UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Philosophy  Physical world, and body

 Love of wisdom 2) Ideal Realm (Soul & Mind)

 Philein − Immaterial

− Love − Unchanging, eternal, and immortal

 Sophia  Intellect, truth, goodness, beauty, and soul

− Wisdom  Soul

 Desire for truth by formulating never ending questions − The essence of the self

Metaphysics PLATO (The Self is an Immortal Soul) SOUL

 A philosophy that studies the nature of reality ● NATURE－Genetically based

Epistemology  Process of self-knowledge and purification of the soul
 Studies the nature and scope of knowledge ● 3 PARTS OF SOUL
Value Theory − Happiness is achieved if reason takes control
 Ethics 1) Reason
− Studies human conducts − Divine essence
 Aesthetics − Thinking, choosing, and understanding
− Studies the nature of beauty − In control of spirits and appetites for justice
SOCRATES (An unexamined Life is not worth Living) SOUL 2) Physical Appetite
 “Father of Western Philosophy” − Basic biological needs
 Know thyself − Hunger, thirst, sexual desires
 Self 3) Spirit/Passion
− Source of all knowledge and significance − Basic emotions
 Soul searching − Love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness, empathy
− Knowing the value of self

 Introspection ● TWO WORLDS

− Socratic Method 1) The world of FORMS (non-physical ideas)
− Examining one’s thought and emotions or self to − Real and permanent
gain self-knowledge
2) The world of SENSE (reality)
 Self-knowledge
− Temporary and replica of the ideal world
− a prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life
ARISTOTLE (The Soul is the Essence of the Self) SOUL&BODY
 Who we are, is who we should be
● NURTURE－Environment or Experience based
● 2 DICHOTOMOUS REALMS
 Self-actualization
1) Physical Realm (Body)
− Flourishing and fulfilling life
− Material
● 3 KINDS OF SOUL
− Changeable, transient, and imperfect
1
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

1) Vegetative Soul − The Essential Self

− Physical body that can grow 2) The Self as a Physical Body (Body)

2) Sentient Soul − Material, mortal, non-thinking entity, fully

governed by the physical laws of nature
− Sensual desires, feelings, and emotions
JOHN LOCKE (The Self is Consciousness) EXPERIENCE
3) Rational Soul
 Tabula rasa
− What make man human;thinking
− Blank state
− Characterized by justice & courage
− Human mind at birth; no knowledge
ST AUGUSTINE(The Self has an Immortal Soul) SOUL&BODY
● Self is constructed from EXPERIENCE
 “I am doubting therefore I am"; doubting is thinking,
thinking is existing

 Integrates teachings of Plato and Christianity

 The body is united with the soul so man may be entire ● CONSCIOUS AWARENESS
and complete
− Essence of the self
 Human is created in the image and likeness of God
 Thinking
 Everything that created by god who is all good is good
 Reasoning
 Self is known only through knowing God
 Reflecting
 Self-knowledge
 Self consciousness
− Known only through knowing God
− Have coherent personal identity or knowledge of
RENE DESCARTES (I think therefore I am - Cogito ergo um) the self as a person
EXISTENCE
 Consciousness
 “Father of Modern Philosophy”
− Makes identity of a person similar in different
 Self-conscious; thinking about self; I am situations

− Exist  Reason

 Thinking Entity − Makes you gain knowledge and consequently use

this knowledge to understand experiences
− Essence of the self
− Helps to figure out the significance of sense
− Doubts, understands, analyzes, questions, and experience and to reach intelligent conclusions
reasons
 Reason and Introspection
− Can exist independently of the physical body
− Enables you to understand and achieve accurate
● 2 DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN SELF truths about the self
− The two are independent of one another and each  Knowledge
can exist and function without the other
− Based on careful observation of experiences
1) The Self as a Thinking Entity (Soul)
DAVID HUME (There is no Self)
− Non-material, immortal, conscious being, and
independent of the physical laws of the universe  Through Introspection you’d realize that there is no self

− Distinct from the self as a physical body or can  Experience

exist independently of the physical body
− Just a bundle of different perceptions
2
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

● DISTINCT ENTITIES  Mind is the totality of human disposition that is known

through the way people behave
1) Impressions
PAUL CHURCHLAND (The Self is the Brain)
− Basic sensations of people’s experience
 Eliminative Materialism
− Hate, love, joy, grief, pain, cold, and heat
− Self is inseparable from the brain and physiology of
2) Ideas the body
− Thoughts and images from impressions that are − If brain is gone, there is no self
lively and vivid
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
● The idea of personal identity is a result of imagination
(The Self is Embodied Subjectivity)
IMMANUEL KANT (We construct the Self)
NATURE&NURTURE  The Self is Consciousness

 Self is an organizing principle that makes a unified and  All knowledge about self is based on the “phenomena”
intelligible experience possible of experience

 Self constructs its own reality  Mind and body are unified and not separated

 Self is the product of reason  I

SIGMUND FREUD (The Self is Multilayered) − Combination of the mental, physical, and emotional
structures of self
● 3 LAYERS OF SELF
 “Phenomenology of Perception”

− Everything that people are aware of is contained

within the consciousness

 Perception is not a consequence of sensory experience,

it is a conscious experience

1) Conscious Self

− Things we are aware of

2) Unconscious Self

− Things we are not thinking at the moment

− Cannot be easily recalled or hard to remember

3) Preconscious Self

− Things we are not aware of

− Can be easily recalled

GILBERT RYLE (The Self is the Way People Behave)

 Self as a pattern of behavior

 “I act therefore I am”

 Mind and body is linked intimately

 Self as bodily behavior

3
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

The Self has an Immortal Soul

 The body is united with the soul, so that man may be

entire and complete

RENE DESCARTES

I think therefore I am - Cogito ergo um

 The act of thinking about the self or being self-conscious

is proof that there is a self

 2 dimensions of self: the self as thinking entity, the self

as physical body

JOHN LOCKE

The Self is Consciousness

 Conscious awareness and memory of previous

experiences are the keys to understanding the self

 The essence of the self is its conscious awareness of

itself as a thinking, reasoning, and reflecting identity

DAVID HUME

There is no Self

 The idea of personal identity is a result of imagination

SOCRATES  If a person carefully examines his sense experience
through the process of introspection, he will discover
“An unexamined Life is not worth Living” that there is no self
 Self is synonymous with the soul. IMMANUEL KANT
 Every human possesses an immortal soul that survives We construct the Self
physical body
 The self constructs its own reality, actively creating a
PLATO world that is familiar and predictable
The Self is an Immortal Soul SIGMUND FREUD
 3 elements of soul: reason, physical appetite, spirit or The Self is Multilayered
passion
 3 layers of self: conscious, preconscious, unconscious
 Reason: the divine essence that enables people to think
deeply, make wise choices, and achieve true GILBERT RYLE
understanding of eternal truths
The Self is the Way People Behave
 Physical Appetite: the basic biological needs
 The best is best understood as a pattern of behavior,
 Spirit or Passion: the basic emotions the tendency or disposition for a person to behave in a
certain way in certain circumstances
ARISTOTLE
PAUL CHURCHLAND
The Soul is the Essence of the Self
The Self is the Brain
 The rational nature of the self is to lead a good,
flourishing, and fulfilling life  Eliminative Materialism is the idea that the self is
inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the
ST AUGUSTINE body

4
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY

The Self is Embodied Subjectivity

 All knowledge about the self is based on the

“phenomena” of experience