56238230 Lecture 4 Man as Liberty PDF

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Lecture 4IV. Man as LibertyA. Human Freedom as Structured Freedom: Facticity and Transcendence Human Freedom by John KavanaughOutline: 1. Introduction a. Universal Experience of Freedom: Man experiences himself as free b. The Reality of Freedom as an Issue: Is man really free? c. Some Answers: i. To...

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Lecture 4 IV. Man as Liberty A. Human Freedom as Structured Freedom: Facticity and Transcendence Human Freedom by John Kavanaugh Outline: 1. Introduction a. Universal Experience of Freedom: Man experiences himself as free b. The Reality of Freedom as an Issue: Is man really free? c. Some Answers: i. Total Determinism ii. Absolute Freedom iii. Structured Freedom 2. Phenomenological Analysis of Freedom: Examination/Reflection on Important Data a. Questioning: Freedom as Distance b. Reflection: Freedom as Self-Possession 3. Metaphysical Analysis of Freedom: Will 4. Three Theories of Human Freedom a. Total Determinism b. Absolute Freedom c. Structured Freedom 5. Freedom and Anxiety 1.

Introduction: a. Universal Experience of Freedom all men and women experience themselves in some way or another as free freedom could not be denied on the level of experience i. -

ii. b.

Personal Experience our own experience of our own actions/activities are experiences of freedom - our own actions/activities are experienced as acts of freedom - it is hard for us to conceive our own actions as if they were not free illustration: - before any act, I am aware that I can or cannot do it. - I am aware of the different alternatives before me which represent various limited aspects of what might be good for me here or now or in the long run - During the placement of the act itself, I am aware of the dependence of the continuation of the action on me - After the act is completed, - I am aware that I did it, caused it; that completed action is mine - That is mine: something that I can own, that is part of me, an extension of myself, my creation, my self-project. - I am aware that I can be blamed or praised for it is my action. Thus my action could be my accomplishment or my failure - This awareness brings with it the feeling of well-being, accomplishment, or guilt, failure, frustrations Data from Literature, History and Personal Communication Present manifold testimony to freedom - For they would not be possible at least impossible to conceive without freedom. Also testify to the ambiguity, terror, deliberation, irrevocability of freedom.

The Reality of Human Freedom as an Issue: Is man really free? - we ordinarily and undeniably experience ourselves as free and the data of literature, history, personal communications tell us that we are free. - Based on these data, we unquestionably accept that this universal experience of freedom provides proof for the very reality of freedom. - Because all men and women experience themselves as fee, some claim that this proves beyond doubt that there is human freedom. - Yet there are those who question the universality of human experience of freedom as providing proof, evidence for the existence, very reality of human freedom. - They do not question the universal experience of freedom - But they argue that this universal experience of freedom does not provide necessarily the proof, the evidence for the very reality of freedom - Though we experience ourselves as free, it does not necessarily prove, mean that we are actually free - Though we experience ourselves determining our actions, it does not mean necessarily that we really determine our actions. - Though we experience ourselves as having alternatives, options, it does mean necessarily that we have in fact have choices.

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important to make a distinction between doxa/phenomena and aletheia/noumena 1

c.

In short, the problem is not whether we experience ourselves as free but are we really free. Some Answers i. -

ii. iii. -

2.

Total Determinism: B.F. Skinner the individual human person actually does not and cannot determine/cause his action, activities, operation and himself his actions, activities, operations are determined/caused by a complex of external forces/stimuli - there is a complex of forces outside of his control which determines him to act, behave in particular specific way and in no other way. Absolute Freedom (Indeterminism): Jean Paul Sartre man, and his actions, activities and operations are in no way determined/caused by anything external, apart from himself it is man himself and no other, who is the cause, who determines himself and his actions. His actions, and himself are completely his own determination, his responsibility. Structured Freedom: Abraham Maslow Synthesis, a compromise of the two extreme positions Man and his actions cannot be reduced simply to the complex of external forces nor man can be reduced to his own determination alone divorced from any external force. Man is both: - Determined/structured by something external to him (facticity) - He is inserted into something in which he did not choose, has no choice - Determining - He is also his own determinations - He shapes, molds his own potentialities, his own self, his own actions - But he does this not outside but within his given determination, structure, his facticity

