IS MAN FREE?

Prepared by: Alexander B. Avila BEEd 3A

One basic characteristic of man that separates him from all other animals is his ability to choose. Animals lack this full capacity to choose. they only possess freedom only in a secondary sense of being unrestricted in their movements. They can be only free as the wind blows, free as the grass grows, free to follow your heart. Mans freedom, his capacity to choose and to determine his life, is not completely obvious. Human freedom is further hidden because there are many other factors which have a great influence on mans activities.

FACTORS AFFECTING HUMAN

FREEDOM Physical limitations
We can question the reality of human freedom because of the many physical limitations that are present in human life. What we are given in our lives limits us, and our choices have to be made within those basic limitations. Such limitations are real and they take away ones power to determine ones life, they take away ones freedom.

PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS
Our freedom can also be limited and taken away by various subjective factors that at sometimes control my mind such as: Fear, it is a great destroyer of mans freedom since it inhibits us from making choices since we are afraid, we fear the unknown or in some cases our phobias. Desire, strong emotions such as desires can take away our freedom, this happens when such desires may become so strong that I cannot say no to them.

Resentment or anger can take away your freedom since you become so angry that you loose control of yourself and do things that you'll regret in the end. The enemies of freedom are not always all outside of us; they are often within-in our fears, desires and anger. All of these need to be overcome and if we were to be in control of my life and truly free.

LIMITATIONS OF THE SITUATION

We act in a particular environment having a set of particular rules set up by that situation. Our freedom is affected by that situation in a way our own desires are inhibited due to the situation at present, it guides and limits our choices.

HABITS
Are

the things we are used to do without any specific reason at all, its just the way we do things, they affect our freedom in a sense that we have a hard time averting our ways to a new. We experience the control of these habits on those occasions when were forced to act in a different way. The difficulty we experience, shows us that we are controlled by patterns of behavior that have become habitual.

THE MOTIVATIONS OF ONES ACTIONS

When

choosing to act in a certain way we always have reasons for such a choice. We call such reasons the motives of our actions. 2 examples of motives
What we fear What we hope for

According

to BF. Skinner, a noted american behaviorist, he affirms that freedom is an illusion, that man is really not free.

 He

affrims that the rewards and punishments that are present in any situation as motives are the controlling causes of what man does. Do these influences found in rewards and punishments take away human freedom.

It depends upon two factors The strenght of the individual persons will power Power of the rewards and punishments present

 An

influence is a factor that guides our choices while generally leaving us free. A adeterminations is an influence that puts so much pressure on us that we are no longer free.

FATE- PREDESTINATION
What

is fate? The supposed force, principle, or power that predetermines events. Many people sense that human history is somehow guided by the forces outside of it. When we reflect on something important happening in our life we sometimes sense that there was something behind that happening besides our own choice.

IS MAN FREE?
3 CONCLUSIONS
The six factors discussed do not really matter. Despite them, every individual human being has complete freedom and is in total control of his life. 2. Man is really not free and does not control his life. Everything in mans life is effectively determined by these factors. 3. Man is free but in a limited way. Mans life is a continual dialogue between his freedom and these factors. In these dialogue man is greatly influenced by these factors but often is able, nevertheless, to give a personal direction to his life. Is man truly free? In what way?
1.