UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of
the self from various disciplinal perspectives;
2. Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape
the self;
3. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across
the different disciplines and perspectives; and
4. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the
development of one's self and identity by developing a theory of the
self.
 REVIEW
• Meaning and nature of philosophy
• Different philosophers and their
philosophies in understanding the self
1. Socrates
2. Plato
3. St. Augustine of Hippo
4. Rene Descartes
5. John Locke
6. David Hume
 ACTIVITY 1
Directions: Answer the following
philosophical questions.
Use your critical thinking to
justify your statement.
 1.
Do guns protect people or
kill people?
 2.
Is there life after death?
 3.
Where does a thought go when
it's forgotten?
 4.
Can a person be happy if they have
never experienced sadness?
 5.
Do you shape your own destiny or
does everything happen by fate?
 PART 1
The Self from Various Perspectives

Lesson 1
From the Perspective of
Philosophy 2
 PROFILE
●German philosopher that is ● His studies on Asian
known for his works on philosophies had a strong
empiricism and rationalism. influence on him but it was
●Lived all his life in the town
the French philosopher
of Konisberg in East Prussia
Rousseau that made him
(presently Western Russia).
●He stayed away from the realized and enabled him to
church but he was deeply formulate his philosophical
spiritual. ideas.
 CONTRIBUTIONS PHILOSOPHY
● The founder of German ● Mind is not just a passive
Idealism in which his receiver of sense experience but
philosophy was awakened rather actively participates in
and motivated by David knowing the objects it
Hume. experiences.
●Instead of the mind
●Wrote three books: Critique
conforming to the world, it is
of Pure Reason, Critique of the external world that
Practical Reason and conforms to the mind.
Critique of Judgment (Price, ●Knowledge is the result of
2000) human understanding applied
to sense experience.
VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
● When the self sees an object, it ● All objects of knowledge,
tends to remember its which includes the self, are
characteristics and applies on it, phenomenal; that the true
the forms of time and space. nature of things is altogether
Therefore, unknown and unknowable
a self must exist or there could (Price, 2000).
be no memory or knowledge. OTHERS:
●Transcendental apperception – ●In the matter of God, Kant
the experience of the self and its stated that the kingdom of God
unity with objects. is within man; that God
manifested in people’s lives
therefore, it is man’s duty to
move towards perfection.
 PROFILE CONTRIBUTIONS
• Austrian Psychologist and ● Freud’s then revolutionary
physician. ideas of the probable
●Father of Psychoanalysis factors that determine
●One of the most influential human behavior pave the
way for science to look into
people of the twentieth
the workings of the
century and his enduring unconscious mind.
legacy has influenced not only ● Conceptualized the 3 levels
psychology, but art, literature of consciousness that
and even the way people provides an idea how a
bring up their children. person develops a sense of
self.
PHILOSOPHY
●Topography of the mind ● The person’s observable
(an illustration of an iceberg behavior, however, is further
to show how the mind works controlled by the workings of
based on his theorizing. The his unconscious/subconscious
mind.
tip of the iceberg represents
● Hysteria –these are
the conscious awareness
manifestations of hidden
which characterizes the and unexpressed
person as he deals with his (repressed) thoughts and
external world. memories that control the
person’s consciousness.
 PHILOSOPHY

3 Aspects of Personality 3. Superego – primarily

1. Id – the structure that is dependent on learning the
primarily based on the difference between right and
pleasure principle. wrong. Morality of the
2. Ego – the structure that is action is largely dependent
based on the reality on childhood upbringing
principle. It mediates (reward and punishment)
between the impulses of id
and the restraints of
superego.
 LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

1. Conscious – where minority of our memories are being

stored and the memories that are in the conscious is easier
to be tapped or access
2. Preconscious – the middle part of the entirety of our
consciousness; the memories stored in this area can still be
accessed but with a little difficulty.
3. Unconscious – this area is where a majority of our
memories since childhood are deeply stored. It is very
difficult to tap the memories and it would need
professionals in order to make some memories resurface.
FREUD’S VIEW OF HUMAN MIND: MENTAL ICEBERG
 PHILOSOPHY VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Kinds of Instinct ●Man is a product of his past
1. Eros – life instinct (the lodged or experiences and
energy of eros is called that our actions are driven
libido); these includes urges by the idea of resisting or
necessary for individual and avoiding pain, and are
species survival like thirst, molded from our need for
hunger and sex. pleasure or being happy.
2. Thanatos – the case where
man’s behavior is directed
towards destruction in the
form of aggression and
violence.
PROFILE
●British Philosopher whose ● He had an enormous
ideas contradicted Cartesian influence on the
Dualism of Descartes. development of 20th
● Used behavioristic approach Century Analytic
to self Philosophy, particularly in
(self is the behavior presented by the areas of Philosophy of
the person. the Mind and Philosophy of
• Was a 20th Century Language.
philosopher, mainly
associated with the Ordinary
Language
Philosophy movement.
 CONTRIBUTIONS PHILOSOPHY
●Ryle stigmatized the mind ●Once we encounter others,
as the “Ghost in the their perceptions of what we
Machine” (man is a complex do, how we act, and the way
machine with different we behave will then result to
functioning parts, and the the understanding of other
intelligence, and other people and establishing of
characteristics or behavior who we are.
of man is represented by the
ghost in the machine.
VIEW OF HUMAN
NATURE

