UTS Lesson 1: Self from Philosophical Perspective PDF

GE 1 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF  CHAPTER 1 THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPETIVES LESSON 1 The Self from Philosophical Perspective Lesson objectives ⚫ Discuss the different representations and conceptualization of the self from Philosophical perspective. ⚫ Examine th...

GE 1 UNDERSTANDING THE SELF  CHAPTER 1 THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPETIVES LESSON 1 The Self from Philosophical Perspective Lesson objectives ⚫ Discuss the different representations and conceptualization of the self from Philosophical perspective. ⚫ Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self. ⚫ Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across the different disciplines and perspectives. ⚫ Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and identity by developing a theory of the self Who is your favourite philosopher?  The Self from Philosophical Perspective  Who am I? (write your concept of self)  SOCRATES ⚫ Ancient Greek philosopher ⚫ The most important thing in life is the state of an individual soul. ⚫ The essence of the self - the soul - is the immortal entity. The soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and the reason is the soul’s tool. ⚫ Reality consist of two dichotomous realms: Physical realm (body) – changing; Ideal realm (intellectual essences of the universe)-unchanging, eternal.  SOCRATES ⚫ “An unexamined life is not worth living”. The individual person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself. ⚫ Socratic method – introspection to gain self-knowledge (know thyself)  PLATO ⚫ Ancient Greek philosopher ⚫ Self synonymous with soul. Soul is indeed the most divine aspect of the human being which has three parts namely: 1. Appetitive(sensual- basic biological needs) 2. Rational (reasoning – enable us to think deeply, make wise choices), and 3. Spirited (feeling – basic emotions)  PLATO ⚫ THEORY OF FORMS- asserted that physical world is not really the “real” world because the ultimate reality exist beyond the physical world. Since the soul is regarded as something permanent, man should give more importance to it than the physical body. ST. AUGUSTINE ⚫ Self was an inner immaterial “I” that had self-knowledge and self-awareness. ⚫ He believe that the human being was both a soul and body possessed senses such as imagination, memory, reason and mind through which the soul experienced the world. ⚫ 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. ST. AUGUSTINE ⚫ God is transcendent and the self seeks to be united with God through faith and reason. ⚫ The goal of the human person is to attain this communion and bliss with the divine by living his life on earth in virtue. RENE DESCARTES ⚫ French philosopher – the father of modern philosophy ⚫ He wants to penetrate the nature of reasoning process and understanding its relationship to the human self. ⚫ “Cogito ergo sum” – I think, therefore I am. ⚫ The act of thinking about the self – of being self-conscious – is in itself proof that there is a self. RENE DESCARTES ⚫ Theory of rationalism – no rational person will doubt his or her own existence as a conscious thinking entity while we are aware of thinking about our selves. ⚫ I THINK, THEREFORE, I AM OR I AM DOUBTING, THEREFORE, I AM. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? JOHN LOCKE ⚫ English philosopher ⚫ The human mind at birth is Tabula rasa or a “blank slate” ⚫ Self is identified with consciousness and this self consist of memory that the person existing now is the same person yesterday because he/she remembers the thoughts, experiences or actions of the earlier self. JOHN LOCKE ⚫ Self-consciousness is necessary to have a coherent personal (self) identity or knowledge of the self as person ⚫ Empiricism – the origin of all knowledge is sense of experience. These experiences shape and mold the self throughout a person’s life. DAVID HUME ⚫ Scottish philosopher ⚫ The self is not entity over and beyond the physical body ⚫ Self was nothing but a series of incoherent impressions received by the senses. Did not believe in the existence of self; perceptions are only active as long as one is conscious. ⚫ What people experience is just a bundle or collection of different perceptions (bundle theory) DAVID HUME ⚫ Contents of experience – there are only two distinct entities; impressions (basic sensations or people’s experience) and ideas (thoughts and images from impressions) IMMANUEL KANT ⚫ German philosopher ⚫ Human mind creates the structure of human experience. ⚫ The self is an organizing principle that makes a unified and intelligible experience possible. The self constructs its own reality, actively creating a world that is familiar, predictable, and most significant, mine. IMMANUEL KANT TWO COMPONENTS OF SELF ⚫ INNER SELF – includes rational, intellect, and psychological state such as moods, feelings, and sensations, and pleasures and pain. ⚫ OUTER SELF – it includes your sense and the physical world GILBERT RYLE ⚫ British philosopher ⚫ solves the mind-body dichotomy by denying the concept of an internal, non-physical self. For him, what truly matters is the behaviour that a person manifests in his day-to-day life. ⚫ He suggested that the self is what people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make. MERLEAU-PONTY ⚫ Merleau-Ponty believes that the mind and body are intertwined and therefore, inseparable. Embodied an individual are his living body, his thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Activity ⚫ Choose one philosopher that relates to your concepts of self.