The Self in a Philosophical Perspective PDF

The Self in a Philosophical Perspective Understanding the Self Herbert Anthony V. Roberto, Ph.D.  “Philosophy" means “Love of Wisdom" Philosophy, defined Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental t...

The Self in a Philosophical Perspective Understanding the Self Herbert Anthony V. Roberto, Ph.D.  “Philosophy" means “Love of Wisdom" Philosophy, defined Philosophy is an activity people undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their relationships to the world and to each other. Those who study philosophy are perpetually engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers to life most basic questions. To make such a pursuit more systematic academic philosophy is traditionally divided into major areas of study:  Metaphysics At its core the study of metaphysics is the study of the nature of reality, of what exists in the world, what it is like, and how it is ordered. In metaphysics philosophers wrestle with such questions as: Is there a God? What is truth? What is a person? What makes a person the same through time? Is the world strictly composed of matter? Do people have minds? If so, how is the mind related to the body? Do people have free wills? What is it for one event to cause another?  Epistemology Epistemology is the study of knowledge. It is primarily concerned with what we can know about the world and how we can know it. Typical questions of concern in epistemology are: What is knowledge? Do we know anything at all? How do we know what we know? Can we be justified in claiming to know certain things?  Ethics The study of ethics often concerns what we ought to do and what it would be best to do. In struggling with this issue, larger questions about what is good and right arise. So, the ethicist attempts to answer such questions as: What is good? What makes actions or people good? What is right? What makes actions right? Is morality objective or subjective? How should I treat others?  Logic Another important aspect of the study of philosophy is the arguments or reasons given for people answers to these questions. To this end philosophers employ logic to study the nature and structure of arguments. Logicians ask such questions as: What constitutes "good" or "bad" reasoning? How do we determine whether a given piece of reasoning is good or bad?  Socrates “The unexamined life is not worth living” first philosopher who engaged in a systematic questioning about the self Socratic Method - method for discovering what is essential in the world and in people. This involves the search for the correct/proper definition of a thing. His mission is “the true task of the philosopher is to know oneself” Body and soul are two important aspect of his personhood Every man is composed of body and soul Every individual is dualistic BODY - all individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect SOUL - all individuals have a perfect and permanent aspect  Plato “Human behavior flows from three main sources; desire, emotion, knowledge” Socrates’ student Supported the idea of Socrates “man is a dual nature of body and soul THREE COMPONENTS OF THE SOUL 1.RATIONAL SOUL - Forged by the reason and intellect has to govern the affairs of the human person. 2.SPIRITED SOUL - Which is in charge of emotions. 3. APPETITIVE SOUL - In charge of base desire, like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sexual intercourse, is controlled as well  Aristotle “Love is composed of single soul, inhabiting two bodies” Soul – the principle which causes movement Principle Movement – life is a movement Humans are a combinations of body (matter) and soul (form) > soul actualizes body (matter) Essence – what makes you, you. Self Nutrition and Reproductions -autonomic biological systems = life = begins/generates & corrupts (dies) Perception -5 senses – you perceive atoms which causes your eyes, ears, nose, etc… to take –form of what you believe you are perceiving -selects focus -helps discriminate Thinking -reason and logic, attention, knowing and understanding Desire -body and soul are “in love” Practical Reason -discriminate -choose  St. Augustine “Love is the beauty of the soul” Human person reflects the entire spirit of the medieval world when it comes to man Adopted some ideas from Plato but with religious side “Man is bifurcated nature” – there is an aspect of man, which dwells in the world, that is imperfect and continuously yearns to be with the divine while the other is capable of reaching immortality. BODY – is bound to die on earth SOUL – to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God  St. Thomas Aquinas “The things that we have tell us who we are” The most eminent 13th century scholar and stalwart of the medieval philosophy appended something to this Christian view Adopted some ideas from Aristotle MAN IS COMPOSED OF TWO PARTS 1.MATTER or HYLE - Refers to the common stuff that make up everything in the universe 2.FORM or MORPHE - Refers to the essence of a substance or thing SOUL is what animates the body BODY –What makes us human  Rene Descartes “I think, therefore, I am” The father of Modern Philosophy Conceived that the human person as having a body and mind His famous treatise is “The Meditations of First Philosophy” Do not believe in soul Body is nothing else but a machine that attached to the mind THE SELF TWO DISTINCT ENTITIES 1.COGITO or THE THING THAT THINKS Which is the mind 2. EXTENZA or EXTENSION OF THE MIND Which is the body  David Hume “Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them” A Scottish philosopher has a very unique way of looking at man. Empiricist who believes that one can know only what comes from the senses and experience According to him men can only attain knowledge by experience “The self is nothing else but a bundle of expression”  THE SELF CATEGORIZED IN TWO IMPRESSION Are the basic object of our experience or sensation IDEAS Copies of Impression  John Locke “I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.” The human mind at birth is tabula rasa or blank slate. The self or personal identity is constructed primarily from sense experience― specifically, what people see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. These experiences shape and mold the self throughout a person’s life. Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self.  Immanuel Kant “Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for” The self is not in the body, it is outside the body and even outside the qualities of the body – meaning transcendent. Rationality unifies and makes sense the perceptions we have in our experiences and make sensible ideas about ourselves and the world. GILBERT RYLE “I act therefore I am” British philosopher Ryle believed that the self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the tendency for a person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances. The mind and body intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways. In short, the self is the same as bodily behavior. The mind expresses the entire system of thoughts, emotions, and actions that make up the human self.  Sigmund Freud “Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength” The “I” will never be the same and it will continue to change over time. The “I” is the state of the mind : the conscious and unconscious Structure of personality : the id (pleasure principle) ego (reality principle) and super ego (moral principle) Assignment #3 Choose 1 Philosopher and his Philosophy then apply/connect it on your first few weeks in college.