Chapter 16: Freedom

      

"Humanists hold that freedom is vital to the art of being human." (Janaro and Altshuler, 2017)

I agree with this belief that freedom is vital to being human, to an extent. I agree that being free is something that can greatly increase the experience of someone's life as a human. It can allow them to create and experience many things, learn and grow, and teach others. However, I don't think that because freedom can lead to many great things in one's life, that not being free makes you less human. It would be a horrible thing to do, in my opinion, to say that someone who isn't allowed to be free isn't fully human, because in most cases I doubt the person chose that path, such as in the case of slavery.

Determinism holds that freedom of will does not exist (Janaro and Altshuler, 2017)


Determinism suggests that people don't truly make choices, but simply react to the happenings around them, which are out of our control. This, in theory, would mean that we don't technically have freedom of will. It makes a bit of sense to me, the thought process at least. However, I disagree. I think that while, yes, the things around us are often uncontrollable and influence how we behaver. But that doesn't mean we don't have free will. What happens around us is out of our control, but how we react is completely within it, and how we choose to react can change our direction in life drastically.

“Throughout modern history, education has been considered to be the best way to guarantee freedom.” (Janaro and Altshuler, 2017)


The book suggests that education teaches people in the subjects of the humanities and the arts, and that it teaches them how to think critically. However, in recent years, people have started more and more to have the interpretation that education should be a preparation for an occupation. I don't really agree with either of these, however. I believe that education should have three purposes. 1-to teach people critical thinking. 2-to prepare people for an occupational path. And 3-to teach people essential life skills. These skills could include: how to handle your money, how to do taxes, how to maintain good relationships with those around you, etc. I think if school did all three of these things, we would all be better off, as individuals and as a society as a whole.

(Students adapt as they return to classroom after lockdown - Mansfield & Ashfield News Journal (news-journal.co.uk))


Sources


Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. (2017).The Art of Being Human: the Humanities as a Technique for Living, 11th edition. Pearson Education, Inc.


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