Phenomenological Analysis of Freedom: Examination/Reflection on Important Data - Before we understand more deeply, examine and evaluate more critically the different theories of human freedom, let us first return to examine our experiences of freedom, to the data given in these experiences which are very important to consider to come to an adequate understanding of human freedom which are undeniable to all whatever his theory of freedom is. In describing these experiences and the data given in them, we hope to unfold the structure and meaning of human freedom and the very reality of freedom. Since the experiences of freedom have to do with our activities and operations, what particular actions and activities we would subject to phenomenological analysis so that the structure and meaning of human freedom and the very reality of freedom could be unfolded? The activity, experience of Questioning The activity, experience of Reflection a.

The Act of Questioning - a human person can question, can ask questions about the external forces/realities that affect him/her at the moment (stimuli): - Environment - His Past - Needs and Values - Whatever one’s theory about human freedom, he could not deny this activity, this experience of questioning - In fact, his theory is only possible or he comes only to his particular theory because of his ability to question, to be conscious of the things around him: - Skinner: questioned the American values of competition and property accumulation - Sartre: questioned the traditional views of natural law and religious beliefs. - Because of the person’s ability to question, he has the ability to effect a certain distance between the external forces and himself/his response/activities/operations. In what ways: 1. they (stimuli, external forces) do not blindly affect him 2. they do not immediately affect him 3. they do not necessarily affect him 4. they do not exhaust the complexity of his desire, aspiration, action, who he is - By questioning, - the external forces do not enslave him, determine him blindly, necessarily and exhaustively. - He creates a distance between external forces and himself, thus liberating himself from the chains of blind, immediate, necessary determination of the external stimuli

b.

The Act of Reflection - human person does not only have the capacity to question but also to reflect. This could never be denied by anyone whatever his theory of human freedom is. - Whatever one’s theory about human freedom, he could not deny this activity of, this capacity for reflection - In fact, this theory is only possible or he comes only to his particular theory because of his ability to reflect - To reflect is: - To see at a distance the stimuli or external forces that affect me (environment, values/needs, past)

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To become aware of myself as affected by these, of myself in relation to these stimuli To become aware of who I am, my potentialities/possibilities, what I want to and can (do, and make of myself). When I do this (reflect), I attain, achieve: 1. SELF-DISTANCE from myself as one immediately, necessarily and completely affected with the present stimuli 2. SELF-POSSESSION - I become aware of who I am as something that I could determine and not simply determined by external forces - I become aware of what my potentialities, possibilities might be; potentialities possibilities which I could realize and determine - Kilala ang sarili, hawak ang sarili. 3. SELF-DETERMINATION - I could say something about my response and action to the given stimuli and to the different possibilities - It is I who determine, decide my response in relation to stimuli, in relation to the different possibilities - Being able to say something about myself, my action -

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Conclusion to our Phenomenological Analysis of Freedom: - from our phenomenological analysis of questioning and reflection, the structure and meaning of freedom is unfolded as: - FREEDOM FROM: 1. Achieving distance from the blind, immediate necessary determination of the stimuli 2. Achieving a distance from oneself as affected, determined by the stimuli, as having a future destiny. SELF-DISTANCE - FREEDOM TO: 3. Self-Possession 4. Self-Determination 3.

