What is Philosophy? PDF

What is Philosophy? Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines simply because all fields of study began as philosophical discourses. It originated is from the Greek words Philo- (loving) and Sophia (knowledge, wisdom). At its simplest, philosophy means “loving knowledge” or “loving wis...

What is Philosophy? Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines simply because all fields of study began as philosophical discourses. It originated is from the Greek words Philo- (loving) and Sophia (knowledge, wisdom). At its simplest, philosophy means “loving knowledge” or “loving wisdom.” The term philosophy as originally used by the Greeks meant “the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake.” Naturally, the need to understand that “self” did not escape the philosopher’s curious mind. Hence, here are the most relevant philosophical views that will give you a historical framework in your quest of understanding yourself. Philosophy is the study of acquiring knowledge through rational thinking and inquiries that involves answering questions regarding the nature and existence of man and the world we live in. As such, it is imperative to look into the various explanations from different philosophers their notion of what the “Self” its nature and how it is formed in order to have a better picture of how people develop their behaviors, attitude, and actions and to be able to identify and understand who we are and how we came to be. What Philosophy Says about the Self The Self has been defined as “as a unified being, essentially connected to consciousness, awareness, and agency (or, at least, with the faculty of rational choice) “. Different philosophers have come up with more specific characteristics of the Self, and over time, these meanings have transformed from pure abstractions to explanations that hold scientific evidence. The Philosophy of the self has been defined through distinct philosophical lenses: Empiricism - derives explanations of the self from sensory and bodily responses. We know things because we have experienced them through our bodily senses. Rationalism - there is innate knowledge; they differ in that they choose different objects of innate knowledge. Rationalism explains self from the standpoint of what is “ideal” and the “truth”, not rooted in what is felt by the senses nor our body. Dualism - In the modern world “dualism” most often refers to “mind-body dualism,” or the idea that the mind is separate from the body. The Philosophical Framework for Understanding the Self The framework was first introduced by the ancient great Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Likewise, the different views of other prominent philosophers regarding the nature of the self were discussed in this module. Noticeably, they were one in saying that self-knowledge is actually the prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life. Philosophical musings have produced some of the most important original ideas over the centuries. Their contributions to all areas of learning are inestimable. Some views may be more popular, others a bit unknown, but humanity’s development is founded on the views of our ancient thinkers. Naturally, the need to understand the “self” did not escape the philosopher’s curious mind. Hence, here are the most relevant philosophical views that will give you a historical framework in your quest of understanding yourself: A. The Classical Antiquity Socrates: “The unexamined life is not worth living” Socrates, known as the "father of Western philosophy" was believed to be the first thinker to focus on the full power of reason on the human self - our existence in the universe, who we are, who we should be, and who we will become. For Socrates, the self exists in two parts: the physical body and the soul. The physical body is a tangible aspect of us. It is mortal (it dies), constantly changing, imperfect, transforming, disappearing. Our soul, which Socrates believed to be immortal, is eternal, unchanging, perfect, or ideal. Socrates believed that there was a soul first before a man's body. The soul has all the knowledge that is stored in his mind. However, once he came to the material world or the world of senses, he forgot most of what he knew. This resulted in a lack of knowledge or ignorance, which causes problems for men. Socrates’ conviction is conveyed in his famous statement: "the unexamined life is not worth living." The most important task one can undertake is to examine one's self, for it alone will give one the knowledge necessary to answer the question 'how should I live my life.' Socrates explained: "…once we know ourselves, we may learn how to care for ourselves, but otherwise, we never shall." Plato: “The first and the best victory is to conquer self.” Plato is a dualist; there is both an immaterial mind (soul) and a material body, and it is the soul that represents the self. Plato believed the soul exists before birth and after death. For him, one should care about his soul rather than his body. The soul (mind) is divided into three parts: Reason - our divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise choices and achieve a true understanding of eternal; Physical Appetite - our basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual; and, Will or Spirit - is our basic emotion or passion, such as empathy, aggressiveness, love, anger. The three elements of our “self” are in a dynamic relationship with one another. Sometimes, they work in concert, sometimes in conflict. For instance, we may develop a romantic relationship with someone who is an intellectual companion (Reason) or with whom we are passionately in love (Spirit) and or with whom we find sexually attractive, igniting our lustful appetites (Appetite). Plato believed that true and genuine happiness could only be achieved if we consistently make sure that our reason is in control of our Spirits and Appetites.  