NAVOTAS POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE

Office of the Academic Affairs

Bangus St., Corner Apahap St., NBBS, City of Navotas

Course Title: GE 4 – Understanding the Self

Name of Faculty: Ms. Bernardita S. Solatorio
Module Number: 1
Lesson Title Topic: The Philosophical Views of Self
Week Number: 2–3

The “self” has many aspects. These aspects make up the “self’s” integral parts, such as self-awareness, self-esteem, self-
knowledge, and self-perception. With these aspects the person is able to alter, change, add/or modify himself or herself
for the purpose of gaining social acceptance.

The “self” is a topic that is often talked about but largely goes unnoticed. Every time that ‘I’ mentioned (e.g. I
will go to the theatre) the self is highlighted as an actor. The consciousness of the existence of the self has
been almost automatic or reflexive. Thus, people are almost unaware of that in our everyday living. Scholars
(i.e., theorists, scientists, philosophers) in different fields have attempted to explain and expound some
several issues about the character, subsistence and dimensionality of the “self”.

At the end of the topic, you should be able to:

1. Explain why is it important to understand the self
2. Discuss the essence of self according to the ancient Greek, Medieval and Contemporary Philosophers
3. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented in different philosophical schools
4. Examine the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self
5. Relate these concepts of self to his/her personal life
6. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and identity
bydeveloping a theory of the self.
Learning and Teaching Materials:

Module, PowerPoint presentation, worksheets, prescribe websites, pen & paper

Lesson Opener questions:

 If somebody asks your friend about you, how would you like your friend to answer the question?
 How would you characterize yourself?
 What made you see yourself as that?
CONCEPT MAP:

What is the nature of self?

Philosophical View of Self:

Philosophy is often called as the mother of all disciplines simply because all fields of study began as
philosophical discourses. Philosophy is from the Greek words Philo (loving) and Sophia (knowledge, wisdom). It
simply means “loving knowledge” or “loving wisdom”. It is a study of fundamental nature, knowledge, reality,
existence, especially in academic discipline. It also investigates the legitimacy of concepts by rational arguments
concerning their implications, relationships as well as moral judgment.

Ample of Philosophies concerns with the essential nature of the self. The philosophical framework for
understanding the self was first introduced by the ancient great Greek Philosophers Socrates, Plato and
Aristotle. The Greeks were the ones who seriously questioned myths and moved away from them to understand
reality and respond to perennial questions of curiosity, including the questions of the self. The different views of
prominent philosophers regarding the nature of the self are discussed; most of them agree that self-knowledge
is a prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life.

The Pre-Socratic philosophers like Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides and Heraclitus rejected traditional
mythological explanations for the phenomena they saw around them in favor of more rational explanations.
They started to ask questions like where did everything come from, and why is there such variety and hoe can
nature be described mathematically? They tended to look for universal principles to explain the whole nature.
 Different Perspective in the Explanation of Self
Let us find out how the Philosophers define or describe self during the early and modern times.

A. ANCIENT PHILOSOPHERS

SOCRATES -his Socratic method laid the groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy.
-the first philosopher who ever engaged in methodical questioning about the self.
- believed that every man is dualistic, composed of body andsoul.
-the self is synonymous with the soul.
-believes that every human possesses an immortal soul that survives the physical body.
-to first focus on the full power of reason on the human self: who we should be and who
we will become.
-believed that the real self is not the physical body, but rather the psyche (or soul)
- believed in 2 dichotomous realm: physical and ideal realm

Dualistic
Body Soul
is the imperfect and impermanent aspect of every self It has perfect and permanent aspect

Socrates suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of purpose and value. For him, an individual can
have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be
achieved through incessant soul-searching (Rappe, 1995). He added that self- knowledge would open your eyes
to your true nature; which is contrary to pop culture. It is not about how many properties you own or how many
“likes” you get in your social media accounts and even how successful you are in chosen career. In a real sense,
your real self is not even your body. He added that the state of your inner being (soul/self) determines the
quality of your life. The core of Socratic ethics is the concept of virtue and knowledge. Virtue is the basic and
most basic propensity of man and self-knowledge is the source of all wisdom, an individual may gain possession
of oneself and be one’s own master through knowledge (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2017)

When the political climate in Greece turned against him, Socrates was sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning
at the age of 70.

