the self from various perspective

1. THE SELF
FROM
VARIOUS
PERSPECTI
VE
AT THE END OF
THIS CHAPTER,
YOU ARE
EXPECTED TO:
1.KNOW THE MEANING OF
PHILOSOPHY
2.IDENTIFY DIFFERENT
PHILOSOPHERS AND
THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS
3. DISCUSS AND
EXPLAIN THE ANSWER
TO THE FAMOUS
QUESTION “WHO AM I?”

2. WHAT IS
PHILOSOPHY?
• Comes from two Greek words philos which m e a n s “love” sophia
which m e a n s “wisdom”. Thus, a philosopher is a “lover of wisdom”
• WISDOM connotes knowledge – knowledge directed to the
fundamental and pervasive concerns of existence.
• WISDOM in philosophy is in how you help yourself think more
clearly, precisely and systematically.
• It is the investigation of normal and fundamental issues
concerning matters, for example, presence, information,
values, reason, psyche and dialect.

3. 1. SOCRATES (470-
399BC)
• Socrates is known a s one of the most important philosophers in history.
He is often described a s the father of Western philosophy.
• Concerned with the problem of the self. His philosophy underlies in
the importance of the notion “KNOWING ONESELF”
• pointed out that h u m a n choice was motivated b y the desire for happiness
– for him, m a n ’ s goal is to obtain happiness.
• Happiness motivates us to act towards or avoid things that could h a v e
negative effects in our lives.
• Thus, b y fully knowing oneself, a person will be able to achieve happiness

4. • Possession of knowledge is a VIRTUE, Ignorance is DEPRAVITY
• “the unexamined life is not worth living”
• A person’s acceptance of ignorance is the beginning of
acquisition of knowledge
• Knowing our self, lies in our abilities and wisdom
• Understanding ourselves through INTERNAL QUESTIONING
OR INTROSPECTION
• Socratic Method – a method of inquiry by answering a question
with a question to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas
and underlying presumptions
• Socrates has been convicted of corrupting the youth of Athens and
introducing strange gods and has been sentenced to die by
drinking poison hemlock. Socrates uses his death a s a final

5. 2. PLATO (428-
348BC)
• Student of Socrates
• He believed in the division of a person’s body and soul which forms a person
aside from the material things and that could be observed & associated with
the person.
• He believed that the soul is divided into 3 different parts, that h a s different
views leading to different behaviors.
appetitive soul – the part of the person that is driven by desire and need to satisfy
oneself
– physical needs, pleasures (food, drink, sleep, sexual needs, etc.)

6. spirited soul – courageous part of the person. One who wants to do
something or to right the wrongs that they observe. This is very competitive
and is very active. Competitiveness drives one to expect positive results
and winning.
rational soul – The drive of our lives. The part that thinks and plans for
the future. It decides what to do, when to do it and the possible results
one could h a ve depending on their actions.
when these are attained, the human person’s soul
becomes just & virtuous
WHAT HAPPENS TO A PERSON WHOSE 3 COMPONENTS OF THE SOUL
ARE IMBALANCED???

7. 3. (ST.)
AUGUSTINE
• A Saint and a Philosopher of the Church
• He followed the view of Plato but adds Christianity
• His idea of a m a n and how to understand who we are
a s a person is related to our understanding of who we
are and how we question ourselves – the more one
doubts and question his life m e a n s that the person is
actually living.

8. • Relates our existence to God being modelled in
His likeness though being alive m e a n s that we
are still far from God an d h a s yet to be truly with
Him.
• Follows the idea that God encompasses us all,
that everything will be better if we are with God.
• Everything is better if we devote
ourselves mending our relationship with
God.

9. • m a n is of a bifurcated nature
• part of m a n dwells in the world (imperfect)
and yearns to be with the Divine
• other part is capable of reaching immortality
• body – dies on earth; soul – lives eternally in
spiritual bliss with “God” (#lifegoal)
• DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE CONCEPT OF THE SOUL COMING TO HEAVEN AFTER DEATH?

10. 4. RENE DESCARTES (1596 -
1650)
• Father of Modern Philosophy
• Believed in modern Dualism or the existence of body & mind
• h u m a n person = body + mind
• Known to be the proponent of “METHODICAL DOUBT” - there is so m u c h that
we should doubt – continuous process of questioning – perceiving a nd
accepting the facts that doubting a nd asking questions are part of one’s
existence.
• MIND – thinks a n d questions or doubts what the body h a s experienced
• BODY – perceives from the different senses

11. • However, BODY and its perceptions cannot fully be trusted or
can easily be deceived. Example:
• We should focus on the mind in order to perceive a s who we are or
the essence of our existence because we cannot always trust our
senses
• “I think, therefore I am”
• the self = cogito (the thinking thing) + extenza (the unthinking
thing)
• the body is a machine attached to the mind
• it’s the mind that makes the m a n
• “I a m a thinking thing. . . A thing that doubts, understands,
affirms, denies, wills, refuses, imagines, perceives.”

