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Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region v
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF SORSOGON
BULACAO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
School Year: 2021-2022

Learning Activity Sheet Number: 5 Week Number: 5

INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
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I. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT
Freedom – one of the most abused and misunderstood words during these times. A well-loved
concept which ancestors fought for, yet poorly understood by the present generation. There is always
something in being free. People associate freedom with one’s ability to do whatever he or she wants to
do.
Well, the concept of freedom is as wide as the universe. There are so many notions about it.
Some claim to be free means to do anything, regardless of their actions’ consequences. Some say
freedom is the ability to exercise one’s will towards the good. Others even say there is no such
thing as freedom – that we are governed by natural law.

II. LEARNING SKILLS FROM MELCs

1. Identify the different concepts related to understanding of human freedom;
2. Explain the relationship between Human freedom and Obligation;
3. Distinguish Human actions from Acts of Man;
4. Distinguish intellectual choice from practical choice;
5. Apply the concepts to hypothetical situations.

III. ACTIVITIES

A. Pre Test
COMPLETE THE TABLE. Determine the possible consequences and obligations of the actions listed
below. You assume that intention and voluntariness existed in every happening.

Patrick drove his car without registration and license.

Consequences Obligations
1.
2.
Erwin used all his income in upgrading his motorcycle.
Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

Janzen entered in a no-label relationship.

Consequences Obligations
1.
2.

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B. Let Us Study
HUMAN ACTIONS VS ACTS OF MAN

An act that is performed only by a human being and thus is proper to man. Not every
act that a human being does is a distinctively human act. Some acts that human beings do
are performed also by animals, e.g., vegetative acts and acts of perception and emotion.
When a human being does such acts, they are called acts of man but not human acts. Acts
of man are actions shared by humans and other animals while human acts refer to the
appropriate actions of human beings. What makes an act performed by a human being
distinctively a human act is that it is voluntary, that is, an act in some way under the
control or direction of the will, which is proper to man. One can therefore identify the
human activity with the voluntary act. A voluntary act continues either by the will - like an
act of love or choice - or from another human power that may be motivated by the will,
either by an act of intellect or by the sense of reasoning or emotion; even a gesture
commanded by the will can be a voluntary act.

Aristotle’s Distinction of Voluntary and Involuntary Actions

Voluntary Actions - these are acts originating from the individual performing the act using
knowledge about the situations of the act.

1. Classifications of Voluntary Actions

A. Voluntary – actions are performed from will and reason.

B. Related to Compulsion - it is considered as mixed of voluntary and involuntary. It is

more voluntary if the desire and choice has been performed and involuntary if it has
considered preferences or alternatives. Example: You are asked to perform a crime and
your options are; either you do it and your family survives or you don’t do it but
they will be murdered.

Involuntary Actions – are acts done under a) force or coercion and b). ignorance where the
doer failed to understand the effect and feels sorry on the result.

2. Classifications of Involuntary Actions

A. Under Compulsion – circumstances which are beyond the control of the agent and
contributes none to the action. Example: A person was kidnapped, hence impossible to
resist.

B. Through Ignorance of Particular Circumstances.

Example: a man steals and ignorant of the law, arrow or gun shot by mistake.

HUMAN FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION

According to John Mothershead, freedom and obligation are two indispensable

conditions for morality to occur. Freedom is understood to be present when one is choosing
a course of action, and he or she is taking full responsibility for consequence of his actions.
Importantly, this is anchored to the individual’s moral and rational capacity to discern
what is right and wrong.

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 In several meta-ethical traditions obligation usually follows or arrives from freedom.
Freedom can be said to be present if the human person is free in making choices in the
realm of morality – that is, in making choices with regards to determining what is the right
thing to do in situations and circumstances in his own life. This can be summarized in our
Filipino saying, “Buntot mo, hila mo!” It is taking full responsibility for your actions and
being obliged to do so. Hence, an action is not in the full extent of morality if a person does
something while his or her freedom and rationality is altered or modified. This event can
happen if the person’s environment highly affects his judgement.

When was the last time you see yourself escaping from the consequences of your
actions? When was the last time you hide from the problems brought about by your
irresponsible actions? We have the tendency to blame others for their choice of a course of
action. At present times, several marriages – most especially in the Philippines – are being
brought to different courts of law to be annulled. What is the main reason for this? Atty. Jim
Lopez in one of his books says that most of the marriages which are tried in civil courts are
sagas of unending throwing of blame and accusations between two lovers. Which can be
simply be solved had one of the parties make himself accountable for a problem which sit
between them.

INTELLECTUAL CHOICE VS PRACTICAL CHOICE

A. Intellectual Choice – This is a choice which is deliberately selected based on a moral

standpoint. Basically, they are normative answers about what we ought to do from a moral
system that we uphold and its moral principles. These normative answers would take into
consideration the behavior which the society will accept. For example, when you are to
decide in a moral issue, you can try to give intellectual choice as a normative answer. Here
you are simply assuming because you are not, as it were, facing that actual moral situation
described in the dilemma. In this case, the answers that you are inclined to give are
prescriptive in this imaginary and hypothetical situation.

B. Practical Choice – a choice which is borne out of psychological and emotional

considerations. Unlike the previously discussed type of choice, practical choices are made
when confronted with the actual situation, and usually affected by psychological aspect of
the person embroiled in the moral situation or dilemma. For instance, psychological and
emotional stress and lack of time to deliberate during an actual moral situation may
affect a person’s moral decision in that situation. A person may be so engulfed by
emotions that he may sometimes fail to make the right choice. Likewise, stress could make a
person’s practical choice inconsistent with his intellectual choice.

C. Let Us Practice
List down five Human Acts and Acts of Man that you have done this week.
Human Acts Acts of Man
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.

D. Let Us Remember
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 Freedom always entails responsibility.

E. Let Us Practice More

Give three examples of the following and write in a whole sheet of paper.

1. Clearly voluntary actions

2. Actions which are voluntary yet influenced by compulsion
3. Actions did out of ignorance
4. Actions did out of ignorance of a circumstances

F. Evaluation

SOLVE THE TROLLEY PROBLEM. There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks.
Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed
straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you
pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there
is one person on the sidetrack. You have two options:

1. Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track.
2. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the sidetrack where it will kill one person.

Which of the two options is more ethical? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?
Justify your answer using the lesson above. Write your answer on a whole paper.

Processing Questions:

1. Was there freedom on your part in facing the situation?

2. What are your considerations for saying that your choice is the right thing?
3. Following the concept of Intellectual choice, will your decision be the same?
Why or why not
4. Following the concept of Practical choice, will your decision be the same?
Why or why not?
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 5. Was your decision a choice based on your understanding or based on some
reference?

IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING

10 pts if the answer is Substantial, specific, and/or illustrative content

demonstrating strong development and sophisticated ideas.
8pts if the answer is sufficiently developed with adequate elaboration or
explanation.
6pts if the answer has limited content with inadequate elaboration or explanation.
4pts if the answer is superficial and/or minimal content
2pts For trying

V. ANSWER KEY

Let us Practice: Answers may vary

Let us Practice More: Answers may vary
Evaluation: Answers may vary

VI. REFLECTION

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VI. REFERENCE

Bajaro, Gerry A. “Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person” (Quarter 1, Module
4: Freedom and Responsibility, DepEd, Philippines, 2020).

Prepared by:

IVAN POWELL E. PURA,

Subject Teacher

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