Some Socratic ideas were:

 “The unexamined life is not worth living”. The self essentially is examining, thinking and investigating.
 “Know thyself”. Knowing ourselves is knowing what kind of men/women we are.
 “Ignorance is the beginning of wisdom”. Accepting our ignorance prods us to know ourselves, our power
and limitations.
 “The worst thing that can happen to anyone is to live but die inside”
 “Body + soul = man”
 “imperfect/permanent body + perfect/permanent soul = individual”

PLATO
Another Greek Philosopher who elaborates Socrates’ concept of the soul. He was the
student of Socrates. He is best known for his Theory of Forms that asserted the physical
world is not really the real world because the ultimate reality exists beyond the physical
world. His philosophy can be explained as a process of self-knowledge and purification of
the soul. He introduces the idea of a three-part soul component of the soul/self.
 REASON is the divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise decisions
and achieve the true understanding of eternal truths.
 PHYSICAL APPETITE includes our biological needs such as hunger, thirst and
sexual desires
 SPIRIT or PASSION composes the basic emotions like love, anger, ambition,
aggressiveness and empathy.
ARISTOTLE
-a student of Plato
-the body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing.
-the soul is simply the form of the body, and is not capable of existing without the
body.
-the soul is that which makes the person a person.
-suggests that the rational nature of self is to lead a good, flourishing and fulfilling
life.
-the soul dies along with the body.

The soul is the essence of -Kinds of soul:

of the self

 Vegetative – includes the physical body that can grow

 Sentient – includes the sensual desires, feelings and emotions
 Rational is what makes man human. It includes the intellect that make
man know and understand things.

B. MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS:

ST. AUGUSTINE
-St. Augustine, is regarded as a saint (St. Augustine of Hippo) in the Catholic Church. He is
one of the Doctors of the church, and one of the most significant Christian thinkers
(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017).
-He adopted Plato's Theory of Forms asserting that the physical world is not really the
'real' world; instead, ultimate reality exists beyond our physical world and infused it with
teachings of Christianity.
-He believed that the human being was both a soul and body, and the body possessed
sense such as imagination, memory, reason and mind through which the soul experienced
the world.
-Augustine describes that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God.
Everything created by God is all good. Therefore, the human person, being a creation of
God is always geared towards the good, that the body and soul is meant to tend to higher,
divine, and heavenly matters because of his capacity to ascent and comprehend truths
through the mind. (Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2017).
-He highlighted the significance of reflection, as well as prayers and confessions to arrive
atjustifications for the existence of God.
-He believes that the virtuous life is dynamism of love. Love and justice as the foundation
of individual self.

The aspects of the self/soul according to St. Agustine’s are:

 It is able to be aware of itself.
 It recognizes the self as holistic one.
 It is aware of its unity.
 Love of God, faith in Him, and understanding of His gospel will ultimately leads to happiness.
 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
-proclaimed the supremacy of reason in human person but also stressed that there are
some truths which cannot be known by human reason alone but can be perceived only
with the aid of light and divine revelation that emanate from God who is the truth itself.
-agents interacting with our environment.
-begins his theory of self-knowledge from the claim that all our self-knowledge is
dependent on our experience of the world around us.
-like St. Augustine, that human soul is restless and imperfect until it rests in God.

