Self from Various Perspectives According to him, an individual, defined by

the capacity to will and think, acquires virtue

– Philosophical Perspective
through knowledge, while ignorance is
deemed a vice. Central to his philosophy is
You may be asking yourself: why is it the idea that discovering the truth,
essential to understand the ancient particularly the truth about leading a
philosophical perspectives about the self? virtuous life, empowers individuals to act
Shouldn’t we focus on what the most recent rightly. Socrates asserted that acknowledging
information says about it? one's ignorance marks the initial step toward
wisdom. He posited that moral virtue is
Although it’s true that we’ve come a integral to an ideal life, emphasizing that
long way from the ancients, it is still from the "happiness" remains elusive without moral
ancients that we have based many of our excellence. The commission of wrongdoing,
subsequent perspectives from, and he argued, stems from a lack of
developing an appreciation for what they’ve understanding rather than malevolence. Self-
established is critical towards appreciating awareness, Socrates contended, transcends
everything else that follows. The Ancient quantifiable facts; it is an essential
Greeks were among the first to seriously imperative, a prerequisite to recognizing
question myths and move away from them in one's limits, determining what one can and
attempting to understand reality and cannot do.
respond to perennial questions of curiosity,
including the question about the nature of "Anything excessive is not good." Thus,
the self. From this, philosophy was born. Socrates says we should strike a balance of
things.

What is Philosophy?  Too much power may lead to abuse.

According to the Oxford Dictionary,
 Too many friends may decrease the
phi·los·o·phy (fəˈläsəfē) "is the studying of
quality of relationships.
the fundamental nature surrounding
knowledge, reality, and existence,  Too many problems may result in
particularly in the context of it being an depression.
academic discipline." It was also derived
 Too much knowledge may make one
from the Greek words "philos," which
think that there is nothing else to
means love, and "sophia," which means
learn.
wisdom. Thus, philosophy means a "love of
wisdom." "Philosophy is the study of In a nutshell:
general and fundamental problems
concerning existence, values, knowledge, 1. "Knowledge is the personification of
mind, and language." It is also known as the good, while ignorance is that of evil."
characteristic of the self that determines its 2. Self-knowledge is the ultimate virtue.
identity.
Famous Philosophers Who Answered 2. PLATO (427-347 B.C.)
the Question "Who am I?" "THE IDEAL SELF, THE PERFECT SELF"
1. SOCRATES (470–399 B.C.) Devoted himself to the pursuit of
Known for the dictum "KNOW THYSELF." philosophy and science

