Student Chapter 1 The Philosophical Self PDF

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig SESSION NO. / WEEK NO. 2 MODULE NO. 1: THE PHILOSOPHICAL SELF 1. Overview 2. Philosophy, self, and philosophy of self 3. Western and Eastern Philosophies 4. Views of th...

RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig SESSION NO. / WEEK NO. 2 MODULE NO. 1: THE PHILOSOPHICAL SELF 1. Overview 2. Philosophy, self, and philosophy of self 3. Western and Eastern Philosophies 4. Views of the eminent philosophers on self Overview This module will walk you through in determining the differences between the western and eastern philosophies – in general, and to understand philosophy and self. Moreover, by the end of this module you will be able to understand and appreciate the different views of the eminent western and eastern philosophers on “self”. Study Guide To carefully understand this module, you are instructed to read thoroughly this module and the suggested readings to understand and be enlightened more of the discussion. Further, an activity and assessment are provided at the end of this module to assess your learning. Learning Outcomes At the end of the module, you will be able to: 1. Define philosophy and self 2. Differentiate the western and eastern philosophies 3. Understand the views of western and eastern philosophies on self 4. Understand why one design is selected over another. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 1  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig Topic Presentation Before you proceed reading this module, kindly accomplished the activity no. 1 see the guided/learning activities section. Frequently Asked Questions: Do you KNOW yourself? Do you UNDERSTAND yourself? Is it possible that you know yourself but you also do not understand yourself? How is KNOWING different from UNDERSTANDING? Philosophy, Self, and the Philosophy of Self When asked about the definition of philosophy and self, what comes first into your mind? As defined by the Encyclopaedia Britannica (2020), Philosophy is originated from the Greek work “Philosophia” meaning the “love of wisdom”. It primarily aims to the study and seek answers to fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, logic and language. A philosopher once said “All men by nature desire to know”. Does this mean that as a person, do we really do not know and understanding ourselves? To answer this, let us define first knowing and understanding. According to Merriam Webster, knowing is having or reflecting knowledge, information, or intelligence. Meanwhile, understanding the capacity to comprehend fully and deeply a thing, concept or situation. Let us have the following applications as an example: zoom, discord, and Google Meet. In terms of knowing, you technically know by now that these are applications or software that can be utilized for synchronous meetings, but do you understand how each work? Such as the features, the functions, the MBPS consumptions and all. On the other hand, applying the same to a person, you may know her or him by name, but do you really understand him or her? It is important to note that this also applies to us. For instance, we know that we are angry, agitated, sad, happy but there is moment that we don’t actually understand why we are feeling what we are feeling. Is this normal? Definitely it is. What is “self”? There is no absolute definition of self. The following are the definitions of self: An individual’s character or behavior. (Merriam-Webster, Since 1828) The union of elements (such as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person. (Merriam-Webster, Since 1828) UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 2  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig The unified being essentially integrated to our consciousness or awareness. In defining and understanding the concepts of self, various viewpoints from Western and Eastern philosophies were proposed in this module. And before we proceed with the different philosophies let us discuss first the concepts of self. The concepts of self may be examined in five ways: self-knowledge, self-activity, self- independent of the senses, self-identity and self-image. Self-knowledge refers to one’s knowledge and understanding of one’s own learning, characters, motivation and capabilities. To have self-knowledge, one must know his/her particular experiences, sensation, attitudes and belief. Self-activity is defined as an independent and self-determined action of one person. It is the quality or state of being self-active. A person’s decision to carry out actions which you have thought about yourself and not been told to do by others. It infers motion or the power of moving one’s self without the help or aid of the external – ability to be self-independent. Self-independent of the senses refers to the inner self. It focuses on internal attributes like our abilities, skills and natural intelligence that are not acquired. It is also related to a person’s sense of worth or self-esteem and help us to strive and to achieve our goals in life. Self-identity is the particular characteristics of the self that