C. MODERN DAY PHILOSOPHERS

RENEE DESCARTES - considered as the father of modern philosophy

-the first thinker to emphasize the use of reason to describe, predict, and understand
natural phenomena based on observations and empirical evidence (Betrand, 2004)
-The keystone of Descartes’ concept of self is the Latin phrase “Cogito Ergo Sum”
which means “I think therefore I am”. Cogito-t
-the act of thinking about the self- of being self-conscious – is in itself proof that there is a
self
-hyperbolical doubt – doubting his existence
Descartes’ claims about the “self” are:
 It is constant; it is not prone to change; and it is not affected by time.
 Only the immaterial soul remains the same throughout the time.
 The immaterial soul is the source of our identity.
 The rationality and activity of the mind are at the center of man’s being
Some distinctions between the soul and body as pointed out by Descartes

The Soul The Body

It is a conscious, thinking substance that is It is a material substance that changes through
unaffected by time. time.
It is known only to itself (only you know your It can be doubled; the public can correct
own mental event and others correct your claims about the body.
mental states) It is made up of physical, quantifiable, divisible
It is not made up of parts. It views the entirely parts.
of itself with no hidden or separate
compartments. It is both conscious and aware
of itself at the same time

He introduces the idea of the thinking self (soul) as non-material, immortal, conscious being, and independent of
the physical laws of the universe. In contrast, the physical body is a material mortal, non-thinkingentity, fully governed
by the physical laws of nature. The body and soul are independent of one another and each canexist and function
without the other.
 JOHN LOCKE
-John Locke believed that that the human mind at birth is “Tabula rasa” or blank slate.
He expanded the definition of the “self” that includes the memories of that thinking thing.
He feels that the “self” or personal identity is basically constructed from the experiences
– like what people see, smell, taste, hear and feel. He also interpreted that to mean the
“self” – it must consist of memory; meaning the person existing today is the same person
yesterday (Fuchs 2017).
The memories of a person provide the continuity of its experiences that allows him/her
to really identify himself as the same person over time (Winkler 1991). Locke account that
the person is the same self in the passing of time, therefore, he/she is accountable for
whatever behaviors he will act. Man could be ruled and be free – man is endowed with
natural rights such as life, liberty and property (Cranston)
Some of John Locke’s ideas about the self:
 The self is consciousness
 Believed that at birth human mind is a blank slate; a “tabula rasa” (empty of ideas).
 All ideas are based on sensation – arriving at explanation by observing phenomena.
 Believes that God created man, and we are in effect, God’s property.

David Hume
- Scottish Enlightenment philosopher
- “All knowledge is derived from human senses”.
-influenced by empiricism (learning comes from only experience and observations)
- There is no self
- Bundle theory – collection of impressions
Impressions – vivid; product of direct experience
Ideas – copies of impressions; imagination

IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)

- German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers.

- Human person has an inner and outer self which together will form his/her
consciousness. The inner self consists of his/her psychological state and rational
intellect. The outer self is human person’s senses and the physical world.
- He believes that life is a constant struggle between beauty and pleasure; between the
inner self and the outer self.
- Kant is known for his supreme principle of morality, the Kantian Categorical Imperative,
“act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that should
“We construct the “self” become the natural law.

D. CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHERS
MAURICE MERLEAU PONTY (1908-1961)

-believed that the self is an inextricable union between mind and body.
There is no experience that is not an embodied experience.
-the mind and body are so intertwined that we cannot even distinguish where the work of
the mind ends and where the work of the body begins. Everything that we experiencein this
world like joy, sadness, love, remorse happens with our bodies.
-Bodily knowledge shows that the body is also intelligent and the mind always thinks in an
embodied way.
- all knowledge of ourselves and our world is based on subjective experience.
The self is embodied subjectivity
 GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976)
-Ryle believes that the self is the way people behave.
-the workings of the mind are not distinct from the actions of the body but are
one and the same.
-The mind is a set of capacities and abilities belonging to the body. The mind is a
mysterious entity that controls the mechanical workings of the body.
-Another teaching of Ryle that relates to understanding and developing your self
is the distinction among knowing how (technical ability), knowing that (facts and
propositions) and knowing what (acquaintance with things and person). Knowing
“I act therefore I am” that is empty intellectualism without knowing how to make use of the fact.

