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The document discusses various philosophical perspectives on the self, starting with St. Augustine's view that love and justice are foundational to human existence. It then explores René Descartes' mind-body dualism, John Locke's theory of personal identity based on consciousness, David Hume's concept of the self as a collection of impressions, Immanuel Kant's emphasis on self-respect, and Gilbert Ryle's argument against the separation of mind and body. Each philosopher contributes to the understanding of self in relation to knowledge, morality, and existence.

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4 views2 pages

Additonal Notes

The document discusses various philosophical perspectives on the self, starting with St. Augustine's view that love and justice are foundational to human existence. It then explores René Descartes' mind-body dualism, John Locke's theory of personal identity based on consciousness, David Hume's concept of the self as a collection of impressions, Immanuel Kant's emphasis on self-respect, and Gilbert Ryle's argument against the separation of mind and body. Each philosopher contributes to the understanding of self in relation to knowledge, morality, and existence.

Uploaded by

Karen Loreno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.3. ST.

AUGUSTINE: “Love and justice as the foundation of self”


St. Augustine a bishop of Hippo (now Love and justice as the foundation of self
Annaba, Algeria) is a renowned theologian and St. Augustine followed the ancient view of
prolific writer. He was also a skilled preacher and Plato and infusing it with the newfound doctrine of
rhetorician. There is an enormous amount of Christianity; that is, an aspect of man dwells in the
writings by St. Augustine which was preserved but world and is imperfect and continuously yearns to
the two most prominent works he had; be with the divine. The goal of every human
1. The City of God; is a philosophical defense of person is to attain this communion and bliss with
Christianity that outlines a new way to the Divine by living one’s life in virtue. To simply
understand human society and illustrate the idea;
2. Confessions; a spiritual self-examination. He is
one of the Latin Fathers of the Church and,
in Roman Catholicism, is formally recognized as Virtuous life = turning towards love
a doctor of the church. Wicked life = turning away from love

1.4. RENE DESCARTES: I think therefore I am (Cogito, Ergo Sum) and Mind-body dualism
René Descartes is a French mathematician I think therefore I am (Cogito, Ergo Sum)
and philosopher during the 17th century. He is known Also known as Methodic Doubt, it’s the
as the Father of Modern Philosophy and is most idea that the existence of anything that you
commonly known for his philosophical statement, register from your senses can be doubted. For
“Cogito ergo sum” or “I think, therefore I am”. In the example, I am strong therefore I am strong or I
mathematics sphere, his primary contribution came am busy therefore I am busy. Whichever thought
from bridging the gap a person chooses is the one being carried to the
between algebra and geometry, which resulted in the persons “I am”.
Cartesian coordinate system still widely used For Descartes, the self is real and not
today. In philosophy on the other hand, He is also just an illusion; the only thing that one cannot
attributed with developing mind-body dualism. doubt is the existence of the self, for even one
doubts oneself, that only proves that THERE IS
A DOUBTING SELF, a thing that thinks therefore
cannot be doubted.
Mind-body dualism
According to this philosophy, the self is
different from the body. Thus body and self
exists, but differ in existence and reality. Self is a
feature of the mind rather than the body thus it is
mental rather than physical. Though (mind)
always precedes action (body). It has always
been in that sequence. For example, thinking it
would be a busy week (Mind), you will prepare
for the days ahead (Body).

1.5. JOHN LOCKE: Personal Identity


John Locke is an English philosopher and Personal Identity (The Self) is not in the
political theorist. He is recognized as the founder of brain but founded in the consciousness
British empiricism and the author of the first (memory).
systematic exposition and defense of According to Locke, when we are born our
political liberalism. John Locke’s most famous minds are empty or he call it “Tabula Rasa” or
works related to Understanding the self was the An blank slate. Overtime, as we live and experience
Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), in things, these experiences are stored in our
which he developed his theory of ideas and his memory and makes up what we call our Self.
account of the origins of human knowledge in Since our memory changes overtime, our Self
experience. also evolves over the course of our lifetime.

1.6. DAVID HUME: “The Self is a Bundle of Theory of the Mind”


David Hume is a Scottish philosopher, The Self is a Bundle of Theory of the Mind
historian, economist, and essayist known especially According to Hume, there is no single
for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. Hume impression of self that exist; There is no stable
tried to describe how the mind works in acquiring what thing called self, for the self is nothing but a
is called knowledge. complex set of successive impressions or
perceptions. What you think and what you feel
constitute what you are in that very moment.
That is what you are; that is who you are

.7. IMMANUEL KANT: Respect for Self


Immanuel Kant is a German philosopher Respect for Self
and one of the foremost thinkers of According to Kant, the self is not just what
the Enlightenment; a European intellectual gives one his personality; it is also the seat of
movement of the 17th and 18th centuries. knowledge acquisitions for all human persons.
His comprehensive and systematic work Moreover, Kant emphasizes the importance of a
in epistemology (the theory of knowledge) person’s respect for one self-stating that “Every
and ethics greatly influenced man in an end in himself and never should be
subsequent philosophies. treated merely as a means for others “. In other
words, Respect others as you should respect
yourself for we all have the same basic rights and
should treat each other as equals

1.8 GILBERT RYLE: The Mind and Body are one


Gilbert Ryle was British philosopher, Ryle opposed Descartes’ notion of self.
leading figure in the “Oxford philosophy,” or For him, the mind is not separate from the body.
“ordinary language,” movement. One his writings, The Mind consists of dispositions of people based
The Concept of Mind (1949), is considered a on what they know, what they feel, what they
modern classic. In it he challenges the traditional want, and so on; People learn that they have their
distinction between body and mind as postulated own minds because they behave in certain ways.
by René Descartes. Moreover, Knowing and believing are just
dispositions but these influence people’s actions

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