UTS REVIEWER
Philosophy – originates from two Greek words ‘‘Philos’’ means beloved and ‘‘Sophia’’
means wisdom.
it is the way of thinking about anything in the word or universe.
Socrates – the soul is immortal
Believed to be the first thinker to focus on the full power of reason on the
human self – our existence in the universe, who we are, who we should be and
whom we will become.
The self exists in two parts, Physical Body and Soul
There was a soul first before a man’s body. The soul has all knowledge that is
stored in the mind. However, once he came to the material world or the world of
senses he forgot most of what he knew.
‘‘An unexamined life is not worth living’’
Plato – the soul is immortal
Is a dualist, there is a both an immaterial mind (soul) and a material body. And the
soul represent the self.
He believed the soul exists before birth and after death.
One should care about his soul rather than his body.
‘‘The First and best victory is to conquer self’’
– The soul is divided in three parts
1. Reason – our divine existence
2. Physical Appetite – biological needs
3. Will or Spirit – basic emotion
St. Augustine – Christianity
Man is created in the image and likeness of God.
He is essentially a soul whose goal is to be with god. Sense of self is his relation to
god.
‘‘Accepting God is the path to know thyself.’’
Rene Descartes – A Modern Perspective on the Self
Founder of modern philosophy.
I exist because I think: I think therefore I exist.
The mind is what matters, our physical body is secondary to our personal identity.
The thinking self or soul is immortal and the physical body is mortal.
‘‘I think, Therefore I am.’’
John Locke – The Self is Consciousness
Mind is Tabula rasa (Blank State)
Theorized that we are the same person as we were in the past for as long as we can
remember memories from that past.
Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to
understanding the self.
David Hume – There is No Self
The source of all genuine knowledge is our direct sense experience.
Believes in the existence of the mind and what’s inside the mind is divided into
two, Impression and Ideas.
The self keeps on changing. ‘‘I’’ will constantly be changing because of
experience, Therefore there is no permanent self. There is no self.
Immanuel Kant – We Construct the Self
Refutes Hume’s theory that there is no ‘‘self’’
Man is a free agent capable of making decision for himself.
Man is gifted with reason and free will to enable him to organize the data gathered
by the senses. From there we can built an idea of who we are. Hence the self is
very present.
Sigmund Freud – There are two selves, One Conscious and One Unconscious.
Psychoanalysis Theory
He believes of two selves. Conscious refers to all mental processes of which we
are aware. The unconscious refers to mental processes that are not easily
accessible to our awareness.
Even if the conscious self plays an important role in our lives. It is the unconscious
self that has the dominant influence on our personalities.
- The Unconscious Mind
Ego – reality principle, Secondary process thinking reality testing.
Superego – moral imperatives conscience ego ideal.
ID – pleasure principle, Primary process thinking wish fulfilment
The conscious – the small amount of mental activity we know about.
The subconscious – things we could be aware of if we wanted or tried.
The unconscious – things we are unaware of and can not become aware of.
Gilbert Ryle – The self is how you behave
Self is define in terms of the behavior that is presented to the world.
The self best understood as a pattern of behavior a person’s tendency or
disposition to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances.
Paul Churchland – the self is the brain
It is the physical brain not the imaginary mind that gives us our sense of self.
He believes that the term ‘‘mind’’, our moods, emotions, actions, consciousness
are deeply affected by the state of our brain. That by manipulating certain parts of
our brain, our feelings, actions and physical state is successfully altered.
Maurice Merleau – Ponty – The self is embodied subjectivity
There is unity in our mental, physical, and emotional disposition, and they all
affect how we experience ourselves.
Our self is a product of our conscious human experience.
Man is all about how he sees himself.
Lesson 2: SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
Sociology - study of the role of society in shaping behavior.
Causes of Identity:
Heredity
Environment
Race and Nationality
Gender
Age
Education
Cooley and the Looking Glass Self –Theory
Charles Horton Cooley, in his work, Human nature and the Order, introduced the
concept of “the looking glass self” in 1902. It can be explained as the reflection of what
we think we appear in front of others or how we are viewed and conceived by others.
Cooley used the term to explain the process of socialization. He viewed that the concept
of self or one’s sense of identity comes not only from our direct contemplation of oneself,
or the personal qualities but also from the examination of the way one is perceived by
others in the society.
Social interaction = plays a major role in the process of self-identification.
Mead and the Social Self
George Herbert Mead is a well-known sociologist for his theory of the social Self
Based on the perspective that the self emerges from social interactions.
Mead believed that as we grow-up our beliefs about how other people perceive us
start to become more important.
STAGES
Prepatory Stage
Play Stage
Game Stage
ANTHROPOLOGY - is the study of people and cultures in the past and today.
Branches of Anthropology
1. Archeology
2. Physical Anthropology
3. Linguistic Anthropology
4. Cultural Anthropology
THE SELF AND PERSON IN CONTEMPORARY ANTHROPOLOGY
The self refers to a set of implicit cultural values that we try to adhere to and use them to
guide our lives.
SELF AS EMBEDDED IN CULTURE
Edward B. Taylor-Founder of cultural anthropology.
Culture is everything that makes up the way a group of people lives. It includes
their beliefs, values and traditions.
COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
- Material Culture
- Non-Material Culture
According to Catherine Raeff (2010), a developmental psychologist, culture can
influence how you, your peers and families view:
Relationships: Culture is an influential factor in how you enter into and maintain
relationships.
Achievement: Culture influences how you define success and whether you value
individual and group achievements.
Expressing emotions: Culture influences how feelings are expressed whether you
consider feelings public or private openly or discreetly.
