Philosophical Perspective Of The Self PDF

GEC 1: Understanding the Self Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla 1 THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF NAME PHILOSOPHY...

GEC 1: Understanding the Self Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla 1 THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF NAME PHILOSOPHY ABOUT PHILOSOPHY “An The SELF is synonymous with the soul. unexamined life The SOUL is immortal and survives beyong the SOCRATES is not worth physicality living.” Socratic method - A dialogue between the soul and itself Reality consists of two dichotomous realms: 1. Physical- changeable, transient, imperfect 2. Ideal - unchanging, eternal, immortal PLATO “Self is SELF is fundamentally an intellectual entity whose synonymous nature exists as separate from the physical world the with the soul.” driving force behind the body and mind The mind is the sense of self and it desires an understanding of the Forms Three-part soul/self: 1. Reason - the divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise choices and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths 2. Physical appetite - includes the basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire 3. Spirit or passion - includes basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness and empathy ARISTOTLE “The soul is the The soul is merely a set of defining features and does essence of the not consider the body and soul as separate entities. He self.” suggests that anything with life has a soul. Introduces the 3 kinds of soul: 1. Vegetative soul - includes the physical body that can grow 2. Sentient soul - includes sensual desires, feelings and emotions 3. Rational soul - is what makes man human and includes the intellect that allows man to know and understand things ST. “The Self has Convinced that Platonism and Christianity were natural AUGUSTINE an immortal partners and adopted Plato’s vision of a bifurcated soul.” universe Two Realms of Reality: 1. an intelligible realm where truth itself dwells 2. sensible world which we perceive by sight and touch Then adapted it to metaphysic to Christian beliefs Immortal souls striving to achieve union with God through faith and reason. The physical body was both radically different from and inferior to its inhabitant, the immortal soul The body is united with the soul so that man may be entire and complete. Nevertheless, the body and soul remain irreconcilably divided. RENE “I think The act of thinking about the self–of being DESCARTES therefore I am.” self-conscious–is in itself proof that there is a self. The essence of the human self is a thinking entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, questions, and reasons. 2 Dimensions of the Human Self: 1. Thinking entity (soul) - non-material, immortal, conscious being, independent of physical laws of the universe 2. Physical body - material, mortal, on-thinking entity, fully governed by the physical laws of the universe The thinking self can exist independently from the body.  GEC 1: Understanding the Self Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla 2 JOHN LOCKE “The Self is The human mind at birth is a tabula rasa or a blank consciousness. slate. ” The self, or personal identity, is constructed primarily from sense experiences - or more specifically, what people see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self. A person is a thinking, intelligent being who has the ability to reason and to reflect. Consciousness—being aware that we are thinking—always accompanies thinking and is an esse. Consciousness is what makes possible our belief that we are the same identity in different times and different places. DAVID HUME “There is no If one carefully examines our sense experience through self.” the process of introspection, we discover that there is no self. Careful examination of the contents of experience will lead to the identification of two distinct entities 1. Impressions—the basic sensations of experiences; pain, pleasure, heat, cold, happiness, grief, fear, exhilaration, and so on these are “lively” and “vivid.” 2. Ideas—are copies of impressions; less “lively” and “vivid.” Includes thoughts and images that are built up from our primary impressions–but because they are derivative copies of impressions they are once removed from reality. IMMANUEL “We construct A person perceives and experiences an organized KANT the self.” world of objects, relationships, and ideas, all existing within a fairly stable framework of space and time. Minds actively sort, organize, relate, and synthesize the fragmented, fluctuating collection of sense data that our sense organs take in Meaning-constructing activity is precisely what our minds are doing all of the time: taking the raw data of experience and actively synthesizing it into the familiar, orderly, meaningful world in which we live. SIGMUND “The Self is 3 Layers of Self: FREUD Multilayered.” 1. Conscious - governed by reality principle; ways that are rational, practical, and appropriate to the environment 2. Unconscious - governed by the pleasure principle; contains basic instinctual drives including sexuality, aggressiveness, and self-fantasies 3. Preconscious - contains material that is not threatening and is easily brought to mind GILBERT RYLE “I act therefore I Self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the am.” tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances. Mind and body are intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways. PAUL “The self is the Advocates the idea of eliminative materialism - self is CHURCHLAND brain.’ inseparable from the brain and the psychology of the body. If the brain is gone, there is no self. MAURICE “The self is Phenomenology – refers to the conviction that all MERLEAU- embodied knowledge of ourselves and our world is based on the PONTY subjectivity.” “phenomena” of experience The “I” is a single integrated core identity, a combination of the mental, physical, and emotional structures around a core identity of the self.