UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
CHAPTER 1 PLATO: THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF:
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF SELF Body- world of matter
SELF
Soul- world of ideas
PHILOSOPHY
The soul has three faculties:
Greek word “PHILO” – “SOPHIA”
REASON
Love of wisdom
-Interllect and Will
At its simplest, Philosophy means
-is the divine essence that enables us
“loving knowledge” or “loving wisdom”.
to think deeply, make wise choices,
The term as originally used by the
and achieve a true understanding of
Greeks meant “the pursuit of
eternal truths.
knowledge for its own sake"
Philosophy employs the inquisitive
SPIRIT OR PASSION
mind to discover the ultimate causes,
- Drive and emotion
reasons and principles of everything.
-includes basic emotions such as love,
The nature of the self is a topic of
anger, ambition, aggressiveness, and
interest among philosophers.
emphaty.
• EPISTEMOLOGY- (knowledge)
• ETHICS- (values/virtue)
APPETITE
- Sensual emotion
-lncludes our basic biological needs
SOCRATES: AN UNEXAMINED LIFE IS such as hunger, thirst, and sexual
NOT WORTH LIVING desire.
Moral being Tripartite
Wisdom and Truth Body- outer part of the sele
Life must be examined for you to be Soul- inner part of the self
worth living. “know thyself” Spirit- communicate with GOD
Achieve through SOCRATIC
METHOD, the so called
introspection. ARITOTLE: THE SOUL IS THE ESSENCE
-A method of carefully examining our OF THE SELF
thoughts and emotions to gain self-
knowledge. The soul is simply the form of the
Inquiry to discover the truth. body and is not capable of existing
In Socrates concept of Reality, it without the body
consists of two dichotomous Without the body, the soul cannot
realms: exist, the soul dies along with the
body.
THE PHYSICAL REALM He introduced the three kinds of
-changeable, transient & imperfect. soul:
The body belongs to the physical
realm. VEGETATIVE SOUL
-includes the physical body that can
THE IDEAL REALM grow.
-unchanging, eternal and immortal. -it is for plant reproduction and
The soul belongs to the ideal realm. growth.
SOCRATES was the first thinker to SENTIENT SOUL
focus on the full power of reason on -includes the sensual desires, feelings
the human self. and emotions.
WHO WE ARE, WHO WE SHOULD -It is for animals mobility and
BE AND WHO WE WILL BECOME. sensation.
RATIONAL SOUL
-is what makes a man human.
-it includes the intellect that makes
man know and understand.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
ST. AUGUSTINE(medieval period): DAVID HUME:(Scottish Philosopher)
I AM DOUBTING, THEREFORE I AM :THERE IS NO SELF
Human is created by GOD
PRIMARY- God and Faith There's no permanent in this world
SECONDARY- Self Change is the only permanent
Self knowledge is a consequence of What people experience is just bundle
knowledge of GOD. of joy and feelings
"knowledge can only come by
seeing the truth that dwells within Hume maintains that if people carefully
us" examine the contents of their
experience, they will find that there are
RENE DESCARTES only distinct entities
IMPRESSIONS
(French Philosopher): -basic sensations of peoples
I THINK THEREFORE, I EXIST experience such hate, love, joy.
" COGITO ERGO SUM" IDEAS
-thoughts and images from
Father of Modern Philosophy impressions
BELIEVER OF SKEPTICISM
-method of doubt to know the truth IMMANUEL KANT
-he believe in mind-body dualism (German Philosopher):
"the act of thinking about WE CONSTRUCT THE SELF
self- of being self- conscious
is in itself proof that there is EMPIRICAL
self." It makes the self unique
-personalities, physical aspect, culture,
Two distinct identity: mamories, history.
COGITO
-The thing that thinks THE MIND TRANSCENDENTAL
EXTENZA Organizing principle
-The extension THE BODY -interpret, construct, gives meaning to
the calcction
There are two dimensions of the
human self: SIGMUND FREUD
THINKING SELF (SOUL) (Austrian psychoanalyst):
-is non material, immorial, conscious
being, and independent of the physical THE SELF IS MULTILAYERED
laws of the universe.
Mind and personality
PHYSICAL BODY
-is a material, mortal, non-thinking ID (devil)
entity, fully governed by the physical -unconscious self, animalistic nature,
laws of nature. pleasure & gratification
JOHN LOCKE (English Philosopher) EGO(50/50, balance)
THE SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS -conscious, rational balance
SUPER EGO(angel)
Father of liberalism -idea itself, moral aspect
"Age of Reason" Not a philosopher, but his views on
The human mind at birth is the nature of the self have a far-
Tabula rasa- blank state of mind. reaching impact on philosophical
↳expanente thinking.
Locke theorized that when a person is
born, the baby know absolutely nothing.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Freud holds that the self consists of
three layers:
CONSCIOUS LEVEL
Thoughts & Perceptions
PRECONSCIOUS LEVEL
Memories of stored knowledge
UNCONSCIOUS
Fears, violent motives, immoral urges,
shameful experiences
GILBERT RYLE (British Philosopher):
THE SELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE
Self is not an entity one con locate and
analyze but simply the convenient name
that people use to refer to all the
behaviors that people make.
"I act therefore, I am", in short, the self is
the same as bodily behavior
PAUL CHURCHLAND
(canadian philosophers):
SELF IS THE BRAIN
All we have is the brain and so, if the
brain is gone, there is no self.
MAURICE MERLEAU PONTY
(french philosopher):
THE SELF IS EMBODIED SUBJECTIVITY
it talks about body
without the body the soul does not
exist.
