Philosophical Self Module 1 PDF

Philosoph ical Self Module 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES DISTINGUISH the different notions of the self from the points of view of the various Western philosophers. EXAMINE one’s view of the self and compare it to the various views of...

Philosoph ical Self Module 1: The Self from Various Perspectives  DESIRED LEARNING OUTCOMES DISTINGUISH the different notions of the self from the points of view of the various Western philosophers. EXAMINE one’s view of the self and compare it to the various views of the philosophers. Class 1. Get a piece of paper 2. Answer the following question: Activi “What is your view about your ty SELF?” 3. Write only 1 or 2 words PHILOSOPHICAL SELF Questions: What is something that brings me joy? What scares me the most right now? What motivates me to go to school?  Philosophical Self Initially, the word "Philosophy" comes from the Greek roots Philo- which means love, and Sophos means wisdom. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were considered great Greek philosophers in the Western during ancient times.  SOCRATES He invented the phrase "Know Thyself," believing it is a philosopher's task. Knowing Thyself would mean that a person must stand and live according to his/her nature. He notes that everyone is composed of body and soul. Individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect, the body while maintaining that there is also a perfect and permanent soul. He notes that everyone is composed of body and soul. Individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect, the body while maintaining that there is also a perfect and permanent soul. The self can be understood through self-knowledge and self-examination.  PLATO The famous student of Socrates. He took off when his teacher died and vastly elaborated on his philosophy. He claimed that the soul (mind) itself is divided into 3 parts and that person differs as to which part of their nature is predominant: 1. Rational Soul 2. Spirited Soul 3. Appetitive Soul The self centers around the theory of Forms (or Ideas) and the concept of the soul. “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others” ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO He agreed with Plato that human being is dualistic, and he then combined his beliefs in the newfound doctrine of Christianity. He believed that the body possessed senses, such as imagination, memory, reason, and mind through which the soul experienced the world. And the senses can only grasp/feel the temporal objects in the material world, yet the immaterial but intangible God can only be clear to the mind if one tune into his/her immaterial self/soul. The self is a restless soul seeking its ultimate fulfillment and rest in God's love. “Grant Lord, that I may know Myself that I may know Thee”  THOMAS AQUINAS The doctor of the church and the most eminent 13th-century scholar and stalwart of the medieval Philosophy He elucidates that man is composed of two parts: (1) Matter – refers to the common stuff that makes up everything in the universe. (2) Form – refers to the essence of a substance or thing, it is what makes it what it is. The soul makes humans different from animals as it animates the body; it makes us humans. The self is a rational and immortal soul uniquely united with a physical body, created in the image of God.  RENE DESCARTES A French philosopher and considered the father of modern Western philosophy. His is known in his famous line “Cogito ergo sum”; translated as “I think. Therefore I am”; He stressed that everything the senses can perceive through the body could NOT be used as proof of existence, and there is only one thing that one could be sure of in this world, which is the act of doubting (Otig et al., 2018). The body is nothing but a machine attached to the mind. So, what makes a person a person? Descartes said: “But what then, am I? A thinking thing”. It has been said. Nevertheless, what is a thinking thing? It is a thing that doubts, understands (conceives), affirms, denies, wills, refuses, imagines, and perceives (Descartes, 2008).  JOHN LOCKE He introduced the concept of the “tabula rasa”; or “blank slate”. It means that the human mind at birth is like a blank slate that has not been written on, meaning it does not possess innate ideas, knowledge, or pre-existing content. He believed that the self is identified with consciousness, and this self consists of the sameness of consciousness. For him, a person’s memories provide a continuity of experience that allows him/her to identify himself/herself as the same person over time. The self is not an innate entity but rather a product of individual consciousness and the continuous experiences that shape one’s identity over time.  DAVID HUME A Scottish Enlightenment philosopher who highlights empiricism. Empiricism is the school of thought that suggests that knowledge can only be possible if sensed and experienced. As an empiricist, Hume believed that one can know only through one’s senses and experiences. Self is simply a bundle of collections of different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and movement (Hume & Steinberg, 1992). The self is a bundle of perceptions and experiences, lacking a unified and enduring substance.  IMMANUEL KANT Thinking of the self as a mere combination of impressions was problematic to Kant. He thinks that 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. He asserts that without the self, one cannot organize the different impressions that one gets concerning his existence. The self is a transcendental unity of apperception, the necessary condition for organizing all experiences and concepts.  GILBERT RYLE He criticized Descartes’ idea that the mind is distinct from the body. He defended that the distinction between mind and matter is a “category mistake” because it attempts to analyze the relation between mind and body as if the two were terms of the same categories (Nath, 2013). For him, what truly matters is a person’s daily behavior. He believed that the actions and behaviors of a person define the sense of self. “I act; therefore I am.” The self is the result of a “category mistake” an erroneous belief in a separate mental entity distinct from observable behaviors and dispositions.  MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY He was a philosopher and author who rejected the mind-body dualism view; instead, he insisted that the mind and body are intertwined and cannot be separated. He argued that the body is part of the mind, and the mind is part of the body. The mind perceives what the body senses experience from the external world, then the body acts out of what the mind The self is an embodied and inseparable entity, existing within the lived experiences and interactions with the surrounding world. “Physical body is an important part of the self”  Indeed, philosophers have varying views on the self. However, it is important to note their historical backgrounds and orientations, which likely influenced most of their views. These ideas were presented for you to contemplate and determine whether you fit or relate to