Unit 2:

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS

PERSPECTIVES

EXCERPTED & COMPILED BY:

BRO. CARLOS B. DAVID O.P.

 Learning Outcomes
1. Analyze the effects of various factors identified in
psychology in the formation of the "self".
2. Create your own definition of the "self" based on the
definitions from psychology; and
3. Evaluate the different ideas in psychology about the
"self".
 INTRODUCTION
Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines simply because all
fields of study began as philosophical discourses. Philosophy employs the
inquisitive mind to discover the ultimate causes, reasons, and principles of
everything.
It goes beyond scientific investigation by exploring all areas of knowledge
such as religion, psychology, politics, physics and even medicine.
Hence, the etymological definition of philosophy “love of wisdom” could
pertain to the desire for truth by formulating never ending questions
to provide answers to every inquiry about the nature of human existence.
 Introduction cont’d
The nature of the self is a topic of interest among philosophers.
Different philosophers introduced specific characteristics and meanings of the
self, which, overtime, transformed from pure abstractions to explanations that
hold scientific proofs.
This module presents an overview of the philosophical perspective of the self to
give a wider viewpoint in understanding the self.
The different views of prominent philosophers regarding the nature of the
self will be discussed here.
 Empiricism and Rationalism
The philosophy of the self has been defined through two distinct approaches:
Empiricism and Rationalism.
In empiricism, there is no such thing as innate knowledge; Instead, knowledge is
derived from experience― either perceived with the five senses or processed with
the brain. One knows things because he or she has experienced it through
sensory and bodily experiences.
On the other hand, rationalism argues that there is innate knowledge;
.
Empiricism and Rationalism cont’d
However, there are different sources of innate knowledge.
Rationalism explains self from the standpoint of what is “ideal” and
“true”, and not rooted in what is felt by the senses or body.
Conclusions are derived through logic and reasoning.
Some philosophers applied empirical views of the self, while—
others used the rational approach.
The Philosophical perspective of ‘understanding the self’
Prominent philosophers have different views regarding the nature of
the self. The ancient philosophers explained the self from their
conceptual understanding of the world since scientific evidence was
hard to obtain due to lack of measures.
Meanwhile, contemporary philosophers have incorporated science to
their theories in the light of the technological advancements they
have been exposed to.
 SOCRATES
Socrates was a Greek philosopher who believed that
philosophy had a very important role to play in the
lives of the people. One of his most quoted phrases
is, “The unexamined life is not worth living”.
According to Socrates, self-knowledge or the
examination of one’s self, as well as the question about how
one ought to live one’s life, are very important concerns
because only by knowing your self can you hope to
improve your life.
 SOCRATES cont’d
Socrates suggested that the self consists of two dichotomous realms:
* physical, and
* ideal realms.
The physical realm is changeable, transient and imperfect. The ideal
realm is unchanging, eternal, and immortal.
The physical world in which we live belongs to the physical realm.
For Socrates, our body belongs to the physical realm while the soul
belongs to the ideal realm.
 SOCRATES cont’d
Socrates explains that 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
to achieve this dignified state.
Socrates suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of
purpose and value.
The individual person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he
becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be achieved
through ncessant soul-searching. Self-knowledge is the ultimate virtue.
 SOCRATES cont’d
Socrates explains that 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 to achieve this dignified state. Socrates
suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of purpose
and value. The individual person can have a meaningful and happy
life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that
can be achieved through incessant soul-searching. Self-knowledge is
the ultimate virtue.
 PLATO CONT’D
Plato was the student of Socrates who also believed that the
self is synonymous with the soul.
Plato elaborated the concept of the soul; specifically he
introduced the idea ofa three-part soul:
Reason,
Physical appetite, and
Spirit or passion
 PLATO cont’d

⮚ Reason is the divine essence that enables us to think

deeply, make wise choices and achieve a true understanding
of eternal truths.
⮚ Physical appetite includes our basic biological needs
such as hunger, thirst and sexual desires.
⮚ Spirit or passion includes basic emotions such as love,
anger, empathy
 PLATO cont’d
These three elements are in a dynamic relationship with one another,
sometimes in conflict.
When conflict occurs, Plato believes it is the responsibility of our
Reason to sort things out and exert control, restoring
harmonious relationships among the three elements.
Further, Plato believed that genuine happiness can only be achieved
by people who consistently make sure that their Reason is in control
of their Spirit and Appetite.
 PLATO cont’d
He also added that the soul has three components:
a] rational soul;
b] spiritual soul; and
c] appetitive soul.
The republic – he emphasizes that justice in the human person can only
be attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with
one another. The rational soul forged/ copied by reason and intellect
that govern the affairs of the human person; the spiritual soul which in
charge of emotions; and appetitive soul in charge of base desires.
 PLATO cont’d
Therefore, when this ideal state is attained, the human person’s soul
becomes just and virtues. To make it simple, a man was omniscient
before he came to be born into this world. In practical terms, this
means that man in this life should imitate his former self; he should
live a life of virtue in which true human perfection exists.
“Love in fact is one of the links between the sensible and the eternal
world.” - Plato
 Rene Descartes
Cogito, ergo sum/ I think, therefore I am
He conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind. He
claims that there is so much that we should doubt since much of what
we think and believe is not infallible, they may turn out to be false.

