The Self From Various Philosophical Perspectives PDF

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES MS. RACQUEL S. MANLAPAS INSTRUCTOR INTRODUCTION This topic highlights how the classical and modern philosophical models defined the self, the evolution of these philosophical frameworks...

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES MS. RACQUEL S. MANLAPAS INSTRUCTOR INTRODUCTION This topic highlights how the classical and modern philosophical models defined the self, the evolution of these philosophical frameworks from ancient to contemporary times, and the relevance of the philosophy of the self to how the youth define their own sense of self.  LEARNING At the end of this class session, the OUTCOMES students are expected to: 1. discuss the different philosophical standpoints; 2. explain how philosophical models have transformed from classical to contemporary times; 3. synthesize and evaluate the different perspectives of self; 4. analyze the relevance of various philosophical standpoints to your sense of self.  PHILOSOPHY OF THE SELF PHILOSOPHY It is often Ancient ·The SELF has called the philosophers been defined as a attempted to "UNIFIED BEING”, MOTHER OF explain natural and ALL essentially social phenomena, DISCIPLINES connected to coming up with their simply because own definitions of consciousness, all fields of how the world awareness and study began as works and what with the faculty philosophical factors contribute of rational choice. to such phenomena. discourses. 3 GREAT "GOLDEN AGE" GREEK PHILOSOPHERS SOCRATES PLATO ARISTOTLE ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS As a "GURU”, Socrates preferred to engage his students in endless discussions. It is said that he had never written down any of his ideas but instead untiringly articulated concepts and principles with his students. He believed that the REAL SELF is not the physical body, but rather the PSYCHE (SOUL). He further posited that the appearance of the body is inferior to its functions He believed that the philosopher has to "KNOW ONESELF" (famous ADVICE). SOCRATES He saw a person as DUALISTIC: every 469-399 B.C. person is composed of BODY and SOUL.  SOCRATES BODY - imperfect and impermanent aspect 469-399 B.C. SOUL - perfect and permanent Socrates was also known for his DICTUM: (short statement that expresses a general truth or principle). "IGNORANCE IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM" - It is accepting our ignorance that prods us to know ourselves, our power and limitations. - to know ourselves means to acquire TRUE KNOWLEDGE of ourselves - PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE - to improve ourselves by capitalizing on our powers to fight our limitations - knowing what kind of men and women we are.  SOCRATES 469-399 B.C. Socrates is also known for this famous quote: "THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING." - To live without knowing who you are and what virtues you can attain is the worst that can happen to a person. -An EXAMINING, a THINKING, and an INVESTIGATING self is what essentially the SELF is.  For Plato, the SELF is an "IMMORTAL SOUL IN A MORTAL PERISHABLE BODY”. He is Socrates' prized student, who thoroughly expounded on Socrates' ideas of the self. He further expounded on the idea of the soul by stating it has 3 parts or components (TRIPARTITE NATURE): THE RATIONAL SOUL The THINKING, REASONING, and JUDGING aspect. It must be well developed and in-charge. THE APPETITIVE SOUL This is responsible for the desires and cravings of a person. Desires must be controlled and focused to those that give life like eating, drinking and sleeping. PLATO THE SPIRITED SOUL 427 - 348 B.C. This is accountable for emotions and also makes sure that the rules of reason are followed in order to attain victory and / or honor. Emotions are checked.  PLATO 427 - 348 B.C. In his work, THE REPUBLIC, Plato emphasized that all 3 parts of the soul must work harmoniously to attain JUSTICE and VIRTUE in a person. The SOUL is the "GIVER OF LIFE TO THE BODY" BODY - CHANGING, TRANSITORY and PERISHABLE SOUL-PERMANENT, CHANGELESS and DIVINE ELEMENTS The BODY is the SHELL for the SOUL. The co-existence of the immaterial mind and the material body. "Our life is a continuous ascent towards the world of ideas." (Our life's journey is a continuous striving to free our soul from its imprisonment in the body.) Plato believed that the soul precedes birth and succeeds death. It is the soul or mind that attains knowledge, not the senses. He emphasized the social aspect of human nature. Humans are not self-sufficient; they need other people and benefit from social interactions. Aristotle was one of the most renowned pupils of Plato. Plato called him "THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE SCHOOL". The SELF is composed of BODY and SOUL, MIND and MATTER, SENSE and INTELLECT, PASSION and REASON. REASON is the emphasis of Aristotle. It is the SUPREME in a human person and so should govern all of life's activities. Reason is the development of a human person's, physical, economic, and social powers. Human happiness comes from the harmonious development of the whole self. Perfection and happiness come from WISDOM and virtue (True knowledge and doing what is best for you). GOLDEN MEAN - is a theory taught by Aristotle which means MODERATION (avoiding EXTREMES: too much or ARISTOTLE too little). 427 - 348 B.C. "Living a life of MODERATION is doing things in consonance with REASON.  MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO ST. THOMAS AQUINAS He was a North African Christian Theologian and Philosopher who influenced the development of Western Christianity and Philosophy. He combined Greek philosophy and truths contained in the Scriptures. The SELF is made up of BODY and SOUL, His concept of self is in the context of his RELATION TO GOD. "A SOUL IN POSSESSION OF A BODY" which "does not constitute two persons but one man. - Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. - Every human person is made for God. It is only upon his / her recognition of God's love and his / her response to the invitation to love that he/she finds inner peace. Happiness is the END-ALL and the BE-ALL of human ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO living and this happiness can be found in God alone. 354 - 430 A.D.  