For example, some may take some of the cash
before reporting it to the police to purchase their needs. The essence of freedom is that it
does not confine our actions to those do set or expected by others; we can imagine you
actions and decide to undertake them.
Now recall your answer and ask yourself why you chose to take that action.
Reflecting upon your actions will enable you to know yourself better as a person. Your
actions also determine to uphold human dignity and freedom. Having freedom, however,
also entails certain responsibilities. It is possible for a person to diminish or deny a freedom
through the choices that he or she makes.

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 Freedom requires a degree of control from the person who exercises it. A person
becomes freer when he or she exercises control over himself or herself. On the other hand,
a person becomes less free when he or she is no longer in control of himself or herself and
is instead controlled by other forces. For example, persons suffering from addiction are less
free because they are overpowered by their addiction to certain substances and can barely
control themselves when presented with these things. People who act solely based on their
emotions are also less free because they allowed themselves to be controlled by their
feelings without any regard for ethical considerations. To lose control of oneself diminishes
human freedom and dehumanizes the person.
“We are who we are because of the choices we make.” Life is a long journey, and, in
this journey, we would likely face the same situations again and again. Every repeated
choice that we make in the same scenario can develop into a habit. If this habit continues, it
becomes one of your character traits.

WHAT IS IT?
Lesson 1.2: Elements of Freedom
What makes us Free?
How does Freedom shape our experiences?
There are two elements that define freedom. Voluntariness refers
to the ability of a person to act out of his or her own free will and self-determination. This
means that a person may decide to act or not to act, and these decisions are made of his or
her own free will. Voluntariness also means that a person may act even if he or she is not
required or called to act. Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a corresponding
moral value.
Let us analyze the following scenario and figure out how voluntariness was expressed in the
situation.
Freddy was on vacation in a resort prior to
graduating senior high school. He was
relaxing on the poolside when he noticed two
kids playing near the pool without their
parents. He did not mind them since he
knows there is an on-standby lifeguard in the
area. After a short while Freddy heard a
splash. When he looked, he saw both kids
struggling to grasp for air desperately wailing
their hands on the air to call for help. He
immediately got up and headed for the
Lifeguard tower but to his dismay, no one
was there. Freddy knows he is not an expert
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/drowning+person swimmer, but he decides to rescue the
children himself. He successfully secured
both to the side of the pool.

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 Reflect on the actions and choices that were made in that situation. Why did the
children play near the pool unsupervised? Why was the Lifeguard not there? Why did Freddy
save them? Did Freddy have to save the two children whom he did not know at the expense
of his own life? One can argue that he does not have the responsibility to save them since
he is not a lifeguard. If he did that, what would be the result of his inaction? Would it be
possible for other people to be heroic just like he did? What can you say about Freddy’s
actions? What do you think will be the result of his actions?
Whenever we decide to act, this results in a certain consequence. All human actions
have consequences, and this affect not only the person who commits the action, but also
other people in our surroundings. As a free being, the person must accept the consequences
of his or her actions to take responsibility for them. The second element of freedom,
responsibility, refers to the person being accountable for his or her actions and their
consequences.
Taking responsibility can either mean a person will voluntarily taking responsibility for
his or her own actions or being held responsible by other people. Whenever you know you
committed a bad action, you can either voluntarily confess to it or other people will point it
out and hold you responsible. Responsibility can also have a positive or negative meaning,
and it goes hand in hand with voluntariness in determining the morality of an action.
The realization of voluntariness and responsibility in the exercise of our freedom give
our actions and experiences a whole new meaning. We can now reflect on our actions to
better understand them and guide us towards making the best possible decision.
Another reality that we must face as we exercise our freedom is the fact that freedom
is experienced through the path of making choices. Although human freedom gives us the
ability to think of countless decisions and possible actions, we only get to choose one of
these possible actions or decisions. Having the ability to choose and to enact a course of
action does not automatically mean that we should act every time. It is also possible that the
choice not to take action may be an acceptable and moral choice in a given situation.
When we make the choice to do a particular action, we can never go back and redo
our actions and make another choice. Real life is not a movie where we can stop and get a
second take on the situation. Therefore, it is very important that when confronted with
choices, we exercise caution and prudence and reflect on our possible courses of action.