Freedom and the Moral Act

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Freedomand the Moral Act
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Three principles of living a moral life

• Freedom (chapter 3)
• Conscience (chapter 4)
• Law (chapter 5)

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What is the definition of freedom?
Absolutely Not

• (student responses)
• the power to act without restraint
• Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Based on the
  Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Inc. 2006.
• Is that a good definition?

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Are these examples of freedom?
What would be examples of freedom?

• Smoking
• Drinking
• Dropping out of school
• Stealing a car
• Littering
• Cheating on a test
• Cheating on your wife
• Other examples-

• Exercising
• Eating healthy
• Getting an education
• Buying a car
• Cleaning up your neighborhood
• Studying for a test
• Being faithful to your wife

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Freedom is not without limits
The modern world often defines freedom as
doing whatever one wants.
This kind of freedom is more precisely defined
as license
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True freedom is not license.
License is excessive, unlimited freedom
that abuses true liberty.
DOH!
With license man violates his own freedom,
becomes imprisoned within himself, disrupts
fellowship with his neighbor, and rebels against
divine truth.
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• Your freedom must end
• where anothers freedom begins.
• Explain-

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What is freedom?
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If a fish could jump out of the water would it be
more or less free?
Freedom is our greatest quality. p49 Why? It
is a reflection of our creator. 1The power a
person has over his own acts.
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• 2 The ability to follow your conscience.
• 3 The ability to follow the will of God,
  to be who you were meant to be.

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Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will,
to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so
to perform deliberate actions on ones own
responsibility. (CCC 1731)
4 Freedom is a power, rooted in reason and
will, to act or not to act.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Having freedom means having responsibility.
Every action we choose, further, determines our
character.
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Freedom

• Are animals free? Do they have freedom?
• What separates humans from animals?
• Reason (intellect) Will (moral action)
• Freedom is a power, rooted in reason and will, to
  act or not to act.

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• Good evil are forged in freedom
• To the degree that a person reaches higher levels
  of freedom, he becomes capable of higher levels
  of morality
• The sinful person becomes a slave

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Freedom

• The existence of freedom is a central premise in
  Catholic morality.
• Our secular culture greatly exalts freedom.
• Yet it also questions
  whether freedom
  really exists.

(nonreligious)
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Arguments against Freedom
Determinists hold that every event, action and
decision inevitably results from something
independent of the human will.
Genetics
Environment
Psychological Factors
Fate
Astrology
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Freedom ? Free-Will

• While the existence of freedom is a central
  premise in Catholic morality,
• we are not all equally free.
• There are many possible limits to our freedom
• -- both external
• -- and internal

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Some limits of Freedom
Disability
Tyranny
External Freedom freedom from factors outside
ourselves that limit or destroy our free-will.
Violence
Illness
Poverty
Education
Internal Freedom freedom from interior factors
that limit our free-will.
Fear
Addiction
Duress
Habit
Ignorance
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Freedom

• Freedom can be increased or decreased.
• Who is free to ride a bike?
• to play the piano?
• to run for president?
• to visit a foreign country?
• Summer job example

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Requirements of True Freedom

• True freedom is dependent upon truth

,,,you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free." John 832
Example- Lying to a teacher,
and
blaming an innocent student
to get out of
detention Are you more or less free?
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• True freedom is oriented toward the good

We should not understand freedom as the
possibility of doing evil. Why Not? Evil enslaves
us and diminishes our ability to be free.
Does smoking increase or decrease our freedom?
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• True freedom requires responsibility
• There is no such thing as irresponsible freedom.
• What does that mean?

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Truly human acts vs. acts of a human

• With the use of
• knowledge free will
• examples-
• love your enemy
• pray to God
• sacrifice for others

• Without the use of the intellect or will
• (knowledge or deliberation)
• examples-
• breathing
• blinking
• sneezing

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True freedom liberates us to develop our
God-given talents in a responsible way so we can
live our lives for others and for God.
True freedom serves what is good, just and true.