Rene thought that the only thing that one cannot doubt is the
existence of the self, for even if one doubts oneself, that only proves
that there is a doubting self, a thing that thinks and therefore, that
cannot be doubted
 Rene Descartes cont’d
The self then for Rene is also a combination of two distinct entities,
the COGITO, the thing that thinks, which is the mind, and the
EXTENZA of the mind, which is the body, i.e. like a machine that is
attached to the mind.
The human person has the body but it is not what makes a man a
man. If at all, that is the mind. Descartes: says: “What then am I? A
thinking thing, that doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills,
refuses; that imagines also and perceives
 Rene Descartes con
To sum, although the mind and the body are independent of
each other and serve their own function, man must use his
own mind and thinking abilities to investigate, analyze,
experiment, and develop himself.
 David Hume: the self is the bundle theory of mind
Hume is an empiricist who believes that one can know only through
the senses and experiences. Example: Ana knows that Lenard is a man
not because she has seen his soul. Ana knows Lenard just like her
because she sees him, hears him, and touches him.
 David Hume cont’d
Hume posits that self is nothing else but a bundle of impressions.
What are impressions?
For Hume, they can all be categorized into two: impressions and
ideas.
The first one is the basic objects of our experience or sensation.
So, it forms the core of our thoughts. Through the senses and
experiences.
Example: when one touches fire, the hotness sensation is an
impression which is the direct experience.
 David Hume cont’d
…..On the contrary, Ideas are copies of our impressions. Because of
this, they are not as lively and clear as our impressions.
Example: the feeling of being in love for the first time, that ,–is an
idea.
According to Hume, the self is a bundle or collection of various
perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity,
and are in a perpetual flux and movement.
Thus, the self is simply a collection of all experiences with a particular
being.
 Immanuel Kant: Respect for self
Every man is thus an end in himself and should never be treated
merely as a means – as per the order of the Creator and the natural
order of things.
To Kant, there is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions
that men get from the external world.
Time and Space are ideas that one cannot find in the world but built-
in our human mind.
Kant calls these the apparatuses of the mind.
 Immanuel Kant: cont’d
Along with the different apparatuses of the mind goes the self.
Without the self, one cannot organize the different impressions that
one gets in relation to his own existence.
Thus, the self is not just what gives one his personality.
It is also the seat of knowledge acquisition for all human persons
 Gilbert Ryle: The Mind-Body Dichotomy
For Ryle, what truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in
his day-to-day life.
For him, looking for and trying to understand the self as it really
exists is like visiting your friends‟ university and looking for the
“university.”
Ryle says that 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.
 Merleau Ponty: Phenomenologist
He insisted that body and mind are so intertwined from one another.
One cannot find any experience that is not an embodied experience.
All experience is embodied.
One’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world. Because
men are in the world.
For him, the Cartesian problem is nothing but plain misunderstanding.
The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one.
 The Christian or Biblical view of Self
The Holy Bible
“God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and
female He created them.
God blessed them, saying, „Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds in the air, and all the living
things that move on the earth.” Gen. 1:24-28

Thus, it is appropriate to think of the self as the “multi-bejeweled crown of

creation –the many gems thereof representing and radiating the glorious facets of
man’s self that include the physical, intellectual, moral, religious, social, political,
economic, emotional, sentient, aesthetic, sensual, and sexual aspects.
 
 St. Augustine: Love and justice as the
foundation of the individual self
Augustine’s view of the human person reflects the entire spirit of the
medieval world when it comes to man. He combined the platonic ideas
into Christianity perspective.

Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated/dual nature. An aspect of

man dwells in the world and is imperfect and continuously years to be
with the Divine and the other is capable of reaching immortality.
 St. Augustine cont’d
The body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to
anticipate living eternally in communion with God.
 
He believes that a virtuous life is the dynamism of love.

Loving God means loving one’s fellowmen; and loving one’s

fellowmen denotes never doing any harm to another .
 Thomas Aquinas: Angelic doctor
Adapting some ideas from Aristotle, Aquinas
  said that indeed, man is composed of
two parts: matter and form. Matter/hyle refers to the common stuff that makes up
everything in the universe. Forms/morphe refers to the essence of the substance of
things. It is what makes it what it is.

In the case of the human person, the body of the human person is something
that he shares even with animals.

What makes a human person a human person is his essence.

Like Aristotle, the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us humans.
 The Psychological View of Self
Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalytic theory of self

Freud asserted that the human psyche [personality] is structured into

3 parts. These structures are–
a. ID [internal desires],
b. EGO [reality], and
c. SUPEREGO [conscience]
– all develop at different stages in a person’s‟ life.
 Sigmund Freud cont’d

Freud also argues that the development of an individual can

be divided into distinct stages characterized by sexual drives.
As the person grows, certain areas become sources of
pleasure, frustration, or both. Freudian stages of
psychosexual development: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and
genital.
 
 Erik Erikson: Psychosocial Stages of Self-development
He primarily was concerned with how both
psychological and social factors affect the
development of individuals.
He formulated 8 major stages of development, each
posing a unique developmental task and
simultaneously presenting the individual with a crisis
that s/he must overcome.
 END OF THE LESSON …..
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