Lesson 4: The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts PDF

Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts PRESENTED BY: MRS. SOLEDAD A. TAMBAOAN, LPT, MAED, CHRA  Objectives At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:  Differentiate the concept of self according to Western thoughts against Eastern/Oriental perspectives;...

Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts PRESENTED BY: MRS. SOLEDAD A. TAMBAOAN, LPT, MAED, CHRA  Objectives At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:  Differentiate the concept of self according to Western thoughts against Eastern/Oriental perspectives;  Explain the concept of self as found in Asian thought;  Create a representation of the Filipino self. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 2  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Western Individualism and Eastern collectivism.  In the Greco‑Roman tradition, the image of Prometheus powerfully illustrates the struggle for individual freedom. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 3  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Western Individualism and Eastern collectivism.  In European consciousness, Prometheus had become the hero who: "...defied the patriarchy in the name of individual freedom, who brought light into our darkness. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 4  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Western Individualism and Eastern collectivism.  The Christian tradition has also reinforced the notion of individual rights.  The Bible speaks of God creating Man in His own image and letting him "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (Genesis 1:26) Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 5  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Fragmentary and Holistic.  According to Fritjof Capra, the emphasis of rational thought is epitomized in Descartes' celebrated statement, ‘Cognito, ergo sum' ‑ 'I think, therefore, I exist. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 6  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Fragmentary and Holistic.  The essence of the Eastern world view is the awareness of the unity and the mutual inter‑relation of all things and events, the experience of all phenomena in the world as manifestation of a basic oneness. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 7  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Conflict and Harmony.  The Marxist view of history saw change as arising from a 'dialectic 'interplay of opposites ‑hence class struggle and conflict. Western civilization based itself on the struggle between the Good and Evil, God and Satan or Psyche and Cupid. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 8  Four major differences between Eastern and Western philosophies  Conflict and Harmony.  The dark yin and the bright yang are arranged in a symmetrical manner. They are dynamic ‑ a rotating symmetry suggesting very forcefully a continuous cyclic movement. The two dots in the diagram symbolize the idea that each one of the forces reaches its extreme, it contains in itself the seed of the opposite. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 9  Eastern thoughts of self  Confucianism.  It can be seen as a code of ethical conduct, of how one should properly act according to their relationship with other people. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 10  Eastern thoughts of self  Taoism.  It is living the way of the Tao or the universe.  It rejects having one definition of what the Tao is, and one can only state clues of what it is as they adopt a free- flowing, relative, unitary, as well as paradoxical view of almost everything. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 11  Eastern thoughts of self  Buddhism.  The self is seen as an illusion, born out of ignorance, of trying to hold and control things, or human-centered needs.  Thus, the self is also the source of all these sufferings. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 12  Eastern thoughts of self  Buddhism.  It is therefore our quest to forget about the self, forget the cravings of the self, break the attachments you have with the world, and to renounce the self which is the cause of all suffering. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 13  Western thoughts of self  Western perspective does not discount the role of the environment and society in the formation of the self, but the focus is always looking towards the self.  Western thought looks at the world in dualities wherein you are distinct from the other person, the creator is separate from the object he/she created. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 14  Differences of Western thoughts and Eastern thoughts  Westerners talk more about their personal attributes when describing themselves while Asians in general would talk about their social roles or the social roles or the social situations that invoked certain traits that they deem positive for their self.  Evaluation of the self also differs as Westerners would highlight their personal achievements while Asians would rather keep a low profile as promoting the self can be seen as boastfulness that disrupts social relationships. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 15  Differences of Western thoughts and Eastern thoughts  The Western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their focus is on the person. Asian culture is called a collectivistic culture as the group and social relations is given more importance than individual needs and wants.  By valuing the individual, Westerners may seem to have loose associations or even loyalty to their group.  Competition is the name of the game and they are more likely straightforward and forceful in their communication as well as decision-making. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 16  Differences of Western thoughts and Eastern thoughts  Eastern or oriental persons look after the welfare of their groups and values cooperation. They would also be more compromising and they tend to go around the bush in explaining things hoping that the other person would “feel” what they wanted to say (Qingxue, 2003).  Westerners also emphasize more on the value of equality even if they see that the individual can rise above anything else; they also promote ideals fair competition and protect the individual. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 17  Differences of Western thoughts and Eastern thoughts  Asians put more emphasis on hierarchy – as the culture wants to keep things in harmony and in order.  Westerners would most likely call their boss, parents, or other seniors by their first names. Asians would have a more respectful terms for seniors and a lot of workers would not dare to go against a ranking official. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 18  As for the Philippines…  Filipinos can also consider the colonization experience for differences and similarities with our Asian neighbors.  We might also find variation among provinces and regions due to geographical conditions.  With social media, migration, and intermarriages, variety between the Westerners and Asian perceptions may either be blurred or highlighted, whereas the conflict is inevitable in diversity, peace is also possible through the understanding where each of us is coming from. Lesson 4 – The Self in Western and Eastern Thoughts 19