Andrew M. Greenwell on Rethinking Freedom

By Andrew M. Greenwell, Esq.
12/4/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

As a nation, it seems that we need to re-think freedom.

In the public square, our country speaks of freedom to the point where it is hackneyed. But the "freedom" touted on the television, taught in our public schools, claimed by all manner of activists, and heard in every political stump speech is a far cry from Servais Pinckaer's "freedom for excellence" or Blessed John Paul II's "authentic freedom" or "perfect freedom."

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - What is freedom? Careful how you answer the question, because the first step makes all the difference in the world, and a large number of Americans have taken a false first step.

The medieval theologian Peter Lombard defined "free choice" (liberum arbitrium) as "that faculty of reason and will by which we either choose the good with the assistance of grace, or choose evil without such assistance." (Sent. b.2, dist. 24, c. 3)

But there is an ambiguity in the definition which gives rise to a question. Depending upon your answer, you are going to go one way or another entirely different way. One way leads to authentic freedom, the other way to a false freedom, a slavery.

You might call this question the question of original responsibility.

The question is this: Does free choice precede reason and will, or does free choice proceed from reason and will?

Put another way: Does free choice command reason and will, or is free choice subject to reason and will?

The reason why this can be called the question of original responsibility comes from the word "responsible."

The word "responsible" comes from Latin verb respondere, "to respond." The word respondere is formed from the prefix re- which means "back" or "again" and spondere which means "to pledge," "to promise," "to hold oneself accountable," even "to betroth" or marry.

To be responsible, then, means we have to answer back to someone because of something we have been given, in this case, freedom.

The reason why freedom involves a question of original responsibility is because free choice always involves a fundamental question: Is my free choice answerable to anyone, e.g., God, or to anything, e.g., human nature, reason? Or, rather, is it answerable to nothing but myself?

That's the watershed question.

If your response to the question of original responsibility is that you are answerable to someone or something, then you believe that free choice follows reason and will, and, if you are believer, God's revealed commandments.

If your response to the question of original responsibility is that you are not answerable to someone or something but only yourself, then you believe that free choice commands reason and will. This means there will ultimately be no morality other than your whimsy.

In discussing this issue, the moral theologian Fr. Servais Pinckaers, O.P., speaks about two kinds of freedom which follow from how we answer this fundamental question. He calls these two freedoms the "freedom for excellence" and the "freedom of indifference."

If you believe that free choice follows reason and will, then you believe in the "freedom for excellence."

If you believe that reason and will follow free choice, then you believe in the "freedom of indifference."

(Personally, I do not like the term "freedom of indifference," because the "freedom of indifference" is not really authentic freedom. It is more like enslavement. The philosopher Hume (who went down this "freedom of indifference" path to his probable damnation, but Deus solum iudicat), famously (and more accurately) said that, in his view, "reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of passions." I see this Humean "freedom of indifference" path not as offering any "freedom," but rather a slavery that is the natural punishment for rebellion. St. Paul calls it living under the "wrath of God," the org� theou, or ira Dei. (Rom. 1:18)).

"Freedom for excellence" is the only real route to freedom. This, of course, is the freedom that is the subject of the great encyclical of Blessed John Paul II, Veritatis splendor (in which, by the way, the word freedom is used 192 times and the word free 27 times).

Authentic freedom requires us to be answerable to the gift of freedom, and to the giver of that gift. That means that free choice must be exercised in a way that respects our nature, our reason, and ultimately God, the author of nature and our reason.

As Pope John Paul II noted in his encyclical Veritatis splendor, what Pinckaers calls "freedom for excellence" and the Pope calls "authentic freedom" requires certain things from us.

First, it requires obedience to God's commandments. Obedience to the commandments is the "first necessary step on the journey toward freedom." But as Pope John Paul II makes clear, "this is only the beginning of freedom, not perfect freedom." (Veritatis splendor, No. 13).

What else, in addition to keeping the commandments, is required for perfect ...

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

rafaelmarie
5 months ago
THERE IS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY NO OTHER FREEDOM THAN THE FOUNDING FATHERS HAD IN MIND!

ANYTHING ELSE PREACHED IS JUST COMPROMISING WITH EVIL!
DLL
5 months ago
The Christian conscience is a self imposed self-government that makes the individual obedient to God. John Paul 2 proved that if we are obedient to God in such a manner during times of oppression,than the individual is always free. Love governs,because as we can see by the life of John Paul 2,that his inherent goodness because of his obedience to God,was his greatest weapon against the terror of his time. Our religious freedoms might become violated,but the individual that is obedient to God can not be violated if they be governed by love. Over and over through the ages Christians are taught that God is Love beginning with the Apostle Paul,not to forget Peter. To first of all serve God is to learn and practice obedience to God,as Christ was obedient and always pleasing to God. This is what it means to be a Saint. Love is the self government that rules each and every Saint. God is Love!
abey
5 months ago
Authentic freedom is to be free of Sin which is to New Jerusalem mentioned in revelations when man becomes directly under God when all our needs are directly supplied by Him to a continuous life afresh & pure, hence no death which is to the state of the Angels of God called to be the Holy State.
Paul-Emile Leray
5 months ago
Like a true artist, always seeking to surpass yourself. Wonderful article! In Jesus, with grace, there is a guaranteed path towards perpetual renewal. It is reasonable, therefore, through the eyes of faith, to always keep growing. And so, my artist comment is accurate. I must thank several writers on this website for their wisdom, knowledge, and their sharing of this through beautiful writings. It does make a difference, it does matter, and it does inform-inspire-ignite. Plus, it is accessible from anywhere providing there is an internet connection. A true gift. Thank you.
Paul-Emile Leray
Dan Brogdon
5 months ago
I am pleased to read this article , it certainly spells out the twisted use of Freedom being used in our society. It also helps me look in the direction towards a more perfect freedom.
I hope I can share you article with many people I know, but I find they spit it out and reject it too quickly without giving it fair understanding -- I cant change them, its sad.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem
5 months ago
The humanity is trapped in the whirlpool of 'misuse of freedom'. I appreciate Andrew M d the " message of Liberation" culminating in Jesus and hence he said, " Truth will set you freGreenwell for his scholarly, Biblical treatment on the concept of freedom . while ' Freedom' is a civic concept, 'Liberty' is much sublime. Jesus is portrayed as a ' Liberator' like Moses. Probably, the word 'Liberty' originated from the Latin 'Liber' which means "Book" and hence the word " Library" and 'Bible" is called the first Book" Biblion' and hence, another word for library " Bibliothica" (Gk), giving rise to yet to another word ' Bibliography'. The Bible contains Jesus as the Liberator and he said,. "I am the way, Truth and Life and Truth will set you free" Truth is nothing but the " image of God within"( imago Dei" which in the ordinary term is " Conscience" This article emphatically states to " form right conscience". It is the " grace of God ( ad extra) which comes into mystic union with the ' intrinsic image of God" ( ad intra) that Liberty becomes a means of ' Salvific source', the ordinary language " responsible freedom". It is this earnestness to relate to God ( selfless Ego, (Love) and the pulling back on account of earthly life( Selfish Ego) that men experience " Choice making" as the dynamism of Freedom. It is the limitation of this " twin nature" and the final victory, the concept expressed by St. Augustine in part freedom, in part slavery," ex parte libertas, ex parte servitus" to be understood. The greater the awareness of " ex parte servirus", the greater will be the " flow of Grace" leading to Liberation, probably, the personal experience of St. Augustine
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem

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