Possession of the goods of this world such as HEALTH, BEAUTY, POWER, HONOR, FAME can never give to a human person what he / she is truly looking for, as these goods are finite, unstable and ephemeral. At his conversion, St. Augustine remarked: "You have made our hearts for Thee, O God and so they will find rest only in Thee. Like Aristotle, St. Augustine also taught virtue which is "the ORDER OF LOVE". To love God means it is necessarily to love one's fellowmen. (Never to do any harm to another as you would not want others do unto you - This is Aristotle's GOLDEN MEAN). St. Augustine taught AGAINST HEDONISM: ST. AUGUSTINE Man craves for something perfect, immutable OF HIPPO and enduring.  Like Aristotle, Aquinas, proclaimed the supremacy of REASON in a human person. A human person can know the truth with certainty by the use of his reason. He stressed that there are some truths which could be known by human reason alone and which can be perceived only with the aid of the light of DIVINE REVELATION. TRUTHS known through REASON, TRUTHS known from Divine Revelation: can never contradict each other because they emanate from the same source, GOD, WHO IS TRUTH ITSELF. Like Aristotle, Aquinas taught man's longing for happiness on earth comes with the full development of man's powers. A higher form of human perfection beyond this life because of the immortality of the human soul can be found in GOD alone. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS St. Thomas was like St. Augustine who taught about 1225 – 1274 the human soul that is restless and imperfect until it rests in God.  MODERN DAY PHILOSOPHERS RENE DESCARTES JOHN LOCKE DAVID HUME IMMANUEL KANT GILBERT RYLE 1596-1650 1631-1704 1711-1776 1724-1804 1900-1976  THE FATHER OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY. He believed that the origin of the self came from the mind. The SELF is an IMMATERIAL MIND and a MATERIAL BODY = DUALISM. He believed that the mind is the SEAT OF CONSCIOUSNESS. (BODY - human senses, unreliable and should not be trusted.) One can have ideas prior to experience. He is known for his: "I THINK, THEREFORE I AM" -The rationality and activity of the mind RENE DESCARTES are at the center of man's being. 1596-1650  In his ESSAY: CONCERNING HUMAN UNDERSTANDING, he explained that at birth the (human) mind is a TABULA RASA which means "BLANK SLATE" (the mind is empty at birth.) MEMORY is necessary condition for personal identity. Impressions during infancy have very important and lasting consequences. He argued that "ASSOCIATION OF IDEAS" that individuals make when young are more important than those made later because they are the foundation of the self. While impressions during infancy serve as the foundation of the development of the self, this does not mean that individuals can no longer unmake the negative effect of not-so-good earlier experience. He emphasized the "FREEDOM OF INDIVIDUALS TO AUTHOR THEIR OWN SOUL". Individuals are free to define the content of their character except for their basic identity as a member of the human species. Like St. Augustine and St. Thomas, Locke believes that "God created man and we are in effect, God's property". SURVIVAL JOHN LOCKE - CHIEF END and set by our CREATOR. 1631-1704 Every human person has the right to LIFE, LIBERTY, HEALTH and PROSPERITY.  Scottish philosopher and an empiricist who believes that all concepts as well as knowledge come from the SENSES and EXPERIENCES. He argued that there is no self beyond what can be experienced. The SELF is a "BUNDLE OF COLLECTION of different perceptions. The SELF is a combination of experiences of a person. EXPERIENCES 1. IMPRESSIONS - real or actual experiences or sensations. It is a direct, vivid, and forceful products of immediate experience. DAVID HUME Example: 1711-1776 The sensation of touching a hot stove and feeling pain.  DAVID HUME 1711-1776 2. IDEAS The faint images of these impressions in thinking and reasoning. Example: remembering the pain from touching the hot stove later on.  One of the most influential philosophers of Western Philosophy. He contributed to the fields of metaphysics, ethics and aesthetics among others. We all have an inner and outer self which together form our consciousness. He believes that there must necessarily be something in us that organizes these sensations to create knowledge and ideas. REASON, not mere experience, is the foundation of knowledge. For him, it is the self that organizes and synthesizes our experiences into something IMMANUEL KANT meaningful to us. It is something that 1724-1804 transcends or is above our consciousness.  Arguing that the mind does not exist, and therefore can’t be the seat of self, Ryle believed that the SELF COMES FROM BEHAVIOR. We are all just a bundle of behaviors caused by the physical workings of the body. He proposed that we should instead focus on the observable behavior of a person in defining the "SELF". DUALITY APPROACH: 1. There can be a private, unobservable aspect of a person. 2. A different public and observable trait. Meaning: One can describe one's self as good but do otherwise in real life. He sees SELF as an entirety of thoughts, emotions, and actions of people that relates to observable behavior. We get to know others by observing their behavior and GILBERT RYLE inferring about their "selves". We can apply the same 1900-1976 observation and reflection on ourselves. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHERS MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY PAUL CHURCHLAND 1908-1961 1942-  The SELF is a manifestation of subjectivity, wherein a subject can act and cause effects, thus implying its existence. He believed that the physical body is a part of self-identity. The perceptions of the mind and the actions of the body are interconnected. Everything that we experience in this world - joy, sadness, love, remorse - happens with our bodies. The mind thinks in an embodied way. MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY The self is not an idea but rather a 1908 – 1961 LIVED EXPERIENCE.  Paul Churchland adheres to MATERIALISM (ELIMINATIVE) - the belief that nothing except matter exists. - THE SELF IS THE BRAIN. He asserts that the concept of the self originates in the physical brain, not an invented mind He argued that the mind does not exist because it cannot be experienced by one's senses. He believed that it is the physical PAUL CHURCHLAND brain that gives our sense of self not 1942- the imaginary mind.  GUIDE QUESTIONS 1. How do philosophers describe the nature of self? 2.Which philosopher would you say aligns with your views the most?Why? GSDMSFI CORE VALUES