The Metaphysics of Freedom as a Basis for Ethics

Abstract

Freedom permeates human existence in a most profound way such that many recognize in it the clearest and most obvious seal of likeness between man as creature and his Creator: »So God created man in his own image« (Genesis 1, 27). The aim of this essay therefore is to research and expand the issue of human freedom. However, our interest will be directed first and foremost to its metaphysical aspect. Namely, we are convinced that freedom may be understood and explained authentically only when viewed in relation to its inseparable metaphysical basis. This means that in our approach to freedom our attention shall not be directly aimed at the manner in which self–determination of the human subject occurs through his spiritual, that is, free activity, in reaching out toward the horizon of values for certain of them by excluding others, which in turn makes possible a moral judgement of his actions. Primarily, we wish to examine freedom as an original condition which makes moral activity possible and so too the establishment of ethical premises which enable one to assess an activity as being good or bad. In this respect we shall endeavour firstly to cast light on the original reality of ontological freedom through various perspectives in order to discover on these grounds the sense in which this freedom is posited as the basic condition which emerges in free human activity — in the true activity of the subject per se — and which we may call proper or ethical freedom.