Personalism and Freedom: A Philosophical Perspective
Personnel
A school of thought advocates the dignity of the human individual. According to Ferrater Mora, “Personalism is any doctrine that holds the higher value of the individual against the impersonal.” Emmanuel Mounier is the best-known representative of personalism. To Mounier, the human being is not merely a material object, nor is it a spirit. Nor can a person be divided into two distinct substances: mind-body, or mind-brain. Its design is unitary: the person does not live inside a body but is a natural person, who is both material and spiritual. The human being is the unity that forms the body and soul. Man belongs to nature, nature also allows you to bypass the laws of nature and be free. As a free person, one is charged with responsibility and moral sense. The person transcends the individual and pours into the other, so their existence can only occur within the relationship with other people. It is the community where the individual reaches his own social status, which educates and where they mature. Personalist philosophy is a call to action. Intellectual knowledge leads people to speak out against injustice and oppression and consistently achieve the development of society based on recognition of the nature and rights of the individual.
Freedom
The human being is an animal that is free, i.e. can choose between different possibilities of action, which makes him responsible for his actions. Freedom is to choose between alternatives. Faced with a situation where there are different choices of action, freedom means choosing the one you want, on a voluntary basis. Being free means being responsible, and responsibility is the other side of the coin of freedom. You cannot demand accountability of what is independent of self or unconscious acts. This means an act is done freely, voluntarily, and no one has bound you to do it.
The Postulate of Freedom
Freedom is a central concept for humans.
- For Sartre, human beings are free and freedom is based on a paradox, and we are condemned to be free. We are free to choose different alternatives for action, however, we are not free to decide if we want to be free.
- Spinoza believes humans tend to think that they are free because they ignore the real causes involved in making their decisions.
- For Kant, freedom cannot be proven, only assumed. He is the philosopher of freedom, even if it is a concept necessarily inexplicable. If there is no freedom, there is no responsibility. If freedom does not exist, no one would be responsible for their actions.
Internal and External Freedom
- Internal Freedom is the ability to choose for oneself without being given by any outside agent.
- External Freedom refers to the possibility of acting. That possibility is bounded by a few factors:
- Physical Constraints: for instance, there are people who have to overcome harsh physical tests.
- Psychic Constraints: anger or depression can impair the ability to choose and exercise freedom.
- Economic Constraints: the possibilities of electing someone living mired in poverty are smaller than those of a person with a high purchasing power.
- Political Constraints: citizens have rights that the state must protect.
What is Freedom?
Freedom and the lack of it can be studied from:
- The point of view of the physical world: freedom is opposed to fatalism and determinism. Many mythical and religious beliefs consider human actions are entirely predictable, that is called fatalism. For determinists, the world is a rigid mathematical system prevailing in the principle of causality.
- The point of view of biology: living organisms have a wide range of behaviors, ranging from the simplest like tropisms to conscious behavior. The human being is free, it allows you to be innovative and tackle problems that had not arisen before.
- The social point of view: there are different behaviors associated with the habits, customs, and duties.
- The political viewpoint: the exercise of freedom is always a limit to the other. “Freedom is to do what does not harm another.”
Fatalism, Determinism, and Freedom
Fatalism
Fatalism defends a destiny from which there is no escape. Whatever the future, this is written, the only thing one can do is accept it as best as possible. According to this belief, all that occurs has been established from the beginning of time. Oddly, there are not many possible futures, there is only one, which is the one that goes to present before us. The notion of freedom is contrary to fatalism, and there are several potential futures. Each new choice opens a new situation with a range of alternatives. Although several possible futures, only one becomes real.
Determinism
For determinism, if you know the exact laws of nature and there are precise data on the initial state of the universe, you can predict the future situation. Accordingly, any fact is predictable and that includes human actions. One of the main proponents of determinism was Laplace, who said this: “Intelligence known at any given time all forces act in Nature. Nothing would be uncertain and therefore the future as the past would be present at his gaze.” Freedom and determinism are opposites. If you accept the human being is free while the world is deterministic, it seems to be caught in a contradiction.
- Freedom does not exist is an illusion created by some automation.
- The physical world is deterministic: this point of view defended by Descartes, is based on the dualistic conception of reality. The world is deterministic and mechanical laws, except humans, which is innovative.
- Determinism is false, and proof of its falsity is that humans are free.
Freedom and Human Animal Behavior
Animal Behavior
Animal behavior is programmed by instincts. There is no choice, living things operate according to preset guidelines. It is a hereditary response to solve a particular problem.
Human Behavior
Human behavior is not scheduled but is voluntary and free. This behavior is a decision-making. It is able to cope in innovative ways, that is, creativity is one of the essential components of their action.