PHILO 101 – ETHICS
Unit 2 Topic 1
LEARNING ACTIVITY
1. In your words and understanding discuss Kant’s idea of freedom. (10 points)
According to Kant, freedom is the ability to rule one's acts based on reason rather than desire. All
of this boils down to the idea of autonomy which means "self-governance." In my understanding,
Kant claimed that freedom is not about our wants or pleasure to do things but our beliefs which
is supported by evidences which gives us the reason to push ourselves to do things in our own
choice. He defined freedom as the unrestricted capacity for choosing. It affirms the unconditional
worth of the freedom to pursue one's own goals. Independence is the greatest moral norm and an
essential condition of moral agency. He claimed that acting out of desire is ruled not by reason,
but by one's primitive, animalistic instincts.
2. True freedom is dependent upon truth, and based on St. John’s Gospel “You will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free”. What does it mean? Give examples. (10 points)
Truth means it is real or it has happened meaning there is history. St. John’s Gospel, “You will
know the truth, and the truth will set you free” literally means having to know the truth puts our
minds ang hearts at ease because it is the truth. When one lies, there will be many other lies to
cover up the original lie. In other words, the lies continue to pile up, and you will soon feel
imprisoned by guilt. This verse expresses the same notion by stating that revealing the truth,
even if it gets you in difficulty, will ultimately relieve you from guilt and offer you with a sense
of peace. It gives us a lesson not to lie because time is ultimate truth teller. Guilt and conscience
will come after you unless you speak up and tell the whole truth to set yourself free.
3. What do you think will happen to us if there is unlimited freedom or the absence of freedom in
our society? Is freedom absolute? Explain. (10 points)
Unlimited freedom means unorganized and chaos society, while absence of freedom would be
like a prison with no escape. We must recognize that freedom is a general term, like liberty,
independence, autonomy, and equality. In reality, freedom cannot be absolute and no one can be
completely free. There will always be restrictions with our freedom in order to balance life. Too
much freedom is harmful and too less is also bad. Therefore, to provide there must be limitation
on our action and uphold actions that are morally good. Disorder and Violence results from
unrestricted freedom from governmental intrusion perhaps, while dictatorship results from a lack
of freedom. Just like our country the Philippines, it is a free country but still we are governed by
laws to have a balanced and just society wherein people can live peacefully and joyfully.