12. 5. JOHN LOCKE (1632—
1704)
• English Philosopher & Physician
• His work on the “SELF” is most represented by the concept “TABULA
RASA” blank slate/clean slate
• SELF is the product of what we acquire through our experience of the world.
• Stated that the person is born with knowing nothing and that is susceptible
to stimulation and accumulation of learning from experiences, failures,
references and observations of the person
• Experiences “WRITES” knowledge and understanding a s the individual
matures. Experiences are important in the establishment of who that
person can become.

13. 6. DAVID HUME (1711—
1776)
• Scottish Philosopher
• “the self is nothing but a bundle of impressions
and ideas”
impression - basic objects of our
experience/sensation
- forms the core of our thoughts
idea - copies of impressions
- not a s “real” a s impressions - feeling mo l a n g yun!
•

14. • he doubted basic ideas of individual character; and
contended that there is no lasting "self" that proceeds
after some time.
• There is no permanent self because impressions of
things are based from our experiences where we can
create our ideas and knowledge. Thus, it m a y
improve or totally be replaced
• self = a collection of different perceptions which
rapidly succeed each other
• self = in a perpetual flux and movement

15. 8. SIGMUND
FREUD
• Austrian Neurologist and the Father of Psychoanalysis
• He believed that m a n has different constructs of personality
that interacts with each other
• used the analogy of a n iceberg to describe the three levels of
the mind.
• He believed that we are a by-product of our experiences in the past
and that actions are driven by the idea of resisting or avoiding pain
and are molded from our need for pleasure .

17. - 3 Levels of Consciousness
1. CONSCIOUS – your current state of awareness.
2. PRECONSCIOUS/SUBCONSCIOUS – all
information that your are not currently aware
of but can be recalled
3. UNCONSCIOUS – exist outside of your
awareness at all times.

18. 3 aspects of Personality
ID – first part of the self to develop
- Seat of all our desires and wants
- Operates the Pleasure Principle – the idea that all
your needs should be met immediately
- Wants instant gratification and does not care about
morals or societal norms
- Unconscious collection of urges fighting to be fulfilled

19. EGO – functions in the Reality Principle
- It regulates how m a n y of the Id’s urges are allowed to be expressed
- While ID is irrational, the EGO is able to decide what is right or
wrong b a se d on context.
- EGO can think, observe reality a n d decide what is rational a n d
realistic. It is the one that allows our mind to act. It is the
mediator between the Id a n d superego
SUPEREGO – Functions on the Ideal Principle.
- It is the ethical component of the personality a n d provides the
moral standards b y which the ego operates.
- It the CONSCIENCE of one’s personality.
- Has the inclination to uphold justice a n d do what is morally right,
socially acceptable actions.

20. Free association is a practice in psychoanalytic
therapy.
•
•
•
•
• In this practice, a therapist asks a person in therapy to
freely share thoughts, words, and anything else that
comes to mind.
The thoughts need not be coherent. But it m a y help if
they are authentic.
They m a y ask someone in therapy to recall all
the memories associated with a particular
event.
A person in therapy could be asked to share the first
word that comes to mind after seeing a picture or write
down all the thoughts they h a v e at a certain time.
The idea is that free association reveals associations
and connections that might otherwise go uncovered.
People in therapy m a y then reveal repressed
emotions

21. SOCIOLOGY: MEAD & THE
SOCIAL SELF
NO MAN IS AN
ISLAND

22. WHAT IS
SOCIOLOGY?
• Taken from two foreign words
• SOCIUS – a Latin word terms which m e a n s companion or associate
• LOGOS – a Greek term for study
• The study of m a n in relation with his companions or associates.
• A systematic study of the groups a n d societies h u m a n build a n d how
these affect our behavior.
• A general definition of sociology is the systematic study of h u m a n
society, culture, a n d relationships on a group level.

26.  Believed that OTHERS play a significant role
on how we view ourselves
 BUT ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE AND ONLY
DURING CERTAIN PERIOD OF LIFE
 EX. INFANTS: not influenced by others in any way, instead he believed that young
children see themselves as the focus of their own world and they don’t really care
about what other people think of them, and lack the ability to take the perspective
of another person.

28. According to Mead, there are three activities through
which the self is developed:
1.LANGUAGE/Preparatory Stage
o children interact with others through IMITATION.
o take on the “role of the other” and allows people to
respond to his or her own gestures in terms of the
symbolized attitudes of others.