The Self: Philosophical Perspective - UTS

The SELF Philosophical Perspective RONNEL D. DOMINES Faculty, Social Science Departmement College of Arts and Sciences Iloilo Science And Technology University  Objectives 1. Compared the role of Philosophy in Understanding the Self. 2. Distinguish...

The SELF Philosophical Perspective RONNEL D. DOMINES Faculty, Social Science Departmement College of Arts and Sciences Iloilo Science And Technology University  Objectives 1. Compared the role of Philosophy in Understanding the Self. 2. Distinguished the different concepts of the self from the philosophical perspective. 3. Created your philosophy of self.  Philosophy PHILOSOPHY is called the mother of all disciplines because all fields of study began as philosophical discourses. Ancient philosophers attempted to explain natural and social phenomena, coming up to their own definitions of how the world works and what factors contribute to such phenomena. It was also inevitable to come up with various conceptions of what it means to be human, and the different definitions of the self. SELF is the condition of identity that makes one subject of experience distinct from all others. It is sometimes understood as the unified being essentially connected to consciousness, awareness and agency (rational choice)  Empiricism vs. Rationalism Empiricsim - the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience. Rationalism - a belief or theory that opinions and actions should be based on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response. Empiricists’ believes that there is no thing such as innate knowledge; instead knowledge is derived from EXPERIENCE- either perceived by the five senses or processed with the brain While the Rationalist movement believe that innate knowledge exist and it has different sources. It explains self from standpoint of what is “ideal” and “true” not felt by the senses or body. Conclusions are derived through logic and reasoning. Rationalism vs. Empiricism  Who are you? To answer this question let us try to examine the following philosophers and their theories about the self or their basic tenets.  Socrates 1. SOCRATES is known for the phrase “Know thy Self”. He uses the “Socratic Method” (the dialogue between the soul and it self) to know more about self. He also believes that Knowledge is inherent to man. Introspection is examining or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes. Socrates believed that the “self” exists in two parts. Body and “Soul (Thinking and Willing Subject)” are attached, therefore making both parts of our “self” present in the physical realm. When we die however, our body stays in the physical realm while our soul travels to the ideal realm, therefore making our soul immortal. Self Knowledge - Ultimate Virtue - Ultimate Happiness  Plato 1. PLATO believed that PLATO believed that the self is the soul and that man is a soul who uses a body. “TWO WORLD THEORY” Ideal World (Intelligible world) - the true world of reality. Sensible World (World of Matter) - a world of becoming; it is a world of constant change. The nature of man lies in the dichotomy of body and soul. BODY is MATERIAL.The SOUL, on the other hand, can EXIST APART FROM THE BODY. It is immutable and indestructible. Plato's definition of self is that our soul is the only thing that is unchanging and eternal. The body is either a shell or a prison to house our soul. Our soul is divine and composed of virtues — love, courage, wisdom, and many others.  3 Parts of the Soul: APPETITIVE PART – part of the soul that drives man to experience thirst, hunger, and other physical wants. SPIRITUAL PART – part of the soul that makes man assert abomination and anger. It is the seat of EMOTIONS (i.e. anger, fear, hatred, jealousy). RATIONAL PART – it is the seat of REASONING.  Aristotle ARISTOTLE stated that Man is a RATIONAL ANIMAL. Body and soul are in a STATE OF UNITY. Phenomena is matter and ideals are essence The BODY is MATTER to the soul and the SOUL is the FORM to the body. RATIONAL SOUL exists only in man. The self or the human person is composed of body and soul. The two are inseparable. Thus, we cannot talk about the self with a soul only or a self with a body only. For Aristotle, the self is essentially body and soul.  Augustine 4. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO argued that man is a creation of God. Man is responsible for the existence of evil, not God, for God cannot will it because He is Absolute Goodness, says Augustine. It is therefore man’s nature, his freewill that makes man imperfect. Man is capable of reaching PERFECTION only if man keeps himself GOOD.  Rene Descartes RENE DESCARTES coined the phrase “Cogito ergo sum”- I think therefore I am SELF is a THINKING THING. Credited with being the “Father of Modern Philosophy.” The essential self—the self as thinking entity—is radically different than the self as physical body.  John Locke JOHN LOCKE believed in “Tabula rasa”- man is born with a blank slate. Proponent of The Memory Theory of the Self. CONSCIOUSNESS is what defines one’s SELF Self is unified by consciousness Consciousness is unified by connections between mental states  David Hume DAVID HUME (There is no Self) contended that the self is a bundle of perception. Hume argues that our concept of the self is a result of our natural habit of attributing unified existence to any collection of associated parts. SELF- is simply combination of all experiences with a particular person Believes that man can only know what comes from the senses and experiences.  Immanuel Kant IMMANUEL KANT (We construct the Self) It is the self that is constructing and organizing principles of experiences which creates a world that is familiar, predictable and significantly be called as mine. He stated that humans have inner and outer self METAPHYSICAL SELF explores the nature of being existence with no basis in reality. The INNER SELF includes rational reasoning and psychological state. The OUTER SELF includes the body and physical mind where  Gilbert Ryle GILBERT RYLE (THE SELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE) Self is best understood as a collection of behavior that leads to a person to behave in accordance with different circumstances. Self is known through the actions revealed by MODES OF BEHAVIOR “I act therefore I am”  PATRICIA and PAUL CHURCHLAND PATRICIA and PAUL CHURCHLAND said that the self is the BRAIN Neurophilosophy-Concerned with association of the brain and the mind. In order to understand the workings of the human mind, people must first understand the brain, its functions and wave activity. the physical brain and not imaginary brain that controls self He advocates the eliminative materialism or physiology of the body and brain which explains that all of us have a brain but if it is gone, there is no self at all. Our brain is not inseparable from our body.  MERLEAU-PONTY MERLEAU-PONTY posited that the self is EMBODIED SUBJECTIVITY and is based on experience PHYSICAL BODY is important in subjective being “SELF”- is a product of both idealist and realist standpoints. Mind and Body are so intertwined that they cannot be separated from one another. One’s body is his opening toward his existence to the world. The living body, his thoughts emotions and experiences are all ONE. According to him, all the knowledge of every individual comes from the inner world of subjective phenomena of experience that people are aware in everything within its consciousness. THANK YOU!