Metaphysical Analysis of Free Will: Freedom of Choice Introduction - our experience of questioning and reflection leads us to the structure and meaning of freedom. Our analysis of this experience unveils to us that anyone who questions and reflects is free in the sense that he achieves/attains: - distance from stimuli - distance from oneself - self-possession - self-determination - What makes these possible to the human person? What makes him capable of achieving, attaining these especially when he questions and reflects? - The answer: he/she has WILL, the capacity, faculty which enables him, which makes him free and act freely. - In this section, we will analyze metaphysically the nature and dynamism of the human will - Metaphysical because the will - is not something that is given immediately in our experience but that which makes a particular experience/activity possible, conceivable - that which we posit to make sense, intelligible certain data of experience - not a physical reality which is verifiable directly or indirectly by empirical means. a.

Will as tendency/inclination toward an intellectually known good - will is distinct from sense-appetite - sense-appetite: - an inclination toward what is presented to the senses (object of the senses) - external senses: five senses - emotions, feelings, passions - strongly inclined, as it were, chained down by its object - Will: an inclination toward the good that is presented to me by my intellect - The good is perceived by, presented to the intellect - It is good aspect of an object presented to, perceived by the intellect that attracts the will. E.g.: good book, good steak, good person, good action - And the will is only inclined toward the good presented by the intellect - In short, the only object of the will: Good (which could be perceived alone by the intellect) - This implies that the will could never tend/incline into something which is perceived by/presented to the intellect as evil, as not good. - Though it could incline/tend toward what is actually evil but only in so far as the intellect perceives/presents it as good (apparent good) - Thus, the object of the will could never be evil.

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b.

The only object that necessarily and completely determine the will would be the Absolute/Ultimate/Complete Good - This means that when an absolute/ultimate good is perceived by the intellect and is presented to the will, the will inclines/tends toward this good necessarily and completely, i.e. it has no choice, no option, no alternative but to direct itself to that good totally. - It forces the will completely, as it were, to move toward it. - Only this kind of good could force the will.

c.

However, none of the goods perceived, presented by my intellect here and now, in this existential world could necessarily and completely determine my will. - the goods perceived, presented by my intellect here and now, in this existential world are: - limited, finite, - conditional, interrelated/ordered to other good - none of them could necessarily and completely determine my will, could not force my will to be inclined, to tend toward them completely if my intellect perceive them correctly as such (finite, conditional, relative) - Thus, I have a choice in relation to these particular goods. - Nevertheless, they could necessarily and completely determine my will when they are mistakenly perceived and presented by my intellect as absolute, ultimate, complete good though in themselves they are not.

d.

Will has freedom of choice in relation to finite and conditional goods - Though the will is inclined to them because they are good, the will is not necessarily inclined to them. - The will has choices, options, alternatives; thus it could decide to which it will direct itself, which it would choose. - These good are presented to the will as alternatives, possibilities, options and not as a necessity. - It is very important to perceive them intellectually as conditional and finite good, so that the will would have a choice, a say on them.

e.

Nevertheless, there are forces/factors other than my will that determines my action, behavior. - significant and ample data point to the importance of environment in the formation of choices and projects conditioning deprivation habit emotion natural preferences ones own history - these are undeniable factors which must be weighed, considered with the faculty of the will in the determination of actions and activities. - But they do not destroy, negate my free will: my capacity to determine my action myself.

Conclusion to our phenomenological and metaphysical analysis of freedom. 1. Feeling free does not necessarily make us free, does not necessarily mean that we are free 2. Yet, there are levels of human activities and behavior which upon reflective analysis: - indicate that we are really free - clarify to us what it means to be really free: - distance for external stimuli - self-distance - self-possession - self-determination - point to us that we have the faculty of the will, the inner capacity in us to determine our own action, behavior, and ourselves though other factors may determine, affect our action, behavior. 4.

Three Theories of Human Freedom - we will now examine more adequately and evaluate critically the different positions on Human Freedom a.

Total Determinism: B.F. Skinner i. 1.