●Freewill was invented to ●He agreed with Kant

answer the question of who stated that freewill
whether an action deserves involves a moral
praise or blame. responsibility which
further assumes that
man’s actions must be
moral for it to be free.
 PROFILE CONTRIBUTIONS
●Paul was a Canadian philosopher ●Applied modern scientific
who was interested in the modern inquiry through the use of
scientific inquiry. NEUROPHILOSOPHY.
Patricia is a Canadian-American ●Philosophy of the neuroscience –
analytic philosopher noted for her the study of the philosophy of the
contributions to neurophilosophy mind, the philosophy of science,
and the philosophy of mind. neuroscience and psychology. It
●Their focus is on the idea that aims to explore the relevance of
people should improve our neuroscientific
association and use of worth in experiments/studies to the
identifying the self; the self is defined philosophy of the mind (the issue
by the movement of our brain. of brain-mind is the central of this
study).
 PHILOSOPHY VIEW OF HUMAN
●●Patricia claims that man’s ●Human nature is complicated. Man
is endowed with more than just
brain is responsible for the physical or neurological
identity known as the self characteristics. Despite research
findings, neurophilosophy states that
and the biochemical the self is real, that it’s a tool that
properties of the brain is helps the person tune-in to the
really responsible for man’s realities of the brain and the extant
reality.
thoughts, feelings and ●What and who the person is
behavior. (ex. how he makes decisions, controls
impulses and how he sees himself is
largely determined by his neurons,
hormones and overall genetic
make-up.
 PROFILE CONTRIBUTIONS
●Maurice Jean Jacques ●Merleau-Ponty was a pivotal
Merleau-Ponty was a French figure in twentieth century French
phenomenological philosopher, philosophy. He was responsible
strongly influenced by Edmund for bringing the phenomenological
Husserl and Martin Heidegger. methods of the German
The constitution of meaning in philosophers - Husserl and
human experience was his main Heidegger - to France and
instigated a new wave of interest
interest and he wrote on
in this approach. His influence
perception, art, politics, religion,
extended well beyond the
psychology, psychoanalysis, boundaries of philosophy and can
language, nature, and history. be seen in theories of politics,
psychology, art and language.
 PHILOSOPHY VIEW OF HUMAN
●At the center of his philosophy is ●The world and the sense of self
the emphasis placed on the are emergent phenomena in the
human body as the primary site on-going process of man’s
of knowing the world. becoming..
● Self-regarded that the body ●The world is a field of
perception, and human
and mind are not separate entities
consciousness assigns meaning to
but rather those two components the world.
are one and the same ●perception is not purely the
result of sensations nor it is purely
interpretation. Rather
consciousness is the process that
includes sensing as well as
interpreting/reasoning.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Socrates Idealist and Socratic ■Knowledge is
Rationalist the
personification of
good while
ignorance is that
of evil.
■Self-knowledge
is the ultimate
virtue. As the
ultimate virtue, it
will lead to
ultimate
happiness.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Plato Idealist and Dualism and ■Moral virtue is
Rationalist Idealism rooted in the
intellect and
leads to
happiness.
■Wisdom and
knowledge lead
to virtue which
will lead to
happiness.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
St. Augustine Platonism Neoplatonism ■All knowledge
leads to God.
■Only the pure
in heart can see
God.
■Love of God,
faith in Him, and
understanding of
his Gospel will
ultimately lead to
happiness.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Descartes Rationalist Mind-body ■”I think,
Dualism therefore, I am.”
■The mind and
soul can exist
without the body.
■Establishing the
distinction of soul
from the body can
make the people
believe in the
afterlife and the
soul’s
immortality.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Locke Empiricist Theory of ■It is in
Personal Identity consciousness
alone that identity
exists, not in the
body and soul.
■There is a
distinction
between man and
person.
■The soul may
change, but
consciousness
remains intact.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Hume Empiricist Skeptical ■All knowledge
passes through
the senses.
■Separate ideas
can be joined in
the mind.
■There is no self,
only a bundle of
perceptions.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Kant Rationalist and Metaphysics of ■Reason is the final
Empiricist the Self authority of
morality.
■There is the inner
and outer self.
■The inner self
includes rational
reasoning and
psychological state.
■The outer self
includes the body
and physical mind,
where
representation
occurs.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Freud Romanticism and Psychoanalytic ■The personality as
Existentialism composed of a
conscious mind, a
preconscious mind
and an unconscious
mind.
■humans are
primarily driven by
sexual and
aggressive instincts.
■The unconscious
mind governs
behavior to a greater
degree than people
suspect.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Ryle Empiricist The Concept of ■”I act, therefore, I
Mind am.”
■The mind is not
the seat of self.
■It is not a separate,
parallel thing to our
physical body.
■The mind is a
category mistake,
brought about by
habitual use. The
only way it can
affect the other is
through the external
world.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Churchland Empiricist Neurophilosophy ■A fully matured
neuroscience will
eliminate the
need for beliefs
since “they are
not real.”
■The physical
brain gives us a
sense of self.
 SUMMARY
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION
Merleau-Ponty Existentialist and Phenomenology of ■Both empiricism
Empiricist Perception and intellectualism
are flawed in
nature.
■We are our bodies.
■Our bodily
experiences do not
detach the
subject/object,
mind/body,
rational/irrational
 ACTIVITY 2
How Do I See Myself?
Directions: For each statement, indicate whether you
AGREE or DISAGREE.
1. My life choices are based on what I have actually experienced.
2. My views about the world are dependent on what I have actually
witnessed.
3. I am likely to buy a brand that I have already used, and not based on
referrals.
4. I would rather remain in my comfort zone than try something new.
5. Most of the time, I make choices based on the present rather than the
future.
6. I am likely to hold on to what I have now, even if there is a greater option
in the future.
7. For me happiness is tangible.
 SCORING KEY

If majority of your answers is “agree”, then you are an

EMPIRICIST.

If majority of your answers is “disagree”, then you are a

RATIONALIST.

Source: Macayan, and Co., 2018. Understanding the Self, C and E publishing, Inc
End of Philosophy
2