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SELF Module 1 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PHILOSOPHY

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Unit 1 THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE

MODULE 1 FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PHILOSOPHY

WRITER:

Dr. CONCEPCION C. OFAMEN

Associate Professor I

Learning Outcomes

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At the end of this module, you are expected t0
 :Know the meaning of philosophy
 Identify different philosophers and their contributions
 .Discuss and explain the answer to the famous question “Who am I?”
 Dev elop you own philosophy of the self 

INTRODUCTION:

In the course of history, philosophers have given an impressive variety of

answers to the question, “What is self?” Some of them have even argued that there is
no such thing at all. This volume explores the various ways in which selfhood was
approached and conceptualised in antiquity. How did the ancients understand what it is
that I am, fundamentally, as an acting and affected subject, interpreting the world
around me, being distinct from others like and unlike me? The authors highlight the
attempts in ancient philosophical sources to grasp the evasive character of the
specifically human presence in the world. They also describe how the ancient
philosophers understood human agents as capable of causing changes and being
affected in and by the world.

The philosophy of self is the study of the many conditions of identity that make one
subject of experience distinct from other experiences. The self is sometimes
understood as a unified being essentially connected to consciousness, awareness, and
agency.

Please watch the video and be ready for a quiz next meeting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybCAXqkzPhw

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https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

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https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

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https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

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https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

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philosophical-perspectives

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philosophical-perspectives

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philosophical-perspectives

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philosophical-perspectives

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philosophical-perspectives

ACTIVITY #1 Identify the following statements

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1. made up of ourselves and the physical world where the representation of objects
EXTERNAL SELF
2. "The truth is like a lion. You don't have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself."

An important figure in the development of Western Christianity.

His philosophy of man brings together wisdom of the Greek philosophy and the divine
truths contained in the scripture.

The absolute and immutable is the living God, the creator of the entire universe.

To love God means to love one's fellowmen, and to love one's fellowmen means never
to do any harm to another.

"Do unto others, what you want others do unto you"

ST. AUGUSTINE
3. A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence"

Rejects the notion of identity over time

There are no "persons" that continue to exist over time, there are merely impressions.

"The self is bundle of impression"

DAVID HUME
4. Something that a person perennially molds, shapes, and develops

Not a static thing that one is simply born with

Everyone is tasked to discover ones self.

SELF
5. "All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature,
compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire."

Contributed the foundation of both symbolic logic and scientific thinking.

The best way to gain knowledge was through "natural philosophy", which is what we
would now call science.

Happiness, which is dependent in an individual's virtues, is the central purpose of

human life and a goal in itself.
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ARISTOTLE
6. Composed of psychological states and informed decisions; remembering our own
state, how can we combine the new and old ideas with our mind
INTERNAL SELF
7. Father of modern philosophy

"Dubito ergo cogito, cogito ergo sum" (I doubt therefore I think, I think therefore I am)

The Self is defined as a subject that thinks.

The self that has full competence in the powers of human reason.

Having distanced the self from all sources of truth from authority and tradition, the self
can only find its truth and authenticity within its own capacity to think.

"The fact that I am doubting, cannot be anymore open to doubt."

RENE DESCARTES
8. "I made it, and so I am."

Rejects the theory that mental states are separable from physical states.

Concluded that adequate descriptions of human behavior need never refer to anything
but the operations of human bodies.

His form of Philosophical Behaviorism (the belief that all mental phenomena can be
explained by reference to publicly observable behavior) became a standard view for
several decades.
GILBERT RYLE

9. "We know not through our intellect but through our experience."

His work is commonly associated with the philosophical movement called

"existentialism" and its intention to begin with an analysis of the concrete experiences,
perceptions, and difficulties of human existence.

Consciousness, the world, and the human body as a perceiving thing are intricately
intertwined and mutually "engaged"

Our perception of the self is a collection of our perceptions of our outside world.
MERLEAU-PONTY
10. man is a dual nature, composed of BODY AND SOUL
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DUALISM

ANSWER SAQ #1

1. External Self
2. St . Augustine
3. David Hume
4. Self
5. Aristotle
6. Internal Self
7. Rene Descartes
8. Gilbert Ryle
9. Maurice Maerleau -Ponty
10. Dualism

SAQ#1

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SAQ#2

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Self Assessment Questions (SAQ)

1. How do philosophers explain the concept of the self?

2. Which of those concepts has a greater impact to you? Why?

Answer to Self Assessment Questions (ASAQ)

1. Most philosophical definitions of self—per Descartes, Locke, Hume, and William

James—are expressed in the first person.. A third person definition does not refer to
specific mental qualia but instead strives for objectivity and operationalism.
To another person, the self of one individual is exhibited in the conduct and discourse of
that individual. Therefore, the intentions of another individual can only be inferred from
something that emanates from that individual. The particular characteristics of the self
determine its identity.

2. The basic role of ‘philosophy’ is to ask questions, and think about the nature of
human thought and the universe. Thus, a discussion of the philosophy of happiness in
life can be seen as an examination of the very nature of happiness and what it means
for the universe.

Philosophers have been inquiring about happiness since ancient times. Aristotle, when
he asked ‘what is the ultimate purpose of human existence’ alluded to the fact that
purpose was what he argued to be ‘happiness’.

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RUBRIC:
CRITERIA PERFORMANCE INDICATOR POINTS
Content Provided pieces of evidence, 6
supporting details and
factual scenarios
Grammar Used Correct grammar, 1
punctuation, spelling and
capitalization
Organization of thoughts Expressed the points in clear 2
and logical arrangement of
ideas in the paragraph
Format Adhered to the required 1
style/appearance
Total 10

References

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_self

https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

Ahbel-Rappe, Sara, and Rachana Kamtekar (eds.), 2005, A Companion to Socrates,

Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

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Bussanich, John, and Nicholas D. Smith (eds.), 2013, The Bloomsbury Companion to
Socrates, London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Cooper, John M. (ed.), 1997, Plato: Complete Works, Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.

Guthrie, W. K. C., 1969, A History of Greek Philosophy III,

Smith, Joel, "Self-Consciousness", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer
2020 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/entries/self-consciousness/>.

Sedley, David, ed. 2003. The Cambridge companion to Greek and Roman philosophy.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press.

The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Edited by Edward N. Zalta. Stanford, CA:

Satnford Univ.

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