Doctrines/Teachings The causes of human action and behavior lie outside of man - the individual does not and cannot cause or determine his actions, operations, activities - but the stimuli: complex of forces outside of him, which do not originate from him. - This complex of forces consists of: - Psychic Forces:

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Whole complex of reward and punishment (experience of pain and pleasure), your past experiences, your upbringing, your childhood experience determine your present and future actions and operations - These create or determine necessarily one’s needs and values: psychic forces within - Genetic/Physical/Biological Make-Up - It is in your genes, your DNA, your genetic make-up - Characteristics behavior, activities and operations are determined by our genes. - It is the structure of your brain. - Environment - The complex present situation you find yourself in: - Physical - Economic - Political - Social - Interpersonal - Historical The causes or external forces are necessitating. - this complex of external forces causes one to act in a particular way and in no other way. - there is no way for me not to act in this particular way nor to act in another way. - Given with this set of complex of external forces, I necessarily be this and act this way and I cannot do and be otherwise - And given the specific set of stimuli, we could know exactly and unfailing how a person will act or behave. -

2.

ii. 1.

2.

Critique Positive a. Power of conditioning to influence or shape our values, needs, behavior and action is not just mere claim of Skinner but frequently substantiated in both human and infra-human levels. Various researches confirm that behavior could be manipulated by manipulating the external forces, the stimuli b. I have a genetic, biological, and physical structure which influence my behavior. They are part of me. c. I have an environmental structures (cultural, historical, societal framework) in which I find myself and which are part of me. d. I myself am aware that there are forces and demands outside of me which affect, influence me, creating my needs and values. Negative a. Though there are aspects/parts of me which can be understood, explained in terms of external causes (my facticity), there are other aspects of me, of my experience and other activities/operations which cannot be reduced, totally and simply determined by this complex of external forces. What are these? i. My Consciousness: I can be and am aware of my psychic forces and of the complex of conditioning that has created it, of my biological, genetic and physical structuring, and the whole environment that I am in. ii. I can question them, revolt against them, validate or accept them. In short, I could make my stance. iii. I can achieve a distance from these external forces and from the self determined by these external forces by my reflection and question. iv. I can do something about them, channel them and even restructure them b. Some serious difficulties if we accept Total Determinism i. if total determinism were true, the action of questioning and reflection must be explained away or ignore - if explained away, it could only be done in no other way except by questioning and reflection - if ignored, it admits its limitation that it could not account or explain them ii. we cannot assume that all causal motives are necessitating causes. - determinists claim that “with this set of motives, I will unfailingly do this thing alone.” - But experientially, the goods that we confront and the motives we use are precisely conditional, limited and mixed. - Motives have to do with goods that we perceive, that we confront - And the goods that appear to us are precisely conditional, limited and mixed - Thus, none of them could motivate us necessarily and completely iii. If true, then all of us must be deluded, deceived by our experience, by our most fundamental and universal experience of freedom, of being able to have responsibility on our actions and operations. - if we are deluded in our most basic and universal experience of freedom, how could we tell whether all other basic and universal experiences that we have are trustworthy, could still be trusted. - This leads to scepticism, and not to science and philosophy as Skinner would claim.

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If we are deluded in our most basic and universal experience of freedom, what will happen to those activities, human social structures we have created on the assumption that we are free: morality, sense of responsibility, judicial system - If we are not free, this leads to inaction, fatalism; rather to a more positive, proactive outlook in life. iv. Total Scepticism as a claim is self-contradictory - If all our actions are conditioned, determined by external forces, then our judgment on truth and value is also conditioned and determined by external forces. - If we judge because we are forced by our environmennt, genes, biochemical composition and not because of its logic, feasibility, coherence to which we freely assent, then could we consider our judgment true? - No, there is no truth-value in our judgment, including the judgment of total determinism. - Yet, total determinism is making a truth-claim: that in fact we are not free. -

iii. -

b.

Conclusion: total determinism as total explanation of all human activities, operations, behavior: - fails to account certain human activities and operations like questioning and...