Autonomism – “a law unto myself”
Capacity – power or ability to act, to know, to hold, etc. Aptitude.
Ability.
Crisis – opportunity or occasion for an important decision . A
crucial or decisive point in a situation that can signify either a
change for the better or a change for the worse.
Licence – Disregard for norms governing behaviour; irresponsible
action. “anything goes” – sometimes mistaken for freedom.
Object – A physical or mental reality toward which thoughts,
feelings and actions can be directed.
Subject – The “self” that thinks, feels, acts.
Will – The freedom and power of the self to choose, decide, act.
Deliberate control over thought and action.
Freedom - 1730 God created man a rational being, conferring
on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own
actions. "God willed that man should be 'left in the hand of his own
counsel,' so that he might of his own accord seek his Creator and
freely attain his full and blessed perfection by cleaving to him."26
1731 Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not
to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on
one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life.
Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and
goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our
beatitude. 1732 As long as freedom has not bound itself
definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the
possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing
in perfection or of failing and sinning. This freedom characterizes
properly human acts. It is the basis of praise or blame, merit or
reproach. 1733 The more one does what is good, the freer one
becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is
good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of
freedom and leads to "the slavery of sin."28 1734 Freedom makes
man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary.
Progress in virtue, knowledge of the good, and ascesis enhance the
mastery of the will over its acts. 1738 Freedom is exercised in
relationships between human beings. Every human person, created
in the image of God, has the natural right to be recognized as a free
and responsible being. All owe to each other this duty of respect.
The right to the exercise of freedom, especially in moral and
religious matters, is an inalienable requirement of the dignity of the
human person. This right must be recognized and protected by
civil authority within the limits of the common good and public
order.32 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Erik Erikson’s Stages of development Infant Stages
1) Basic Trust vs. Mistrust (Birth to 18 months)
In infancy, children begin to explore the world and may feel a
sense of fear or mistrust. When caregivers are responsive and
attend to a child's needs, the infant learns the world is a good and
pleasant place and is willing to explore the world around him/her.
In contrast, if the child's needs are left unmet by the caregiver, the
child may feel unprotected and withdraw from the world.
Early Childhood Stage
2) Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (18 months to 3 years)
During the toddler years, Erikson believed children begin to assert
their independence and develop autonomy or the ability to do
things independently. If a child encounters too much restraint or
harsh punishment during this stage, Erikson believed the child
would experience shame.
Childhood Stages
3) Initiative vs. Guilt (3 to 5 years, preschool years)
According to Erikson, this is when children begin to understand
morality and the idea of right and wrong. At this stage, children are
expected to assume responsibility for their behavior and to take on
new tasks. If children take the initiative and are supported and
encouraged, then they will successfully complete the stage. If
children are made to feel anxious, it will result in feelings of guilt.
4) Industry vs. Inferiority (6 years to puberty, the elementary
school years)
The elementary school years are the years when a child learns to
master tasks (e.g., the ABC's, math problems) and to develop
social skills. More importantly, this is the time in development
when adults besides one's parents, such as teachers, coaches, etc.
are beginning to influence development. If a child experiences
repeated failures, Erikson believed they would develop an
inferiority complex and remain in this stage.
Adolescent Stage
5) Identify vs. Identity Confusion (puberty to young adulthood)
This is the stage that takes place during adolescence, a time of
rapid physical and emotional growth, where changes in appearance
that make you look more like an adult may change the way you are
treated. This is the stage when one engages in identity exploration
and determines the type of adult s/he would like to become in the
future. If the conflicts of early stages have not been satisfactorily
resolved, then the adolescent may find herself in state of role
confusion, where she is unprepared to face the psychological
challenges of adulthood.
Early Adulthood Stage
6) Intimacy vs. Isolation (young adulthood)
During this stage, Erikson believed a person formed an intimate
romantic relationship and made a commitment to a romantic
partner. For Erikson, intimacy was finding and losing oneself in
another person and developing a "couple identity." Researchers
now consider this stage to be a time where people form intimate,
meaningful relationships with friends as well as with romantic
partners.
Midlife Stage
7) Generativity vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood)
For Erikson, this stage involved having children, raising a family,
and giving of oneself to the next generation. Today, we recognize
there are many other ways to be generative besides having
children. For example, teachers, politicians, volunteers, scientists,
and philanthropists can all be generative by influencing others,
generating ideas, and benefiting others.
Late Life Stage
8) Integrity vs. Despair (older adulthood)
In late life, Erikson believed it was necessary to look back on your
life, try to make sense of it all, and determine if you accept your
life or if you feel regret or disappointment. If you gain acceptance
then you have achieved integrity, whereas if you feel regret you
could be trapped in despair.
