What is philosophy? 6.
John Locke: The Self is Consciousness
7. David Hume: There is No Self
- The composite roots of Philosophy, philein and 8. Immanuel Kant: We Construct the Self
sophia, literally mean “love (or pursuit) of 9. Sigmund Freud: The Self is Multilayered
wisdom.” 10. Gilbert Ryle: The Self is the Way People Behave
- philosophy can be viewed as wonder, a dynamic 11. Paul Churchland: The Self is the Brain
process, truth, and wisdom. 12. Maurice Merleau-Ponty: The Self is Embodied
- “mother of all disciplines” Subjectivity
- Skepticism– Doubt -evidence beyond claims. To
be doubtful is to be unsure about something. Socrates: I am a physical body and an immortal soul.
You have reasons to make you think that After my body dies, my soul will continue to exist. This is
something isn't true or that something won't dualism. The belief that there are two realms. One
happen. physical and one perfect.
- Suspicious– Doubt -they lie. To be suspicious is Plato: He expands on Socrates dualism
to be cautious of placing trusting something or
someone—to suspect that something isn't right - Appetite is our basic biological needs, like
and that something or someone isn't trustworthy hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.
- - Spirit is our basic emotions like love or anger.
- Reason is what makes us think deeply and make
The Major Branches of Philosophy are:
wise choices.
Metaphysics is the study of reality, or the “what” there is.
Augustine: The “perfect realm” described by Socrates and
Does God exist? Is there an after-life? Why does anything
Plato is simply Heaven. Everything else is the same.
even exist at all?
Augustine said, “The body is united with the soul, so that
Epistemology is the study of knowledge, the “what” can man be entire and complete…”
be known and the “how” we can know about it. What is
Descartes: I am a “thinking thing”. Descartes explored
truth? Can we ever know anything?
reasoning and how it relates to the self. Descartes
Ethics is the study of moral values and principles. What is famously claimed, “I think, therefore I am.” To be able to
good? What is evil? How should we treat other people? understand yourself, you have to be conscious of mental
processes. The Father of Modern Philosophy
Aesthetics is the study of beauty, art, and taste. Is there
true beauty? Or does beauty only exist to the eye of the John Locke: The self is consciousness. The Father of
beholder? Modern Liberalism
Logic is the study of reasoning itself, like forms of - Personal identity is what it means to be a
argument and logical principles. What are the logical person; a person is a thinking, intelligent being
principles of correct reasoning? who has the abilities to reason and to reflect; a
person is also someone who considers itself to
be the same thing in different times and place;
Philosophical quest - Consciousness is being aware that we are
thinking, and is what makes possible our belief
-aimed at unraveling who man is and his nature by that we are the same identity in different times
looking, not just on the everyday goals of man, but to and places.
determine what ultimately is man, his goals and his
essence. David Hume: (lawyer) I do not have a self. The self is only
observed with perceptions. Therefore, we can never find
Self the self, there is no self.
-to explore what it is to know, to believe, to think, to be - Empiricist- regarded as the senses as key
conscious. source of knowledge
- Impression- things we perceive through our
1. Socrates: The Self is an Immortal Soul
senses as we experience them
2. Plato: The Self is an Immortal Soul
3. Aristotle: The Soul is the Essence of the Self - Ideas- things we create in our mind
4. St. Augustine: The Self has an Immortal Soul Immanuel Kant: We construct the self. Kant asserted that
5. Rene Descartes: I Think therefore I am “unity of consciousness” describes the thoughts and
perceptions of any given mind bound together in a unity ANTHROPOLOGY- the inclusive study of human race, its
by being all contained in one consciousness - my culture and society and its physical development.
consciousness. The self is an organizing principle. Understanding of man in light of its cultural context.
Believes that man is a free agent, capable of making
decisions for himself. SOCIOLOGY- the scientific study of human life whose
subject matter is our own behavior as social beings in
Sigmund Freud: The self is multilayered. “The ego is not relationship with many other people. Digs into
the master in its house.” understanding the self in reference to the behavior of the
society.
Topographical Model
NORMS- are what dictates our behavior in the society
- Conscious is everything we are aware of.
- Preconscious is everything that we could be SOCIOLOGICAL CONCEPT- culture defines a group’s
aware of. way of life o way of living.
- Unconscious is everything else that is mental.
MATERIAL CULTURE- consists of human technology- all
Structural Model (to describe the functions of the things that people make and use. It is technological
consciousness) advances that humanity was able to make.
