Philosophical Perspective On The Self PDF

PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE SELF Understanding the Self Who am I?  OBJECTIVES: 1. State the importance of understanding oneself; 2. Explain the various notions of the self from different philosophical perspectives; 3. Examine oneself in relation to the philosophi...

PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE SELF Understanding the Self Who am I?  OBJECTIVES: 1. State the importance of understanding oneself; 2. Explain the various notions of the self from different philosophical perspectives; 3. Examine oneself in relation to the philosophical perspectives of the self. Activity: 1.How would you characterize your self? 2.What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes your self special? 3.How has your self transformed itself? Activity: 4. How is your self connected to your body? 5. How is your self related to other selves? 6. What will happen to your self after you die? What is Philosophy?  derived from two Greek words, “philo-” means ‘love’, + “sophia” means ‘wisdom’. What is means “love of wisdom”. Philosophy? the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline Greek Philosophers SOCRATES (469-399 BCE) stated that “an unexamined life is not worth living.” he believes that every person is dualistic. SOCRATES two (2) dichotomous realms Physical realm Ideal realm - changeable, -unchanging, eternal, transient, and and immortal imperfect -the soul belongs to - the body belongs to this realm this realm SOCRATES He was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning about the self, by asking these questions who we are? who we should be? who we will become He stated that, “our preoccupation with bodily needs such as food, drink, sex, pleasure, material possessions, and wealth keep us from attaining wisdom”. Greek Philosophers PLATO (428-347 BCE) Socrates’s student. He further expounded the idea of the soul. PLATO 1. Rational Soul 2. Appetitive Soul 3. Spirited Soul PLATO believes that genuine happiness can only be achieved by people who consistently make sure that their Rational is in control/ in charge of their Spirits and Appetites. Greek Philosophers ARISTOTLE (384-322 BCE) a student of Plato the body and the soul are two inseparable components of the human. the soul makes a person a person. ARISTOTLE  ST. AUGUSTINE (354-430 BCE) believe in the view of Plato, the duality of a person, and infused it with the doctrine of Christianity. “I am doubting, therefore I am.” ST. AUGUSTINE believed that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God. the self is known only through knowing God. the body is bound to die on earth and the soul is to anticipate living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God.  RENÉ DESCARTES (1596-1650) was a French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher. Father of modern philosophy “I think therefore I am.” (cogito ergo sum) RENÉ DESCARTES what makes a person a person is therefore the mind, and the body is just some kind of a machine that is attached and controlled by it.  JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704) was an English philosopher, political theorist, and physician. a person’s mind is a blank slate or tabula rasa at birth. It is through experiences that this blank slate is filled. JOHN LOCKE “The self is consciousness.” This “self” cannot be found in the soul nor in the body but in one’s consciousness.  DAVID HUME (1711-1776) was a Scottish philosopher and an empiricist. the self is a combinations of experiences of a person. “There is no such thing as the ‘self’.  IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804) one of the most influential philosophers on Western philosophy. believes that there must necessarily be something in us that organizes these sensations to create knowledge and ideas.  GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976) “The self is the way people behave.” One can describe one’s “self” as good but do otherwise in real life. MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY (1908-1961) a French existentialist and phenomenologist. stated that mind and body are interconnected with each other and therefore cannot be separated. PAUL CHURCHLAND (1942- ) the self is inseparable from the brain and the body. it is the brain and not the imaginary mind that gives us our sense of self. “The self is the brain.”