Chapter 1 Lesson 1 The Self from Various Philosophers PDF

Chapter 1 Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental Perspectives on Self and Identity Chapter I – Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental Perspectives on Self and Identity Lesson 1: The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives Lesson 2: The Self, Society, and Culture Lesson 3: The Se...

Chapter 1 Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental Perspectives on Self and Identity Chapter I – Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental Perspectives on Self and Identity Lesson 1: The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives Lesson 2: The Self, Society, and Culture Lesson 3: The Self as Cognitive Construct Lesson 4: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts Lesson 1: The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives LESSON OBJECTIVES At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. Explain why it is essential to understand the self; 2. Describe and discuss the different notions of the self from the points-of-view of the various philosophers across time and place; 3. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented in different philosophical schools; and 4. Examine one’s self against the different views of self that were discussed in class. ABSTRACTION Greek philosophy was started by Socrates, with his aphorism/principle of “know thyself,” which is also inscribed in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. Socrates believed that the real self is not the physical body, but rather the psyche, or the soul. Socrates - Socrates was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning about the self; the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself. - For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul; all individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and the body, while maintaining that there is also a soul that is perfect and permanent. ABSTRACTION Plato, a student of Socrates, also studied and explained thoroughly what is the true essence of self, which is then founded by his mentor. Plato suggested that the “self is fundamentally an intellectual entity whose nature exists independent from physical world.” Plato - Plato supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul. - Plato added that there are three components of the soul: the rational soul the spirited soul, and the appetitive soul. Furthermore, Aristotle, student of Plato, explained thoroughly how we could see the essence of self. Aristotle suggested that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena. Aristotle called the ideal as essence, and the phenomena as the matter. He emphasized that these 2 co- exist, and is dependent with one another. Two lenses of Philosophy of Self in Greek Times: Rationalism – explains self from the standpoint of what is ideal and true, and what not is rooted with senses. Empiricism – according to it, there is no such thing as innate knowledge; all knowledge is derived from experience – through five senses or what is perceived by our brain. Towards Modern Philosophy Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature; the body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God. - The body can only thrive in the imperfect, physical reality that is the world, whereas the soul can also stay after death in an eternal realm with the all-transcendent God. Aquinas - Aquinas said that indeed, man is composed of two parts: matter and form. Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to the “common stuff that makes up everything in the universe.” Man’s body is part of this matter. Form, on the other hand, or morphe in Greek refers to the “essence of a substance or thing.” - To Aquinas the soul is what animates the body; it is what makes us humans.  Section 1: Social, Environmental, and other Life Factors (S.E.L.F.) Nature vs. Nurture Nature differs from Nurture, since in Nature, a person develops his/her characteristics biologically (something that has developed starting from the birth of the child), while in Nurture, a person develops his/her characteristics through the external factors, such as the environment and the society (family, friends, relatives, etc.). Identity vs. Self Identity, also, differs from Self, as what the readings say, Identities are “qualities, characteristics, beliefs, opinions, etc., that make a person unique from others.” These is what is distinguishable by others, or what they perceive to us through our actions. Self, on the other hand, is the “person of himself/herself,” meaning, it is what the others didn’t see in you, because this is personal character; this is what makes up a person. Dimensionalities of the Self/Identity There are four (4) different dimensionalities of self, namely: 1. Social factors 2. Environmental factors 3. Hereditary factors 4. Person-volition factors Social factors are the factors in the development of a person which includes all the person around us, like our family members, relatives, friends, teachers or professors, and even strangers, that might create an impression to us or affects our actions and thoughts in life. Environmental factors are the factors in the development of a person that includes the environmental structure, events, and such, which might give an impact on how a person could grow in all the aspects of his/her life. Hereditary factors are the factors in the development of the person that includes biological changes and events, such as growth in height, puberty (growing of pubic hair, deeper voices for male, broadening of hips and start of menstruation for female, etc.) that usually affects the physical characteristics of a person. Person-volition factors are the inclination of a person creates a social construct which sets him/her apart to others. The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives  Rene Descartes was a dominant rational philosopher during the Middle Ages - Conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind - The body is nothing else but a machine that is attached to the mind. - The human person has it but it is not what makes man a man. If at all, that is the mind. David Hume - regarded as one of the most important philosophers to write in English - an empiricist philosopher - The self is not an entity over and beyond the physical body. - Men can only attain knowledge by experiencing. - Self, according to Hume, is simply “a bundle or collection of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement.”  Immanuel Kant - an empiricist philosopher - Things that men perceive around them are not just randomly infused into the human person without an organizing principle that regulates the relationship of all these impressions. - There is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions that men get from the external world. - Time and space are ideas that one cannot find in the world, but is built in our minds; he calls these the apparatuses of the mind. - The self is not just what gives one his personality; it is also the seat of knowledge acquisition for all human persons.  Gilbert Ryle - a British philosopher - Blatantly denying the concept of an internal, non-physical self; what truly matters is the behavior that a person manifests in his day-to-day life. - “Self” - is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient name that people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make.  Merleau-Ponty - a French philosopher - - The mind and body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated from one another. - - One cannot find any experience that is not an embodied experience. All experience is embodied; one’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world. - - The living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one. APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT In your own words, state what “self” is for each of the philosophers enumerated below. After doing so, explain how your concept of “self” is compatible with how they conceived of the “self.” 1. Socrates 5. Hume 2. Plato 6. Kant 3. Augustine 7. Ryle 4. Descartes 8. Merleau-Ponty  LESSON SUMMARY Philosophy is replete with men and women who inquired into the fundamental nature of the self. Socrates was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning about the self. Plato supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body and soul. Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated nature. Thomas Aquinas said that indeed, man is composed of two parts: matter and form. Rene Descartes conceived of the human person as having a body and a mind. David Hume, the self is not an entity over and beyond the physical body Immanuel Kant, there is necessarily a mind that organizes the impressions that men get from the external world Gilbert Ryle, “self” is not an entity one can locate and analyze Merleau-Ponty, the living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one Thank You for listening 