Aristotle: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Plato’s idea of the truth about the human self was even more expounded and formalized by his prized student, Aristotle. While Plato emphasized the separation of ideal and phenomenal existence (or being), Aristotle suggested that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena. Aristotle called the ideal as “essence” and the phenomena as “matter”. He also emphasized that the two co-exist and are co-dependent, the essence provides meaning and purpose to the matter, and the matter provides substance and solidity to essence. As we may already know, Plato is sure that the true self is the soul, not the body. And to be specific, the true self for Plato is the rational soul which is separable from the body. Aristotle’s concept of the self is quite the opposite. Aristotle’s concept of the self is more complicated. However, there is one main theme in Aristotle’s narrative of the soul that guides us in understanding his concept of the self, that is, the human person is a “rational animal”. In other words, for Aristotle, the human person is simply an animal that thinks. John Locke: "The Self Is Consciousness" John Locke is known for his theory that the mind is a tabula rasa, a blank slate. Locke believed that we are born without thoughts, or our mind was empty and that knowledge is instead determined only by experience. According to Locke, our memory plays a key role in our definition of the self. He theorized that we are the same person as we were in the past for as long as we can remember memories from that past. It is our memory or our consciousness of our past that makes us that same person as we were in the past. Thus, to Locke, our conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self. It is our consciousness that makes possible our belief that we are the same identity at different times and in different places. Immanuel Kant: "We Construct the Self' Immanuel Kant refutes Hume’s theory that there is no “self” and argues that it is possible to find the essence of the self. For Kant, man is a free agent, capable of making a decision for himself. Man is a free agent, for he is gifted with reason and free will to enable him to organize the data gathered by the senses. From these data and the way we organize them, we can build an idea of who we are. According to him, the reason is the final authority of morality. Every human being has his inner self and outer self; · The inner self includes rational reasoning and psychological state while the outer self includes the body and physical mind, where representation occurs. B. The Modern Times Gilbert Ryle: "The Self Is How You Behave". Gilbert Ryle simply focused on observable behavior in defining the self. No more inner selves, immortal soul, states of consciousness, or unconscious self: instead, the self is defined in terms of the behavior that is presented to the world. From Ryle's point of view, the self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, a person’s tendency or disposition to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances. In short, the self is defined by the observable behaviors we project to the world around us. He contends that every human being has both a physical body and a non-physical mind which are ordinarily “harnessed together” while we are alive. However, after the death of the body, our minds may continue to exist and function. This “dualistic” conception of the mind and body is analogous to the dualism of Socrates and Plato who viewed the self as being comprised of a mortal body and an immortal soul, According to him, “The self is the way people behave”. The self is basically our behavior. This concept provided the philosophical principle, “I act therefore I am”. In short, the concept means the self is the brain. Maurice Merleau-Ponty: "The Self is An Embodied Subjectivity" Maurice Merleau-Ponty takes a very different approach to the self. His ideas suggest that there is unity in our mental, physical, and emotional disposition, and they all affect how we experience ourselves. For instance, when you wake up in the morning and experience your gradually becoming aware of where you are or how you feel, what are your first thoughts of the day? Perhaps something like, “Oh no, it’s time to get up, but I’m still sleepy, but I have a class that I can’t be late for.” Note that at no point do you doubt that the “I” you refer to is a single integrated entity, but a blending of mental, physical, and emotional structure around a core identity: your self. Our self is a product of our conscious human experience. The definition of self is all about one’s perception of one’s experience and the interpretation of those experiences. To Merleau-Ponty, the self is an embodied subjectivity. He entirely rejected the idea of the mind and body dichotomy because, for him, man is all about how he sees himself.