Hailed as the preeminent philosopher He is one of the world's most well-

in Western civilization, he stands among the known and widely read and studied
thinkers who wielded the most profound philosophers. He was a student of Socrates
influence on European thought. Socrates and subsequent teacher of Aristotle, and he
advocated for a method of problem-solving lived halfway through the fourth century
that involves uncovering our true nature. B.C.E. in ancient Greece.
Psyche  known as "the great formulator of
"The examination of the self as a the Christian doctrine."
unique experience." The experience is
called psyche, which is composed of the
VIEWS:
following three elements:
 The development of the self is
 Appetitive – desires, pleasures,
achieved through self-presentation
physical satisfaction, and comfort.
and self-realization.
 Spirited – is excited when given
 Man is the perfect unity of
challenges, fights back when agitated,
the body and soul, that the material
or fights for justice when unjust
body that belongs to the physical
practices are evident; the hot-blooded
world and a soul that can know God.
part of the psyche.
 A virtuous life is the dynamism of love
 Mind – superior of all elements. The
that is a constant following of and
"nous"-conscious awareness of the
turning toward love (God), while a
self that controls affairs of the self.
wicked life is a continual turning away
In a nutshell: from love. The golden rule applies to
this situation.
1. "Moral virtue is rooted in the intellect
and leads to happiness."  Men's end goal is happiness.
2. Wisdom and knowledge lead to virtue,  Only God can man attain true and
which in turn will lead to happiness. eternal happiness.
 Christianity is the full true philosophy.
3. S.T. AUGUSTINE (354-430 A.D.) It is the complete "revelation of the
"LOVE AND JUSTICE AS THE true God."
FOUNDATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL SELF"
 "Human beings alone, without God,
He was born in Tagaste, North are bound to fail."
Africa. He was not a former Christian before
In a nutshell:
becoming a saint.
1. All knowledge leads to God; thus, faith
"Late Have I Found You"
enlightens reason.
 baptized into the Catholic Church in
2. Only the pure in heart can see God.
answer to his mother's prayers
3. "Love of God, faith in Him, and
 dedicated his Christian life to the
understanding His Gospel will
pursuit of contemplative ideals
ultimately lead to happiness."
 practiced extreme self-denial and self-
mortification.
4. RENE DESCARTES
"COGITO, ERGO SUM"
"My Heart Is Restless Until It Finds Rest ("I Think, Therefore I Am." Or "I Doubt;
in You" therefore I Exist.")
 became a priest then bishop of Hippo  A mathematician to whom the
coordinate system of the Cartesian
 awarded the title, Doctor of the
plane is attributed.
Church, being a defender of the
church  Also known for his contribution to
analytic geometry and algebra.
  Also known as the Father of Modern  Our concept of personal identity must
Philosophy. be derived from inner experience. It is
the experience that creates personal
VIEWS:
identity.
 The self is a thinking entity that is
distinct from the body. Man must use
6. DAVID HUME
his mind and thinking abilities to
"THE SELF IS THE BUNDLE THEORY OF
investigate, analyze, experiment, and
MIND"
develop himself.
A Scottish philosopher and historian
 We cannot rely on our senses because
the perceptions of our senses can VIEWS:
often deceive us.
 All knowledge is derived from the
 Only after the certainty of the senses. The impressions that we
"doubting I" can all the other create are more superior to our ideas
existences (e.g., God and things) because ideas come after impressions.
become certain.
 All we know about ourselves are only
 Everything, such as our existence, our bundles or collections of different
religion, world, and special someone, temporary impressions or perceptions.
must be subjected to doubt. Nothing is
 This idea supports the difficulty of
certain in this world as long as it
answering the question, "Who am I,"
passes our senses.
because what we can readily answer
In a nutshell: are impressions, such as names, skills,
affiliations, and achievements. All
1. "The mind and soul are able to exist
these impressions are temporary and
without the body."
nonpersistent.
2. "Establishing the distinction of the soul
 There is no self. Meaning, man has no
from the body can make people
clear and intangible idea of the self,
believe in the afterlife as well as the
and no single impression of the self
soul's immortality."
exists.
In a nutshell:
5. JOHN LOCKE
"THEORY OF PERSONAL IDENTITY" 1. All knowledge passes through the
senses.
A British philosopher and politician.
2. No single impression of the self exists.
VIEWS:
 Self is comparable to space where
7. IMMANUEL KANT
everyday experiences contribute to
"RESPECT FOR SELF"
the pile of knowledge in that space.
"Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is a
 Therefore, experience is an essential
central figure when it comes to modern
requirement to have sensitive data,
philosophy. He was responsible for
which eventually becomes sense
synthesizing early modern rationalism and
perception through a process of
empiricism, set the terms for a large portion
reflection and analysis.
of 19th- and 20th-century philosophy, and
 Locke believed that our theories must continued to exercise significant influence
be built on experience. today in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics,
political philosophy, aesthetics, and other
fields." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy,
2020) (Immanuel Kant. Stanford  The mind will depend on how words
Encyclopedia of are being told, expressed, and
Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ delivered.
kant/)
 Physical actions or behavior are the
VIEWS: dispositions of the self that are derived
from our innate private experiences.
 Man is the only creature who governs
and directs himself; his actions are an Understand the self-based on the
end for himself and his purpose. He external manifestations, such as behavior
freely orders the means for attaining and desires. Hence, the mind is nothing but a
his aims. disposition of the self.
 Every man is thus an end in himself
and should be treated as a means, 9. MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
that is, a straightforward dictum "PHENOMENOLOGY OF PERCEPTIONS"
reason and justice: respect others as
Ponty is a French philosopher who is
you respect yourself.
associated with existentialism. Existentialism
 A person should not be used as a tool, is a tradition of philosophical inquiry and
instrument, or device to accomplish discourse that delves into the nature of
another's ends or aims. Treat everyone existence by emphasizing the human
equally. subject's experience, not only the thinking
subject but the acting, feeling, and living
Our rationality unifies and makes
individual.
sense of the perceptions we have in our
experiences and make sensible ideas about VIEWS:
ourselves and the world.
 He rejected classical empiricism
In a nutshell: because it eliminates the
indeterminate complexities of
1. Reasons are the final authority of
experience that may affect perception.
morality.
 He rejected the idealist–intellectual
2. The inner self includes rational
position because it will only falsify
reasoning and psychological state,
perception based on one's biases and
while the outer self consists of the
prejudices.
body and physical mind, where
representation occurs.  Empiricism and intellectualism are
flawed in nature.
8. GILBERT RYLE  He believed that "the physical body is
"I ACT, THEREFORE I Am" or "YOU ARE what makes up the subjective self.
WHAT YOU DO.
 Self and perception are encompassed
 A British philosopher proposed his in the physical body.
positive view in his "Concept of the
 We are bodies. Our bodily experiences
mind," which is a stern critique of
do not detach the subject/object,
Descartes's dualism of the mind and
mind/body, and rational/irrational."
body.
VIEWS:
10. PAUL and PATRICIA CHURCHLAND
 The mind is never separate from the "THE SELF AS THE BRAIN"
body. Dualism is a category of
 Understanding the self
mistake.
  Eliminative materialism claims that
people's common sense
understanding of the mind is false and
that some classes of mental states
that most people believe in do not
exist. It is a materialist position within
the philosophy of mind.
VIEWS:
 "These philosophical and psychological
directions will eventually be
abandoned only to be replaced by a
more acceptable neuroscience trend
that explains how the brain works."
Folk psychology will be replaced by
neurobiology. As the Christian Church wanted
to predict, when people wanted to ask about
what is going on with themselves, they would
go for an M.R.I. or C.T. scan to understand
the brain's present condition and how it
currently works.
In a nutshell:
1. A fully matured neuroscience will
eliminate beliefs because "they are
not real."
2. The physical brain gives us a sense of
self.