Philosophy of Self: Socrates and Identity

• The philosophy of self involves the study of identity conditions that distinguish one subject of experience from other experiences
• It understands the self as a unified being connected to consciousness, awareness, and agency

Understanding the Self

• Thinkers have sought explanations for existence for centuries
• Greek Philosophers pursued natural rather than supernatural explanations
• Early inquiries focused on the world's workings through elements, math, heavenly bodies, and atoms
• Focus shifted from nature/universe to inner world questions like "Who am I?" and "What do I want?"

Socrates

• Power in ancient Athens came through words, with arguments settled by discussion and debate
• Skilled individuals were known as "Sophists," were the first teachers of the West
• Socrates, a stonemason was a prominent Sophist known for a sharp mind and debating, and was idolized by Athenians

The Socratic Method or Dialectic Method

• It involves seeking the correct definition of something
• Socrates would engage the people in discussion by asking questions rather than lecturing
• The aim is to bring the person closer to the final understanding

Socrates View of Human Nature

• The true identity is not the body but the soul
• One needs to explore within oneself to find their deepest nature and worth
• Understanding oneself requires continuous thinking, seeking, and questioning

Plato

• His real name was Aristocles, Plato was a nickname from his physical build meaning "wide/broad"
• Plato established "The Academy."
• He authored "The Dialogues, containing his conversations with Socrates

Platos View of Human Nature

• Knowledge resides within the soul
• The soul is comprised of three parts which are the: Reason, Spirited and Appetites
• People are inherently good
• The more a person knows, the better they become, according to Plato's Theory of Being
• LOVE guides beings to self-realization and perfection

St. Augustine of Hippo

• He was a sinner who became a saint.
• God is the source of all goodness, without God, man cannot understand eternal truths, according to St. Augustine
• True happiness is found in God who is love, created humans to also love

David Hume (1711-1776)

• Hume was an important philosopher writing in English and also excelled as a historian and essayist
• His important philosophical works include: A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–1740), Human Understanding (1748), The Principles of Morals (1751), and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion (1779)
• Hume followed empiricism, the idea that knowledge comes from sense-experience
• The "self" is a product of imagination, without permanent identity because perceptions and feelings are transient

Rene Descartes

• Known as the "father of modern philosophy," he upheld rationalism
• Rationalism means REASON over experience as the basis for certain knowledge
• Reasoning produces absolute truths about nature, existence, morality, and God
• Discoverable truths ("a priori") are innate, not experience-based
• "I think, therefore I am" is Descartes' legacy
• He believed that a thinker doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, imagines, and feels
• The cognitive aspect of human nature forms the basis for the self's existence

John Locke

• He was also an empiricist
• Knowledge comes from experience
• It stems from "a posteriori" ideas or experiences
• The process involves sensation and reflection, in which objects are experienced through the senses and the mind examines these objects to discover relationships
• Sensation is the immediate awareness following sense organ stimulation
• Perception is the ordered and meaningful interpretation of stimuli
• Locke argued that at birth the mind is a "tabula rasa" (blank slate), and ideas are not innate

Immanuel Kant

• Founder of German Idealism
• Idealism believes knowledge depends on the mind's activity
• He suggested that mind is an active participant, not passive receiver of sense experiences
• Knowledge results from human understanding applied to sense experience
• He created "Transcendental Apperception," saying unity of impressions come from mind-organized perceptions

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

• He was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis
• Psychoanalysis treats psychopathology through dialogue between patient and psychoanalyst
• Freud developed the theory and practice of psychoanalysis
• Major tenets of psychoanalysis include the unconscious, early sexual development, repression, dreams, death and life drives, and transference
• Freud, known as the father of modern psychology, his ideas surrounding his theories remain relevant in the 20th century

Gilbert Ryle (1900 - 1976)

• A 20th Century British philosopher, key in the Ordinary Language Philosophy movement, influential in 20th Century Analytic Philosophy, especially Philosophy of Mind and Language
• There are two types of knowledge, according to Ryle which are "knowing-that," and "knowing-how"
• Only knowing is intellectualism, how to use facts is more important
• Knowing involves ability, not intellect alone

Patricia and Paul Churchland

• They are a husband and wife team that coined the term “Neurophilosophy"
• Neurophilosophy is a combination of Neurology, which is the study of the nervous system, as well as Philosophy, which is the love of wisdom in search for the truth
• The aim is to explore the relevance of neuroscientific experiments/studies to the philosophy of the mind.
• The couple believe the brain is responsible for the self, due to biochemical properties it holds being responsible for man's thoughts, feelings, and behavior
• The person is defined by how they make decisions, controls impulses, and sees themselves, determined by neurons, hormones, and genetics

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

• A French philosopher who wrote books on perception, art, and political thought.
• Proponent of "Phenomenology of Perception," describes man's perceptual contact with world
• The world is a field of perception, and human consciousness assigns meaning.
• It is impossible to separate oneself from perception of the world

Explore the philosophy of self, including identity conditions and unified consciousness. Delve into Socrates' profound influence on self-understanding. Investigate the Socratic Method and its impact on defining essence, purpose, and ultimately, the self.