Cicero. On the Commonwealth. XXII. 3, 23.

Human Freedom

Introduction

It is not without good reasons to suppose that human freedom belongs to one of the greatest attribute of being a human person . For no creature in this planet can exercise the same amount of contemplation and will into its actions as much as human persons do . Animals for instance are said not to possess human freedom since their activities , no matter how they resemble with acts of men , are ruled by instincts and not of choice . But while human freedom is a great gift to be thankful for

, it nevertheless can be abused or misused . Many times over , the world has witnessed the despicable consequences of an unbridled exercise of human freedom . Which is why , through this , I would like to argue human freedom must be understood not as a license to do anything a person wants , but as a fundamental capacity to choose the kind of actions that promote one 's sense of personhood and nurture relationships as well

Absolute vs . Relative Human Freedom

What is difficult in studying human freedom is that it appears to have no singular definition universally accepted by all men and women . While nearly all people accept that human freedom is a matter of fact , it seems obvious that they too take its definition and interpretations differently . Some people understand freedom as license to do anything that they want as indeed , some people believe that it needs to be exercised in view of certain guide or norms . Key to understanding this conflict therefore lies in defining whether the exercise of human freedom must be taken as an absolute power to do everything without reference to anything , or as a relative capacity to do something on account of certain norms or restrictions

Surely , it is only by right of mere logic that one should shun the first interpretation . Human freedom cannot be simply exercised as though it is one form of dispenser or magic or that it enables a person to command everything according to one 's capricious desires . Experience would teach us that this is not just the kind of autonomy human persons have . For even when freedom is powerful , one cannot simply do anything without considering the effects - whether good or bad - it would engender on oneself and , more importantly , on other people . In a manner of speaking , the idea of absolute freedom , even when it is enticing does not really hold water

Analogously , Cicero 's unique concept of `natural law ' can be cited to help shed light on the matter . Writing in the Commonwealth , he states True law is right reason in agreement with nature it is of universal application (cited in Cicero Dixit . Herein it would be evident that Cicero agues for the relative character of human affairs - i .e for anyone to act truthfully , a person must act according to the dictates of human reason duly informed by nature . Cicero 's postulate therefore shuns the dangerous concept of absolute freedom . In other words , it appears...