determines individual’s uniqueness among others. It is the recognition of one’s potentials and qualities as an individual. It is the awareness of one’s individual identity. For example, gender identity and identification cards. Self-image is a mental picture of an individual and is quite resistant to change through time regarding one’s ability, personality, and role. It is how you see yourself and feels about your personality, achievements and values in life. For example, a person who sees his self or herself beautiful and smart. A mental picture of a person about himself at the past or present (Tomas, et al., 2018). Philosophy is a broad term. Hence, in this activity, you only need to study and focus on the philosophies about self. Both western and eastern philosophies have proposed and contributed in the understanding of self. And as we move forward, we will be looking into the views of the following philosophers: Western Philosophy: Socrates: The First Moral Philosopher (469-399 B.C.E.) Aristotle: The Father of Western Philosophy (384-322 B.C.E.) Rene Descartes (1596-1650) David Hume: Scottish Empiricist (1711-1776) John Locke: English Empirical Philosopher (1632-1704) Sigmund Freud: Drive Theory of Self (1856-1939) Virgilio Enriquez: Ama ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino (1942-1994) Eastern Philosophy: Hindu Philosophy of Self (1500 B.C.E) Buddhist Philosophy of Self (5th Century B.C.E. to the present) Confucian Philosophy (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 3  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig However, you have to first distinguish and establish the major differences between western and eastern philosophies. Kindly see the activity no. 2 on the guided/learning activities section. The views of the eminent Philosophers on Self “Know thyself” - Socrates: The First Moral Philosopher (470-399 B.C.E.) Readings: * Socrates philosophy about self. Socrates believes that to understand the self is “know thyself”. The particular characteristics of the self-determine its identity. This assertion, imperative in the form, indicates that man must stand and live according to his nature. Man has to look at himself. To find what means? How, then. This knowledge of oneself can be achieved only through the Socratic Method through the dialogue between the soul and itself or between a student and his teacher. Without this work on oneself, life is worthless. According to Socrates, “an unexamined life is not worth living”. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom” -Aristotle: The Father of Western Philosophy (384-322 B.C.E.) Readings: * Aristotle’s The three parts of soul. * idea of Monism * Aristotle on the Individuality of Self (Pdf) Aristotle undeniably diverged from Plato in his view of what a human being most truly and fundamentally is. Plato, at least in many of his dialogues, held that the true self of human beings is the reason or the intellect that constitutes their soul and that is UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 4  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig separable from their body. Aristotle, for his part, insisted that the human being is a composite of body and soul and that the soul cannot be separated from the body (Sihvola, 2008) Image Source: shorturl.at/jkuFW “I think, therefore I am” -Rene Descartes (1596-1650) Readings: * Dualism. * Cogito ergo sum To him the “self” is a thinking person. In his writing “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am). He stressed that the mind is a substance within the brain capable of thinking (affirming, doubting, judging etc.). The self then, is regarded the one that makes us aware to perceive the external world. Descartes emphasized the notion of self which is made Image Source: shorturl.at/jmuwM of consciousness that forms our thinking and guides our behavior. It is the self that perceived the world. “Humans are bundles of impression and ideas” -David Hume: Scottish Empiricist (1711-1776) Readings: * Bundle Theory of Personal Identity. * David Hume, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (link: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/) The self is nothing more than the mental Image Source: shorturl.at/hvCR3 perceptions which are available to our memory. This perception relies on our previous experiences that give meaning based on the principles of cause and effects. We view UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 5  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig things as distinct but they are connected together by resemblance, contiguity or causation. All perceptions of the mind is divided in two distinct kinds, the “impressions” and “ideas”. Impressions are the original form of all our ideas. The self-according to Hume can be explained further in the “Bundle Theory of Personal Identity”. Hume said the mind is simply a bonded of perceptions and experiences linked by the relations of causations and resemblance. “Self is a thinking intelligent being that has reason and reflection, and can consider itself as itself, the same thinking thing, in different times and places” - John Locke: English