 Arguing that the mind does not exist and therefore cannot be seat of self
 Believed that self comes from behavior
 We are just a bundle of behaviors

PAUL CHURCHLAND
-the self is the brain. If there is no brain, there is no self.
-the self is inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body.
-adheres to materialism, the belief that nothing except matter exists.If a thing cannot be
recognized by the senses, then it is not real.
-He asserts that the mind does not exist because it cannot be experienced by our senses.
-It is thephysical brain not the mind that gives us our sense of self.
-For Churchland, decision making and moral behavior are biological phenomena. Human
behavior must be explained materially in terms of “recurrent neural network
the self is the brain (neuroscience)”

REFERENCES:
1. Chafee, J. (2013) Who are you? Consciousness, identity and the self. In the philosopher’s way: Thinking
critically about profound ideas) pp. 154-155). Boston, MA: Pearson
2. Mahdi, M. (1962). Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. New York, NY: The Free Press of Glencoe.
3. Copuz, B. B., Lucas, M. R. D., Andas, C. D., Dayagbil, F. T., Gacasan, E. M. P. (2020) Lorimar Publishing Inc.
Suggested videos to watch:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4JxNjJXm-g
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGCoFFuHuWs
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lo3c5u73vw&t=1078s
 PHILOSOPHICSL PERSPECTIVE

 Socrates: An unexamined life is not worth living

Man is dualistic, composed of body and soul
 Plato: The soul is immortal
 Aristotle: The soul is the essence of the self
 St. Augustine: All knowledge leads to God.
 St. Thomas Aquinas: self is made of matter and form
 David Hume: The is no self but only collections of impressions
 Immanuel Kant: We construct the self
 Maurice Merleau Ponty: The self is embodied subjectivity
 Gilbert Ryle: The self is the way people behave
 Paul Churchland: The self is the brain

Lets’ Check!

Encircle the letter of the correct answer that best corresponds with what is asked:

1. According to him “an unexamined life is not worth living”.

A. Socrates B. Plato C. Aristotle D. all of the above
2. In his theory of forms, he introduces the concept of the two worlds: the world of forms (non-physical
ideas) and the world of sense (reality).
A. Socrates B. Plato C. Aristotle D. none of the above
3. He is regarded as the Father of modern Philosophy.
A. Socrates B. Plato C. Aristotle D. Rene Descartes
4. He postulates that the human mind at birth is a blank slate or tabula rasa.
A. St. Augustine B. Rene Descartes C. John Locke D. Plato
5. He believed that the most important thing in life is the state of individual soul.
A. Socrates B. Plato C. Aristotle D. Rene Descartes
6. He believed that the human being is both a soul and a body.
A. Socrates B. Plato C. Aristotle D. St. Augustine
7. Plato believes that there are three parts of the soul, namely:
A. Appetitive, rational, and spirited
B. Appetitive, spirited, and rational
C. Rational, spirited, and appetitive
D. Spirited, rational, and appetitive
8. He claimed that human knowledge is derived from experiences.
A. Rene Descartes B. St. Augustine C. John Locke D. all of the above
9. He is famous for this phrase, “I think, therefore I am”.
A. John Locke B. Rene Descartes C. St. Augustine D. David Hume
10. He believed in the balance between mind and body.
A. Plato B. Aristotle C. Socrates D. St. Augustine
 Identify the philosopher who proposed the particular view of self presented in the first column. Then,
examine your personal view about the nature of self and indicate whether you believe or not in the philosophical
view of self. If you believe in the stated philosophy, recall an important experience you have had which relates to
it. If you do not believe, explain your disbelief. How do you think your experiences or disbelief affects your
selfhood?

Philosophical Philosopher Believe it or not: Related Life Reasons why I Effects on my

view of self (write B if you believe experiences do not believe selfhood
and N if you don’t)
An unexamined
life is not worth
living
The self seeks
to be united
through faith
and reason
The human
mind at birth is
a blank slate or
tabula rasa

Let’s Reflect!
Write an essay on the philosophical perspective of the self. Consider the following questions in writing your essay.
1. Explain how each philosophy of the self-impacts your self-understanding.
2. Which philosophy relates to your own belief?
3. What is your own philosophy of self?
My Reflection