Understanding the Self: Reflection Quiz

Activity: Do You Truly Know Yourself?

• Questions posed for self-reflection:
  • How would you characterize yourself?
  • What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes you special?
  • How has your self transformed itself?
  • How is your self connected to your body?
  • How is your self related to other selves?
  • What will happen to your self after you die?

Analysis

• Questions can be answered with ease or difficulty, depending on the individual
• Reflect on the reasons why some questions were easier to answer than others

Understanding the Self

• Course structure:
  • The self from various perspectives
  • Unpacking the self
  • Managing and caring for the self

Self from Various Perspectives

• Philosophical
• Sociological
• Anthropological
• Psychological
• Eastern and Western perspectives

Unpacking the Self

• Physical self
• Sexual self
• Material/economic self
• Spiritual self
• Political self
• Digital self

Managing and Caring for the Self

• Learning to be a better student
• Taking charge of one's health
• Bonus lesson: Planning finances

Understanding the Self (Further Details)

• "Know thyself"
• The self is the primary companion in life
• Different perspectives on the "self" will be explored, including who you are, who you want to be, and who you could be
• The self is complex

Philosophical Perspective of the Self

• From Socrates to Freud
• Philosophical framework for understanding the self

Learning Outcomes

• Explain the role of philosophy in understanding the self
• Discuss different concepts of the self from a philosophical perspective
• Differentiate and identify similarities in various self-concepts
• Develop an individual philosophy of the self

Philosophy

• Philia (love) and Sophia (wisdom)
• Philosophy seeks ultimate causes, reasons, and principles of everything
• The nature of the self is a philosophical topic
• Socrates and Plato explored ancient Greek philosophical frameworks for understanding the self

Philosophy (Socrates)

• Socrates urged "know thyself"
• What constitutes the "self" and its defining qualities?
• Self-knowledge is a prerequisite for a meaningful life

Socrates

• "An unexamined life is not worth living"
• Self is synonymous with the soul (Psyche)
• The soul is immortal
• Death is the departure of the soul for the eternal world

Dichotomous Realms

• Physical realm: Changeable, transient, and imperfect. The body belongs to it
• Ideal realm: Unchanging, eternal, and immortal. The soul belongs to it

Socrates – How to Be Human

• Socrates focused on the full power of reason in understanding the human self: who we are, who we should be, and who we will become
• The soul seeks wisdom and perfection, using reason
• Bodily needs (food, drink, sex, pleasure, material possessions, wealth) obstruct attaining wisdom

Socrates - How to Be Human (Further Details)

• Goodness or beauty is most important
• A meaningful life emerges through virtue and self-understanding
• Separating the body from the soul is crucial for self-understanding
• Introspection (Socratic method) examines thoughts and emotions for self-knowledge

Plato

• Almost similar ideas to Socrates, with additional aspects
• The self consists of reason, spirit/passion, and physical appetite
• Reason: Divine essence for deep thought, wise choices, and understanding eternal truths
• Spirit/passion: Basic emotions (love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness, empathy)
• Physical appetite: Basic biological needs (hunger, thirst, sexual desire)

Plato - Conflict of the Self

• These three elements of the self are dynamically related, sometimes conflicting
• Reason controls spirit and appetite for genuine happiness

Aristotle

• Body and soul are one
• The soul is the "Form" of the body (not separate)
• The soul defines the person (essence of the self)
• Soul dies with the body

Aristotle – On the Soul

• Anything with life has a soul
• Three types of soul:
  • Vegetative: Growth in physical bodies
  • Sentient: Sensual desires, feelings, emotions
  • Rational: Human intellect for knowing and understanding

Medieval Philosophy (St. Augustine)

• Integrated Plato's ideas with Christianity
• Unified perspective on body and soul
• The soul governs and defines the person
• The soul is an essential element of humanity

St. Augustine - Socrates/Plato in the Christian World

• Integrated Plato and Christianity
• Developed a unified perspective of body and soul
• The soul defines and governs the human person
• The soul is an important aspect of humanity

St. Augustine

• Soul is united with the body for wholeness
• Physical body is inferior to and different from the immortal soul
• Humankind is created in God's image and likeness
• God is transcendent and everything created by God is good

St. Augustine – God and Man

• Humans, as God's creation, are inherently good-oriented
• The self is known through knowledge of God
• Self-knowledge is a consequence of knowing God's truth
• God is transcendent, and the self seeks union with God through faith and reason

St. Augustine

• Knowing God is knowing oneself

Modern Philosophy

• Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Freud, Ryle, Churchland, Merleau-Ponty

Rene Descartes

• "I think, therefore I am"
• Thinking about oneself proves one's existence
• The self is a thinking entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, questions, and reasons

Descartes - Mind-Body Dichotomy

• Two dimensions of the self:
  • Thinking entity
  • Physical body
• Thinking self is immaterial, immortal, and conscious, independent of physical laws
• Physical body is material, mortal, non-thinking, governed by physical laws

Descartes – Mind-Body Dichotomy (Further Details)

• Self (soul) and body are independent; each can exist and function without the other
• Thinking self is separate from physical self

John Locke – Tabula Rasa

• Tabula rasa (blank slate)
• The self (identity) is constructed from sense experiences (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, feeling)
• Experiences shape the self throughout life
• Self-consciousness is essential for coherent personal identity

John Locke - Memories as the Self

• Consciousness allows us to perceive ourselves as the same person in different situations
• Reason and introspection lead to accurate self-understanding
• The self is a collection of memories organized by consciousness

David Hume

• There is no self
• Personal experience is a bundle of perceptions, impressions, sensations, and ideas
• There is only the immediate present; past and future are not real
• Personal identity is a product of imagination

Immanuel Kant – Understanding

• We construct the self
• The self organizes and synthesizes thoughts and perceptions
• Internal world: Thoughts, feelings
• External world: Events, situations
• The self creates its own predictable world through reason
• The self transcends sensory experience

Sigmund Freud – Psychoanalysis

• Levels of the mind:
  • Conscious
  • Preconscious
  • Unconscious
• Provinces of the mind:
  • Id
  • Ego
  • Superego

Gilbert Ryle

• The self is defined by how we act and do things
• "I act, therefore I am"

Paul Churchland

• The self is the brain
• The physical brain defines our sense of self

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

• The self is embodied subjectivity
• All knowledge of self and the world is based on subjective experience
• The self can't be fully objectified

In Summary

• Is self-knowledge internal or external?
• Self-perception vs. others' perception?
• Is the self a soul with a body, or a body with a soul?
• What's more important: Present self or future self?
• Which philosophy resonates most with you? which philosophy disturbs you the most?

Conclusion

• Knowing yourself is a continuous and complex process
• Simple answers to complex questions are often not sufficient in adulthood

This quiz invites you to delve into your self-identity through various reflective questions. Explore how you view yourself, your uniqueness, and the connections you have with others and your body. Consider different perspectives on the self and reflect on your personal growth and transformation.