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GE SocSci 1 - Understanding The Self Module 1

This document provides an overview of the self from various philosophical and biblical perspectives. It discusses views of the self from classical philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It also examines perspectives from modern philosophers René Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Finally, it discusses the biblical perspective of the self from Genesis and the views of Augustine. The overall document aims to explore the nature, concept and meaning of the self from different lenses.

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Rej Garbosa
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3K views13 pages

GE SocSci 1 - Understanding The Self Module 1

This document provides an overview of the self from various philosophical and biblical perspectives. It discusses views of the self from classical philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. It also examines perspectives from modern philosophers René Descartes, John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Finally, it discusses the biblical perspective of the self from Genesis and the views of Augustine. The overall document aims to explore the nature, concept and meaning of the self from different lenses.

Uploaded by

Rej Garbosa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GE SocSci 1

Understanding the Self

Facilitator: Prof. Lyra V. Reyes

PART 1
THE SELF FROM VARIOUS
PERSPECTIVES
Module # 1

Philosophical &
Biblical Perspective
of the Self
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module you are expected to
1. Explain about the nature, concept and meaning of the
self.
2. Describe the nature of the self from your own point of
view.
3. Discuss the conceptualization and representation of the
self from various perspectives.
4. Develop a pleasant and wholesome attitude towards
oneself.
Who am I? What is the Self?

In this module we will explore


the Self, its nature, its concept and meaning.
This module will specifically discuss the
philosophical perspective of the self.
Classical Philosophy
1. Socrates: Know Yourself
 • He is concerned with the problem of the self.
 • “Know yourself”. Each man is to examine oneself and
to bring his inner self to light.
 • “An unexamined life is not worth living”. A bad man
is not virtuous through ignorance.
 • Virtue- the core of Socratic Ethics. This is the deepest
and most basic nature of man.
 • Knowing one’s own virtue is necessary and can be
learned.
 • He believed in Dualism. That the man possesses both
body and soul. The body is imperfect and non-
permanent. While the soul is perfect and permanent.
2. Plato: The Ideal Self, Perfect Self
• There are 3 Components to the Soul:
o Rational soul: reason and intellect to govern affairs
o Spirited soul: emotions should be kept at bay
o Appetitive soul: base desires (food, drink, sleep, sexual
needs, etc.)
• When these are attained, the human person’s soul becomes
just and virtuous.
• How can we achieve this?
According to Plato, by constant remembering through
contemplation and doing good he can gain perfection.
Modern Philosophy
3. Rene Descartes: “I think therefore, I am”
• He is considered the Father of Modern Philosophy
• Human person= body +mind
• He states that the self is a thinking entity distinct from the
body. It is independent of each other.
• “Cogito, ergo sum”- I think therefore I am.
• According to him the only thing one can’t doubt is the
existence of the self.
• One must use his own mind and thinking abilities to
investigate, analyze, experiment, and develop himself.
4. John Locke: Personal Identity
•John Locke holds that personal identity (the self) is a
matter of psychological continuity.
• For him, personal identity is founded on consciousness
(memory) and not on the substance of either the soul or
body.
• Personal identity is the concept about oneself that
evolves over the course of an individual’s life.
5. David Hume: “The Self is the Bundle Theory of the Mind
• Hume is skeptical about the existence of the self, specifically, on whether
there is a simple, unified self that exists over time.
• For him “the self is nothing but a bundle of impressions and ideas”
• Impression- the basic objects of our experience/sensation. This forms the
core of our thoughts.
• Idea- these are our copies of impression. This is not considered as “real” as
impressions.
• There is no single impression of the self exists; rather the self, is just the
thing to which all perceptions of a man is ascribed.
• Hume asserts that what we call the “self” is really just “a bundle or
collection of different perceptions which succeed each other with an
inconceivable rapidity.”
• In short, we want to believe that there is a unified, coherent self, soul, mind
etc. but actually the self is just a combination of all experiences.
6. Immanuel Kant: Respect for Self
• He agrees with Hume that everything starts with perception/sensation of
impressions.
• There is a mind that regulates these impressions.
• Time, space etc. are ideas that one cannot find in the world, but it is built
in our minds.
• “apparatus of the mind. The self organizes different impressions that one
gets in relation to his own existence.
• The self is not only a personality but also the seat of knowledge.
• Man is the only creature who governs and directs himself and his actions,
who sets up ends for himself and his purpose, and who freely orders means
for the attainment of his aims.
• Every man is thus an end in himself and should never be treated merely as
a means. A person should not be used as a tool, instrument or device to
accomplish another’s private ends.
•If every man is an end on itself, therefore we must respect others as you
would respect yourself.
Christian or Biblical Perspective
1. The Holy Bible
“God created man in His image; in the divine image He created
him; male and female He created them. God blessed them,
saying, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds in the air, and
all the living things that move the earth.” – Genesis 1:24-28
•In this passage we can think of the self as like the image of
God.
• The “self” is the multi-bejeweled crown of creation—the
many gems thereof representing and radiating the glorious facets
of man’s self that include the physical, intellectual, moral,
religious, social, political, economic, emotional, sentient,
aesthetic, sensual and sexual aspects.
2. St. Augustine: Love and Justice as the Foundation
of the Individual Self
• “The soul is what makes us humans”
• St. Augustine believes that a virtuous life is a
dynamism of love.
• Loving God means loving one’s fellowmen; and
loving one’s fellowmen denotes never doing any harm to
another.
THE END

References:
Brawner, D. G. (2018). Understanding the Self. C & E Publishing,
Incorporated.
Shin Chan. (13:54:33 UTC). Understanding the self lecture 1—
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES [Education].
https://www.slideshare.net/shinpaiwa/understanding-the-self-lecture-1-
philosophical-perspectives

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