Empirical Philosopher (1632-1704) Readings: * Personal Identity change over time The self can be understood by examining one’s mind and what constitute the mind. Locke stressed that mind consists Image Source: shorturl.at/xJMQU of memory where our consciousness (thoughts, experiences) resides. Locke suggests that the self is a thinking intelligent being that has reason and reflection and continuous to define one’s personal identity. “The ego is not master in its own house” - Sigmund Freud: Drive Theory of Self (1856- 1939) Readings: * Structures of Personality Sigmund Freud is known for his structure of personality, namely: id, ego and superego. These concepts were actually the same with Aristotle’s tripartite soul. Image Source: shorturl.at/uwxJW UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 6  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig Image Source: shorturl.at/ntJKY “Ama ng Sikolohiyang Pilipino” - Virgilio Enriquez: (1942-1994) And of course, the least but not the least is Dr. Enriquez, a.k.a. Doc E, he is the Father of Filipino Psychology. He was born on November 24, 1942 at Santol, Bulacan. Sikolohiyang Pilipino or the Filipino Psychology refers to the psychology born out of the experience, though and orientation of the Filipinos. He also said that a Filipino can better understand himself and in turn, be able to improve his life more. Further, he stated that the core value of Sikolohiyang Pilipino is the concept of “Kapwa”, a tagalog word that covers the concepts of both “self” and “others” (People Pill, n.d.). UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 7  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig In Hinduism, the concept of “Atman” or “soul or breath” is their main concept when it comes to self. The Atman is the universal self that is believes to be identical with the core of the personality that after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains release from the bonds of existence. If Atman is the universal, for Hinduism, Brahman or the absolute underlies the workings of the universe. To put it simply, Atman is part of the Brahman, with which commune or even fuse. Image Source: shorturl.at/uvBJ3 Image Source: shorturl.at/cjrt6 In contrast to Hinduism, Buddhism believes in “Anatta” or non-self. Non-self does not suggest that there is no self, rather, in Buddhism, the this is the doctrine that there is in humans no permanent, underlying substance that can be called the “soul”. However, Buddhism also mentioned about the five (5) Skandha or the “aggregates”. This five (5) elements, namely: form, sensation, perception, mental formation and awareness or consciousness, sum up the whole of an individual’s mental and physical existence. In short, the self cannot be identified with any one of the parts nor is it the total of the parts (Britannica, 2020). UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 8  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig Better known in China as “Master Kong” (Chinese: Kongzi), Confucius was a fifth- century BCE Chinese thinker whose influence upon East Asian intellectual and social history is immeasurable. Like the Buddhism, Confucianism also believes in “No Self’. In Confucianism the quest for the human self, the search for what it is to be human in terms of substance or no-substance, in terms of spirit or body, does not exist. Accordingly, every person is born with four beginnings, which do not encapsulate a concept of self as yet, but which together, if put in the western Image source: shorturl.at/lsK78 framework of thinking, may be called ‘pre-self’, or ‘potential-self’: These pre-selves are: heart of compassion – leads to Jen heart of righteousness – leads to Yi heart of propriety – leads to Li heart of wisdom – leads to Chih Readings: * Confucius (link: https://iep.utm.edu/confuciu/) * The Concept of "Self" in Confucian Thought (link: http://www.tparents.org/UNews/unws9908/Klemme_confucian.htm Guided Exercises / Learning Activities Activity No. 1 You are instructed to proceed to this link: https://forms.gle/dZa8TAZurmXa1JVDA This activity entitled “Exploring Your Name” is recorded and do not have right or wrong answer. However, I hope that you were able to respond on each question with honesty. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 9  RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig Activity No. 2 Based on your further readings what is/are the major differences between Western and Easter Philosophies. Western Eastern 1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. Note: you can add more rows if needed. Assessment Quiz will be scheduled after the synchronous class. References (n.d.). Retrieved from People Pill: https://peoplepill.com/people/virgilio-enriquez/ Britannica, T. E. (2020). Philosophy. Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosophy Richey, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://iep.utm.edu/confuciu/ Tomas, R. D., Sanchez, M. T., Paragas, E. T., Perez, N. S., Marasigan, J. B., Miranda, M. B.,... Espiritu, A. F. (2018). Understanding The Self. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc. UNDERSTANDING THE SELF 10