(Source:
https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/welcome/hdfs129/print.html)
Capitalism – An economic system based on private or corporate
ownership and control of resources and means of production and
distribution. Goods and services are exchanged in a free market.
Commodity – something that carries an economic value within the
marketplace; something that can be bought, sold and traded.
Consumerism – A world view whereby one attributes
meaningfulness to life through one’s capacity and ability to
purchase and consume economic goods.
Democracy – government by the will of all the people, a will that
is expressed directly or through freely elected representation. To
protect all people within the society from tyranny of the majority,
democracies must recognize and guarantee the rights of the
minority. A democracy that is ruled strictly by majority without
protecting the rights of the minority would quickly degenerate into
a system of class or privilege that no longer reflects the will of the
governed.
Individualism – A world view that favours the free action of
individuals within society; a philosophical stance that began to
develop in the seventeenth century with the thinking of Descartes,
Hobbes, Locke, that places persona rights and freedoms above
other considerations. It is a social theory that favours personal
autonomy.
Instrumental Reason – human ability to select and develop
effective means for achieving desired ends; ability to develop
technologies.
Liberalism – a philosophy based on the goodness of the human
being, autonomy of the individual, and standing for the protection
of economic, political and civil rights and freedoms.
Market – where buyers and sellers meet to exchange, sell trade
goods. The value of goods is determined in the market, largely as a
factor of supply and demand. However the market is rarely
allowed to function in an entirely free manner when one takes into
consideration government restrictions, duties and tariffs, collusion
among suppliers to limit supply in order to drive up the price,
fierce advertising practices and so on.
Private property – something that is owned for one’s exclusive
use, or for one’s exclusive control.
Relativism – a doctrine that knowledge is not absolute, but is
conditioned by relation to another. Everything stands in
relationship to everything else, and is judged based on these
relationships rather than on any absolute principle or truth.
Social Contract – a term used by philosophers to describe the tacit
agreement or individuals to live in community. It is a means of
discussing the hypothetical terms the conditions that govern human
society.
Utilitarianism: A philosophy or world view that measures the
value of all things according to the principle of usefulness – that
which provides for the greatest pleasure or well being for the
greatest number.
Conversion – a radical transformation of the person, a turning
around. At the intellectual level, it takes place as an awareness and
openness to truth and true knowing. At the moral level, it takes
place when I recognize myself as free and responsible. At the
religious level, it takes place where my pre-occupation with myself
is taken over with the love of God and love for others.
Grace – the gift of God’s life and love at the centre of our
existence through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Christ is the
source of our life, through whom we become free and capable to
love.
1996 Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is
favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to
his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the
divine nature and of eternal life.46 1997 Grace is a participation
in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian
life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ,
the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call
God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of
the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the
Church. 1998 This vocation to eternal life is supernatural. It
depends entirely on God's gratuitous initiative, for he alone can
reveal and give himself. It surpasses the power of human intellect
and will, as that of every other creature.47 1999 The grace of
Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life,
infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to
sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in
Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:48
2003 Grace is first and foremost the gift of the Spirit who
justifies and sanctifies us. But grace also includes the gifts that the
Spirit grants us to associate us with his work, to enable us to
collaborate in the salvation of others and in the growth of the Body
of Christ, the Church. There are sacramental graces, gifts proper to
the different sacraments. There are furthermore special graces, also
called charisms after the Greek term used by St. Paul and meaning
"favor," "gratuitous gift," "benefit."53 Whatever their character sometimes it is extraordinary, such as the gift of miracles or of
tongues - charisms are oriented toward sanctifying grace and are
intended for the common good of the Church. They are at the
service of charity which builds up the Church.54 (Catechism of the
Catholic Church)
Legalism – literal interpretation of the law, and attitude that
something is right because it is commanded to be so.
Pelagianism – An erroneous teaching that proposed that our
ultimate happiness is due to our own efforts and good works, and
due to God’s graciousness.
Righteousness – Our right relationship with each other and before
God. Jesus revealed that we do not earn God’s love and eternal life
by moral living. Rather, God gives us his life, love and everlasting
happiness simply because God loves us. Moral living is our
response to this free gift.
Truth – Simply put, Jesus is the truth. Through the Holy Spirit,
Jesus dwells within us. The grace of God moves us toward the
truth and the truth sets us free.
St. Augusine
Rene Descartes
Erik Erikson
Lawrence Kohlberg
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
John Rawls
Charles Taylor
St. Paul