GE-US-Lesson-1 PDF: The Self From Various Perspectives

UNIT 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PESPECTIVES  “ WHO AM I? 2  Chapter 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES: - This chapter focused on the discussion on who is a person from the philosophical point of view. - It also discusses brie...

UNIT 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PESPECTIVES  “ WHO AM I? 2  Chapter 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES: - This chapter focused on the discussion on who is a person from the philosophical point of view. - It also discusses briefly the self from westerner and the oriental points of view. 3  Lesson 1: PHILOSOPHY “ THE SELF ACCORDING TO ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS 4  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: The true self is not to be identified with what we A. SOCRATES (496-399 B.C.) own, with our social status, with our reputation, or even with Socrates believed that the self exists in two our body. Our true self is our soul. parts: * PHYSICAL SELF - tangible and mortal aspects of us that can be/is constantly changing. * SOUL - immortal Socrates believed that when a person is alive, the body and soul are attached, therefore 5 making both parts of the "self"  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of thrree ancient Greek philosophers: A. SOCRATES (496-399 B.C.) present in the physical realm. When a person dies forever, the body stays in the physical realm while the soul travels to the ideal realm, thus making the soul immortal. The true self is not identified with what is the social status, reputation, or even with the body. Instead, Socrates maintained that the true self is the soul. 6  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of thrree ancient Greek philosophers: A. SOCRATES (496-399 B.C.) Socrates was also known for his dictum "Ignorance is the beginning of wisdom" and for his advise "Know thyself". It is accepting ignorance that prods us to know ourselves, our power and limitations. To know ourselves means to acquire true knowledge of ourselves, which is practical knowledge. It is not knowledge gained 7 merely for the sake of  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of thrree ancient Greek philosophers: A. SOCRATES (496-399 B.C.) knowledge but knowledge used to improve ourselves by capitalizing on our powers to fight our limitations. Knowing ourselves does not only mean that we come to know that we are men/women. It is knowing what kind of men/women we are. Socrates is also famous for his quote: "The unexamined life is not worth living". In other words, an examining, a thinking and an investigating self is what the self essentially is. 8  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of thrree ancient Greek philosophers: A. SOCRATES (496-399 B.C.) - The worst thing that can happen to anyone is not knowing oneself. If this happens, “he only lives but he die inside”. 9  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: The self is an B. PLATO (428-348 BC) immortal soul in a mortal The self is an "immortal soul in a mortal perishable body. perishable body." The soul has tripatite nature (three parts). * A soul or an immortal rational part which existed before it became part of the body. * A courageous or "spirited" part. * An appetitive part. 10  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: The self is an B. PLATO (428-348 BC) immortal soul in a mortal A soul or an immortal rational part which perishable body. existed before it became part of the body. Forged by reason & intellect, it has to govern the affairs of human person. The spirited part – in charge of emotion The appetitive – in charge of desires like eating, drinking, sleeping & having sexual intercourse is controlled. 11.  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: B. PLATO (428r-348 BC) These courageous and spirited parts of the soul are mortal and they perished when we die. What survives after we die is our soul, the rational part of our self (Corpuz, et al, 2019). In Book IV of Plato's Republic, the soul is the "giver of life to the body, the permanent, changeless and divine element " as opposed to the changing, transitory and perishable body." 12  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: B. PLATO (428r-348 BC) This makes the self "a soul using the body". The body is just a shell of the soul. For Plato, our life is a "continuous ascent towards the world of ideas." Our life's journey is a continuous striving to free our soul fom its imprisonment in the body. 13  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: B. ARISTOTLE (384- 322 BC) The self is an immortal soul in The self is composed of body and soul, mind and a mortal matter, sense and intellect, passion and reason. perishable body. * REASON is supreme in human person and so should govern all of life's activities. When the senses, the lower nature of a human person, dominate a human peson's life, he/she tends to live a chaotic life. 14  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: B. ARISTOTLE (384- 322 BC) When reason rules over the senses, mind over matter, the human person tends to live a happy life. He put emphasis on reasons, however, unlike Socrates and Plato, he does not neglect the development of a human person's physical, economic, and social powers. Human happiness comes from the harmonious development of the whole self. 15  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of three ancient Greek philosophers: B. ARISTOTLE (384- 322 BC) Perfection and happiness come from wisdom and virtue. Wisdom is true knowledge and virtue is doing what is best for you that which leads you to the attainment of your rown perfection and happiness. Taught the theory of the Golden Mean, moderation; avoid the extremes; avoid too much and too little. Living a life of moderation is doing 16 things in consonance with reason.  “ THE SELF ACCORDING TO MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS 17  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: The self is made up of a A. ST. AUGUSTINE (354- 430 AD) body and a soul, "a soul in possession of body which does not The self is made up of a body and a soul , constitute two persons but one man. " a soul in possession of a body" which "does not constitute two persons but one man. His concept of self is in the context of his relation to God. Every human person is created into the image and likeness of God. Every human person is made for God. It is only upon his recognition of God's love and 18  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: A. ST. AUGUSTINE (354- 430 AD) and his/her response to the invitation to love that he/she finds inner peace. Plato's and Aristotle's concepts of the absolute and immutable good and the "summum bonum“, the imperfect perceptions of God who was seen by St. Augustine, with the aid of Divine Revelation, as the living personal God. 19  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: A. ST. AUGUSTINE (354- 430 AD) Happiness is the end-all and the be-all of human living and this happiness can be found in God alone. Taught virtue: virtue is the order of love. To love God means necessarily means to love one's fellowmen. He taught against HEDONISM - Man craves for something perfect, immutable and 20 enduring.  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: A. ST. AUGUSTINE (354- 430 AD) Possession of the goods of this world such as health, beauty, power, honor, fame can never give to a human peson what he/she is truly looking for, as these goods are finite, unstable, and ephemeral. 21  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: B. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225- 1274) A human person can know the truth with certainty by the use of Proclaimed the supremacy of reason in a his reason. human person. He stressed tha there are some truths which cannot be known by human reason alone and which can be perceived only wth the aid of light of divine revelation. Yet these two truths : those truths known through reason and those from Divine Revelation can never contradict each other because they GOD is TRUTH itself! 22  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: B. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225- 1274) A human person can know the truth with certainty by the use of Taught that man's longing for happiness on his reason. earth comes with the full development of man's powers. Pointed to a higher form of human perfection beyond this life because of the immortality of the human soul- found in GOD alone. He was like St. Augustine who taught about the human soul that is restless and imperfect until it rests in GOD. 23  Let's explain the self fom the points of view of the Medieval Philosophers: B. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225- 1274) A human person can know the truth with certainty by the use of - Man is composed of two parts: his reason. *Matter – common stuff that makes everything in the universe * Form – essence of a substance or thing 24  “ THE SELF ACCORDING TO MODERN PHILOSOPHERS 25  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: A. RENE DESCARTES (1596–1650) - Father of modern Philosophy - The only thing that one cannot doubt is the existence of the self. - His famous cogito ergo sum or I think therefore, I am - The self then for is a combination of two distinct qualities: the cogito or the thing that thinks which is the mind and the extenza or 26 extension of the mind which is the body.  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: The self is nothing else A. DAVID HUMES (1711–1776) but a bundle of impressions. -Scottish philosopher who has a unique way of looking at man. - As an empiricist, he believes that man can know only what comes from the senses and experience. - He believes that the self is nothing else but a bundle of impressions. 27  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: The self is nothing else A. DAVID HUMES (1711–1776) but a bundle of impressions. - if one tries to examine his experiences, he finds that they can all be categorized into two: impressions and ideas Basic object of our experience Copies of impressions Ex: When we touch an ice cube, Ex: when you imagine the coldness the cold sensation is an of snow if you have not yet impression. experience winter. Impressions are vivid because they are products of our direct Ideas are not as lively and vivid experience with the world as our impressions 28  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: A. IMMANUEL KANT (1724–1804) - The 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 a mind that organizes impressions that men get from the external world. - He suggests that the self is an actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all 29 knowledge and experience.  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: The Self is simply the convenient name that A. GILBERT RYLE (1900–1976) people use to refer to all the behaviors that - solves the mind – body dichotomy that has been people make. running for a long time in the history of thought by denying blatantly the concept of an internal, non physical self what truly matter is the behavior that a person manifests in his - day – to – day life. He suggest that the 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. 30  Let's explain the self from the points of view of the Modern Philosophers: The mind and body are so intertwined A. Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908–1961) that they cannot be separated from one - is a phenomenologist who asserts that the mind another. – body bifurcation that has been going on for a long time is a futile endeavor and an invalid problem - The body is the opening towards the existence to the world and because of these bodies men are in the world. He further believes that the living body, thoughts, emotions, and experiences are all one. 31  SOCRATES PLATO ARISTOTLE Key ideas about the self Ideas that you agree with Ideas that you disagree with 32