- Id is the primitive and instinctual part of the mind Ferrante (2011)
that contains sexual and aggressive drives and - NON-MATERIAL CULTURE- inclusive of the
hidden memories
intangible human creations that include beliefs,
- Ego is the realistic part that mediates between values, norms and symbols, helps shape our
the desires of the id and the super-ego. perspective of the society, ourselves and
- Super-ego operates as a moral conscience material world.
Gilbert Ryle: The self is how you behave. Ryle believes MEAD’S DEVELOPMENT STAGES OF THE SELF
that “the mind is a concept that expresses the entire
system of thoughts, emotions, actions, and so on that - The individual sees himself as the focus of
make up the human self.” everything until such time that the self emerges
because of the influence of those who play a
Paul Churchland: The self is part of neuroscience. prominent role in their self-development.
Churchland promotes eliminative materialism. This is a - “generalized other”- are those individuals who
theory that what we believe is just “folk psychology” and is
are most important in the development of the
not really the case.
self.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty: “we know not through our - Three level of stages
intellect but through our experience.” The self is based on PREPARATORY STAGE- the child imitates the
phenomena of experience. “Consciousness is a dynamic behavior of others.
form responsible for actively structuring our conscious PLAY STAGE- the child begins to formulate role
ideas and physical behavior” expectations
GAME STAGE- the child learns there are rules
specify the proper and correct relationship
PHYSICAL SELF-Changeable, transient and imperfect among others
IDEAL SELF - Unchanging, eternal and immortal GEERTZ and His Concept of the Self as an Unfinished
Animal
THE SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
- Elucidated that culture should not be seen as a
SIR EDWARD B TYLOR complex behavioral pattern but as a set of
control mechanism- engineered programs in
- CULTURE- complex whole which includes directing human behavior. Blatantly describe
beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs and any other man as an unfinished animal.
capabilities and habits acquired by a human as a - The importance of culture is to guide the self to
member of society. A significant factor in the act on the basis of what the society dictates as
continuity of a society. good.
THE SELF IN THE WESTERN AND ORIENTAL 5. Values
THOUGHT 6. Goals
7. Social roles
-SELF-CONSTRUCTION is a form of cultural activity 8. Own observation
-INDIVIDUALISTIC/ INDEPENDENT VIEW OF SELF. 9. Feedback from others
-sees an individual as a separate entity the community
based on his own logic and disengaged from the social REAL AND IDEAL SELF
matrix
-COLLECTIVISTIC/ INTERDEPENDENT VIEW OF THE IDEAL SELF- person we want to be, idealized
SELF version of our self, how I should be
-a person who sees himself as an integral part of the REAL SELF- who you actually are, how I see me,
communal group. His decisions are always inclined to also called “actual self”
include his social sphere. CONGRUENCE- or alignment, self-concept meshes
THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF THE MODERN WORLD well with the actual experience. There is a small gap
btwn real and ideal self.
-CULTURE is dynamic, the self has to keep up with the INCONGRUENCE- or misalignment, self-concept
ever-changing world does not meshes well with the actual experience.
-the self, as a social construct becomes a product of the There is a huge gap btwn real and ideal self.
modern society.
-TECHNOLOGIES OF SOCIAL SATURATION SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-EFFICACY
-become vital in the transformation of the social world. SELF-ESTEEM- refers to one’s overall assessment
THE SELFIE GENERATION AS CULTURE CREATORS of one’s worth as a person
-GENERATION Z (1995-2010) known as a passive user SELF-EFFICACY- refers to how we value ourselves
of culture. and perceive our worth as a person, is how one
-CROSS-CULTURAL GEN Z- define cultural identity in performs. Directly correlated to self-esteem.
basically diverse means, an exact opposite from the SELF AWARENES- is essential in taking care of our
generations who came before them. psychological self.
-their self presentation revolves around the virtual world
including their identity and self-construct
THE SELF AS REFLECTED IN THE COLLECTIVIST
TEACHING OF CONFUCIUS
-CONFUCIANISM- a system of social and ethical
philosophy rather a religion. A social philosophy,
delineating the very core of human relationships with the
goal of physical growth.
-SELF- entails the participation of the other members in
the society.
-SYMBIOSIS- selfhood and otherness is the concept of
self as a dynamic process of spiritual development
CHAPTER 3: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SELF:
MY FAVORITE MYSTERY
SELF/SELFCONCEPT
-is an organized, consistent set of perceptions and beliefs
about oneself
-SELF-SCHEMAS- perceptions and beliefs that comprise
our self-concept
Factors/Self-Schemas:
1. Past Experience
2. Personality traits
3. Abilities
4. Physical features
