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    Andryalei Fernandez Escaño
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    1) Many philosophers have explored different perspectives on the self, with views ranging from the self as a non-physical soul or mind to the self simply being a collection of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 2) Early philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Augustine viewed the self as comprising both a physical body and a non-physical soul or essence that transcends the body. In contrast, later empiricists like Locke, Hume, and the Churchlands argued that all knowledge comes from sensory experiences and there may be no distinct self beyond these experiences. 3) Twentieth century philosophers continued debating the relationship between the physical and non-physical aspects of human identity, with perspectives

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    1) Many philosophers have explored different perspectives on the self, with views ranging from the self as a non-physical soul or mind to the self simply being a collection of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 2) Early philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Augustine viewed the self as comprising both a physical body and a non-physical soul or essence that transcends the body. In contrast, later empiricists like Locke, Hume, and the Churchlands argued that all knowledge comes from sensory experiences and there may be no distinct self beyond these experiences. 3) Twentieth century philosophers continued debating the relationship between the physical and non-physical aspects of human identity, with perspectives

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    76 views3 pages

    Understanding The Self

    Uploaded by

    Andryalei Fernandez Escaño
    1) Many philosophers have explored different perspectives on the self, with views ranging from the self as a non-physical soul or mind to the self simply being a collection of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. 2) Early philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Augustine viewed the self as comprising both a physical body and a non-physical soul or essence that transcends the body. In contrast, later empiricists like Locke, Hume, and the Churchlands argued that all knowledge comes from sensory experiences and there may be no distinct self beyond these experiences. 3) Twentieth century philosophers continued debating the relationship between the physical and non-physical aspects of human identity, with perspectives

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    of 3

    CHAPTER 1

    THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

    SOCRATES - FATHER OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY


    SOCRATIC METHOD – ask question and discuss possible answers.
    SOUL – is the person’s core identity, his/her unique spirit that makes one distinct.
     Socrates also believes on the dualism of reality, that the nature of man is
    comprising with the a Body which is imperfect and changeable and Soul that is
    perfect and unchanging.
     “Know thyself”- inscribed on the frontispiece of the Temple of Delphi. This
    assertion, imperative in the form, indicates that man must stand and live
    according his nature.
     “The unexamined life is not worth  living”.
    PLATO - -Greek Philosopher
     He also believed that man is composed of body and soul.  Soul exists before birth
    after death.
     Soul is composed of 3 parts.
     TRI-PARTITE 
    SOUL

    REASON (mind/ nous)

    SPIRIT (honor, emotion) APPETITE (desir

    REASON -0ur divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise choices,
    and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths.
    PHYSICAL APPETITE -our basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual
    desire.
    SPIRIT or PASSION -our basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition,
    aggressiveness, and empathy
    SAINT AUGUSTINE- Christian Theologian
     Human self is an immaterial soul that can think.
     After the death of the souls of those who most love the forms would rise to
    contemplate the eternal truths.
     Emphasized the importance of the will, the ability
    to choose between good and evil.
     The fundamental religious duty is to love and serve God.

    RENE DESCARTES-founder of modern Philosophy


     There is an essential distinction between mind (soul) and body.
     “I think, therefore I am”
     The first thing a person can be certain is his own existence.
     “I”-Archetypal proponent of the rationalist view of knowledge
     “We need reason in order to evaluate our thoughts and actions.”
     Triadic Existence : a mind in a body in the world.
     He believed that being human starts with the self.
     Knowledge is a product of the rational mind.
     Mind and body interact, but they are separate.

    JOHN LOCKE-British philosopher and physician


     Archetypal advocate of the empiricist view of knowledge
     Believed that humans by nature are good.
     People are naturally reasonable and moral.
     Behavior is learned, people are either influenced to do good or bad.
     “We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral
    character from those who are around us”.
    RATIONALIST
     The view that reason is the primary source of all knowledge and that only our
    reasoning abilities can enable us to understand sense experience and reach
    accurate conclusions.
    EMPIRICIST
     The view that sense experience is the primary source of all knowledge and that
    only a careful attention to sense experience can enable us to understand the
    world and achieve accurate conclusions.
      SIGMUND FREUD --Austrian neurologist/psychologist
     The mental Iceberg
     Though conscious self also has important role to play in our lives, it is
    the unconscious self that holds the greatest fascination that has the dominant
    influence in our personalities.
    UNCONSCIOUS-is defined as a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories
    that outside of conscious awareness.
     Freud believed that the unconscious continues to influence behavior even though
    people are unaware of these underlying influences.
     “Pleasure Principle”
    CONSCIOUS-The conscious mind involves all of the things that you are currently
    aware of and thinking about. It is somewhat akin to short-term memory and is limited
    in terms of capacity. Your awareness of yourself and the world around you are part
    of your consciousness.
     “Reality Principle”
    DAVID HUME-Scottish philosopher and historian
     He claimed that there cannot be a persisting idea of the self.
     All ideas are derived form expressions Impressions are subjective ,
    temporary, provisional, prejudicial and even skewed – and therefore cannot be
    persisting.
     Impression – direct experience
     Ideas - imagination
     As long as we only derive our knowledge from sense impressions, there
    will never be the “self”.
     All we know about ourselves are just bundles of temporary impressions.
     Hume harshly claimed that there IS no self.
    IMMANUEL KANT--Prussian metaphysicist
     “Self is always transcendental” 
     He calls his philosophy the Transcendental Unity of Apperception.
     Being or the self is not in the body, it is outside the body and even outside the
    qualities of the body – meaning transcendent.
     Our rationality unifies and makes sense the perceptions we have in our
    experiences and make sensible ideas about ourselves and the world.
    GILBERT RYLE-British philosopher
     Proposed his positive view in his “Concept of the Mind”.
     He said that the thinking I will never be found because it is just a “ghost in
    the machine”. It means he finds the philosophy of Descartes totally absurd.
     The mind is never separate from the body. He proposed that physical
    actions or behaviors are dispositions of the self.
     Mind will depend on how words are being told and expressed and delivered.
     All the manifestations in physical activities or behavior are dispositions of the
    self, the basis of the statement; “I act therefore I am” or “ You are what you
    do”
    PAUL and PATRICIA CHURCH LAND-“Eliminative materialism” 
     it brings forth neuroscience into the fore of understanding the self.
     sees the failure of folk psychology in explaining basic concepts such as sleep,
    learning, mental illness and the like.
    MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY-French philosopher
     Everything that people are aware of is contained within the consciousness.
    Consciousness is a dynamic form responsible for actively structuring conscious
    ideas and physical behavior.
     “Phenomenology of Perception” 
     Gestalt psychology and neurology understand the laws behind the ability to
    acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions in an apparently chaotic world
    THREE DIMENSIONS
     Empiricist take on perception
    empiricism –theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience.
     Idealist –intellectual alternative idealist-  envisions an ideal world rather than
    the real one.
     Synthesis of both positions

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