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Lesson 1-THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

This document explores various philosophical perspectives on the concept of the self, featuring insights from philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Freud, Ryle, Churchland, and Merleau-Ponty. Each philosopher presents unique views on the nature of self, including the soul, consciousness, and the relationship between mind and body. The lesson encourages personal reflection on these perspectives to enhance self-understanding.

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6 views

Lesson 1-THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

This document explores various philosophical perspectives on the concept of the self, featuring insights from philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Freud, Ryle, Churchland, and Merleau-Ponty. Each philosopher presents unique views on the nature of self, including the soul, consciousness, and the relationship between mind and body. The lesson encourages personal reflection on these perspectives to enhance self-understanding.

Uploaded by

cristydacara06
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Self from

Various
Perspectives
Module 1, Lesson 1: Philosophical Perspectives
of the Self
Understanding the Self
1st semester, SY 202-2025
Module 1:
Module 1, Lesson 1:
Philosophical Perspectives of the Self
Introduction
You have entered another phase of your life that
needs more focus and concentration. In this lesson,
you shall once and for all get in touch with yourself.
You will spend time reflecting on the issues that you
think are important to you. And to aid you in this
endeavor, you will seek the wisdom of Philosophers
like Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke,
Hume, Kant, Feud, Ryle, Churchland, and Merleau-
Ponty. They have all braved to answer the
question, “WHO AM I?” and you will learn with
them as you also attempt to answer the same
question.
Self
(Merriam-Webster)
noun
▪ An individual’s typical character or
behavior
▪ A person in prime condition
▪ The union of elements such as body,
emotions, thoughts, and sensations
that constitute the individuality and
identity of a person
▪ The entire person of an individual
Philos (love) + Sophia (wisdom) = “love of wisdom”
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Socrates – ancient Greek philosopher
▪ The most important thing in life is the state of an individual
soul.
▪ The essence of the self—the soul—is the immortal entity. The
soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and reason is the
soul’s tool
▪ Reality consists of two dichotomous realms: Physical realm
(body) – changing; Ideal realm (intellectual essences of the
universe) – unchanging, eternal
▪ “An unexamined life is not worth living.” The individual
person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he
becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself.
▪ Socratic method – introspection to gain self-knowledge
(“Know Thyself”)
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Plato – ancient Greek philosopher
▪ Self is synonymous with soul. Soul is indeed the most divine
aspect of the human being which has three parts
namely:
▪ appetitive (sensual – basic biological needs),
▪ rational (reasoning – enables us to think deeply, make
wise choices), and
▪ spirited (feeling – basic emotions).
▪ Theory of Forms – Asserted that physical world is not really
the “real” world because the ultimate reality exists
beyond the physical world. Since the soul is regarded as
something permanent, man should give more
importance to it than the physical body.
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ St. Augustine
▪ Self was an inner immaterial “I” that had self-knowledge and
self-awareness.
▪ He believed that the human being was both a soul and body,
and the body possessed senses such as imagination, memory,
reason and mind through which the soul experienced the
world.
▪ The body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to anticipate
living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with
God.
▪ God is transcendent and the self seeks to be united with God
through faith and reason.
▪ The goal of the human person is to attain this communion and
bliss with the Divine by living his life on earth in virtue.
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Rene Descartes - French philosopher – the father of
modern philosophy
▪ He wants to penetrate the nature of reasoning
process and understand its relationship to the
human self.
▪ “Cogito ergo sum”—I think, therefore, I am.
▪ The act of thinking about the self—of being self-
conscious—is in itself proof that there is a self.
▪ Theory of Rationalism - No rational person will doubt
his or her own existence as a conscious thinking
entity while we are aware of thinking about our
selves.
“I think, therefore, I am.”
or
“I am doubting, therefore, I am.”

Where do you think you are?


Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ John Locke - English philosopher
▪ The human mind at birth is tabula rasa or a blank slate
▪ Self is identified with consciousness and this self
consists of memory that the person existing now is the
same person yesterday because he/she remembers
the thoughts, experiences or actions of the earlier self.
▪ Self-consciousness is necessary to have a coherent
personal (self) identity or knowledge of the self as
person
▪ Empiricism - the origin of all knowledge is sense of
experience. These experiences shape and mold the
self throughout a person’s life.
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ David Hume - Scottish philosopher
▪ The self is not an entity over and beyond the physical
body.
▪ Self was nothing but a series of incoherent impressions
received by the senses. Did not believe in the
existence of self; perceptions are only active as long as
one is conscious.
▪ What people experience is just a bundle or collection
of different perceptions (Bundle Theory)
▪ Contents of experience – there are only two distinct
entities: Impressions (basic sensations of people’s
experience) and ideas (thoughts and images from
impressions)
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Immanuel Kant - German philosopher
▪ Human mind creates the structure of human
experience.
▪ The self is an organizing principle that makes a unified
and intelligible experience possible. The self constructs
its own reality, actively creating a world that is familiar,
predictable, and most significantly, mine.
▪ Two components of self:
a. Inner self - includes rational, intellect, and
psychological state such as moods, feelings, and
sensations, pleasures and pain.
b. Outer self - it includes your sense and the physical
world
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Sigmund Freud – Austrian psychoanalyst
▪ Levels of consciousness:
▪ a) Conscious - awareness of present perceptions,
feelings, thoughts, memories and fantasies at any
particular moment
▪ b) Pre-conscious/subconscious - related to data that
can readily be brought to consciousness
▪ c) Unconscious - refers to date retained but not easily
available to the individual’s conscious awareness or
scrutiny; contains the basic instinctual drives including
sexuality, aggressiveness, and self-destruction,
unfulfilled wishes and childhood fantasies
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Gilbert Ryle – British philosopher

▪ Individual’s actions define his/her own concept of self


▪ The self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the
tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a
certain way in certain circumstances
▪ The self is not an entity one can locate and analyze,
but simply the convenient name that people use to
refer to all the behaviors that people make.
▪ What truly matters is the behavior that a person
manifests in his day to day life.
▪ “I act, therefore, I am.”
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Paul Churchland – Canadian philosopher
▪ The self is inseparable from the brain and the
physiology of the body (eliminative materialism)
▪ The physical brain and not the imaginary mind
gives people the sense of self
▪ The mind does not really exist because it cannot
be experienced by the senses.
▪ Theory of Materialism - the belief that nothing but
matter exists
Different philosophical perspectives
in the explanation of self
▪ Maurice Merleau-Ponty – French philosopher
▪ Self as an embodied subjectivity. The mind and
body are intrinsically connected. Body is part of
the mind and the mind is part of the body.
▪ Consciousness, the world, and the human body
are intricately intertwined in perceiving the world.
▪ All knowledge about the self is based on the
“phenomena” of experience
▪ Perception is not merely a consequence of
sensory experience; rather, it is a conscious
experience.
Summary
▪ Socrates: every human possesses an immortal soul; “An unexamined life is not
worth living.”
▪ Plato: three aspects of the soul/self—appetitive, rational, and spirited
▪ Augustine: the self seeks to be united with God through faith and reason.
▪ Rene Descartes: the self as a thinking entity; “I think, therefore, I am.”
▪ John Locke: the origin of all knowledge is sense of experience
▪ David Hume: Self was nothing but a series of incoherent impressions received by
the senses. No self.
▪ Immanuel Kant: The self is an organizing principle; constructs its own reality
▪ Sigmund Freud: three levels of consciousness
▪ Gilbert Ryle: Individual’s actions define his/her own concept of self
▪ Paul Churchland: The self is inseparable from the brain. The brain gives people the
sense of self
▪ Maurice Merleau-Ponty: Self as an embodied subjectivity. Perception is conscious
experience.
Questions?
▪ Which among these philosophical views relates
to your own belief? Explain.

▪ How do these philosophical views impact your


self-understanding?
References
1. Alata, E.P., Caslib, B.N., Serafica J.J., and R.A. Paliwen (2018). Understanding
the Self. (1st Ed.). Rex Book Store, Inc.

2. Go-Monilla, M. J., & Ramirez, N. C. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E


Publishing.
Thank you! ☺

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