Understanding the Self PDF

Understanding the Self A Course and Experience of Creating Deeper Understanding of One’s Self Prepared by: Leira Mhay Espineli, RPm  Self from Various Perspectives Philosophy Sociology Anthropology Psychology Philosophical Perspective  What is Philos...

Understanding the Self A Course and Experience of Creating Deeper Understanding of One’s Self Prepared by: Leira Mhay Espineli, RPm  Self from Various Perspectives Philosophy Sociology Anthropology Psychology Philosophical Perspective  What is Philosophy? Study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence Philos = Love Sophia = Wisdom Originated in Athens, Greece at around 600 BCE Prominent Figures in Philosophy  Socrates Ancient Greek philosopher (but not a writer) Mentor of Plato Western Philosophy is believed to be originated from him.  Socratic Method Way of questioning truth by utilizing series of questions to search for the correct definition of a thing Leads the person to the finality of understanding “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think”  Socrates’ Perspective on Human Nature “The unexamined life is not worth living” Finding the “True self” means to reach one’s “soul”.  Plato (Aristocles) He founded “The Academy” Theory of Forms - the physical world is not the real world; ultimate reality exists beyond our physical world (i.e., in the Realm of Forms) Forms - abstract, perfect unchanging concepts or ideas that transcend time and space  Plato’s Theory of Forms Characteristics of Forms 1. Ageless and eternal 2. Unchanging and permanent 3. Unmoving and indivisible  Plato’s Theory of Forms Plato’s Dualism 1. Realm of Shadows - changing, sensible things which are imperfect and flawed 2. Realm of Forms - Eternal things which are permanent and perfect; it is the source of all reality and true knowledge  Plato’s Tripartite Soul The Reason - rational and motivated by goodness and truth The Spirited - non-rational and is the will or drive toward action The Appetites - irrational and lean towards the desire for pleasure Allegory of Cave  Plato Theory of Love and Becoming Allegory of the Cave “The more the person knows, the more he is and the better he is.” “Love is the way by which a person can move from a state of imperfect knowledge and ignorance to a state of perfection and true knowledge.” “Love is the way of knowing and realizing the truth. And to love the highest is to become the best.”  St. Augustine of Hippo Christian philosopher He initially rejected Christianity because it looked that it cannot provide him the answers to his questions of interest He sought the existence of moral evil as well as the sufferings in the world  St. Augustine of Hippo’s Perspective on Human Nature There are 2 realms in understanding human nature: 1. God as the source of all reality and truth 2. The sinfulness of man  Role of Love “God is love and He created humans for them to also love.” “Disordered love results when people love the wrong things which was believed to give him/her happiness.”  Role of Love Love of Physical objects = sin of greed Not lasting and excessive love for people = sin of jealousy Love for the Self = sin of pride Love for God = supreme virtue and real happiness  Rene Descartes Father of Modern Philosophy Considered as one of the Rationalist Philosophers in Europe He applied scientific method and mathematics in his philosophy Cartesian Doubt - to become skeptical and doubt the truth of one’s beliefs  Rene Descartes Two Powers of the Human Mind Intuition - ability to apprehend direction of certain truths Deduction - ability to discover what is not known by orderly progressing from what is already known  Rene Descartes’ Perspective on Human Nature “Cogito ergo sum.” = “I think, therefore I am.” The cognitive aspect of human nature is his basis for the existence of the self The Mind/Body Problem (Cartesian Dualism - soul/mind is a substance separate from the body/brain  John Locke His works focused on the activities of the human mind, especially how people acquire knowledge Ideas from objects that were experienced (a posteriori) produces knowledge Tabula Rasa = blank slate of mind  John Locke’s Perspective on Human Nature Moral, religious and political values must come from sense experiences “Greatest Possible Good” Morality has to do with choosing the good Morality is defined by conformity towards the Divine Law, Civil Law and Law of Opinion  David Hume Empiricism and skepticism ‘He never again entertained any belief in religion’ after reading John Locke’s philosophy  David Hume The Human Mind Mind receives materials from senses, called perceptions and has two types: Impressions – immediate sensation of external reality Ideas – recollections of impressions  David Hume Principles of Association 1. Principle of Resemblance - similar things tend to revive each other 2. Principle of Contiguity - things occurring together or next to another tend to revive each other 3. Principle of Cause-and-Effect - things in a cause-and-effect relationship revive each other David Hume’s Perspective on Human Nature Unlike other philosophers, Hume used the term “self” instead of “soul” People have no sense impression of self; hence, it is only imaginary and there is no ‘personal identity’ behind perceptions Permanent self is not existent  Immanuel Kant Founder of German Idealism He wrote the three books: Critique of Pure Reason, Critique of Practical Reason and Critique of Judgment Immanuel Kant’s View of Mind Mind is not just a passive receiver of experience but rather actively participates in knowing the objects it experiences Mind does not conform to the world; rather, the world conforms to the mind Immanuel Kant’s Perspective of Human Nature Transcendental Apperception – uniting and building of coherent consciousness out of different elementary inner experiences The kingdom of God is within man. (God is manifested in people’s lives therefore it is man’s duty to move towards perfection. He emphasized that people should always see duty as a divine command)  Sigmund Freud Austrian neurologist One of the pioneering figures of Psychology and founder of psychoanalysis Suggested the idea of the unconscious mind, hysteria, free association, dream analysis and hypnosis (it would help the person recognized repress thoughts and thus bring him back to emotional stability)  Sigmund Freud Levels of Mental Life Unconscious – contains all drives, urges or instincts that are beyond our awareness but nevertheless motivate most of our words, feelings and actions Preconscious – contains all elements that are not conscious but can become conscious either quite readily or with some difficulty Consciousness – mental elements in awareness at any given point in time  Sigmund Freud Provinces of the Mind Id – seeks pleasure (pleasure principle) APPETITE Ego – the only region of the mind in contact with reality (reality principle) SPIRITED Superego – represents the moral and ideal aspects of personality (moralistic principle) REASON  Gilbert Ryle English philosopher He contradicted Cartesian Dualism (mind/body problem) Ghost in the Machine – human consciousness and mind are very dependent on the human brain Gilbert Ryle’s Perspective on Human Nature Man is endowed with free will and it was invented to determine if an action deserve a praise or blame Two types of knowledge: 1. Knowing-that 2. Knowing-how Patricia and Paul Churchland Canadian philosophers Combined neurology and philosophy in addressing the age-old problem suggested by Cartesian dualism “There isn’t a special thing called the mind. The mind just is the brain.” - Patricia Churchland Brain is the embodiment of the self Patricia and Paul Churchland’s Perspective on Human Nature Abnormalities on the brain physiology leads to deviant thoughts, feelings and actions Normal brain – facilitates socially accepted behavior Compromised brain – gives rise to aberrant behavior  Maurice Merleau-Ponty French phenomenological philosopher He wrote books on perception, art and political thought He argued that the human body is the primary site of knowing the world  Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Perspective on Human Nature The subject-body concept Phenomenology provides a direct description of the human experience while perception forms the background of the experience which serves to guide man’s conscious actions Perception is not constant Awesome words