JOHN LOCKE “The Self is consciousness. ” ● The human mind at birth is a tabula rasa or a b | Study notes Public Law

GEC 1: Understanding the Self

Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla

THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

NAME

PHILOSOPHY

ABOUT PHILOSOPHY

SOCRATES

“An

unexamined life

is not worth

living.”

● The SELF is synonymous with the soul.

● The SOUL is immortal and survives beyong the

physicality

● Socratic method - A dialogue between the soul and itself

Reality consists of two dichotomous realms:

1. Physical- changeable, transient, imperfect

2. Ideal - unchanging, eternal, immortal

PLATO

“Self is

synonymous

with the soul.”

● SELF is fundamentally an intellectual entity whose

nature exists as separate from the physical world the

driving force behind the body and mind

● The mind is the sense of self and it desires an

understanding of the Forms

Three-part soul/self:

1. Reason - the divine essence that enables us to think

deeply, make wise choices and achieve a true

understanding of eternal truths

2. Physical appetite - includes the basic biological

needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire

3. Spirit or passion - includes basic emotions such as

love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness and empathy

ARISTOTLE

“The soul is the

essence of the

self.”

● The soul is merely a set of defining features and does

not consider the body and soul as separate entities. He

suggests that anything with life has a soul.

Introduces the 3 kinds of soul:

1. Vegetative soul - includes the physical body that can

grow

2. Sentient soul - includes sensual desires, feelings

and emotions

3. Rational soul - is what makes man human and

includes the intellect that allows man to know and

understand things

ST.

AUGUSTINE

“The Self has

an immortal

soul.”

● Convinced that Platonism and Christianity were natural

partners and adopted Plato’s vision of a bifurcated

universe

Two Realms of Reality:

1. an intelligible realm where truth itself dwells

2. sensible world which we perceive by sight and touch

● Then adapted it to metaphysic to Christian beliefs

● Immortal souls striving to achieve union with God

through faith and reason.

● The physical body was both radically different from and

inferior to its inhabitant, the immortal soul

● The body is united with the soul so that man may be

entire and complete. Nevertheless, the body and soul

remain irreconcilably divided.

RENE

DESCARTES

“I think

therefore I am.”

● The act of thinking about the self–of being

self-conscious–is in itself proof that there is a self.

● The essence of the human self is a thinking entity that

doubts, understands, analyzes, questions, and reasons.

2 Dimensions of the Human Self:

1. Thinking entity (soul) - non-material, immortal,

conscious being, independent of physical laws of the

universe

2. Physical body - material, mortal, on-thinking entity,

fully governed by the physical laws of the universe

● The thinking self can exist independently from the body.

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GEC 1: Understanding the Self Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla 1 THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF NAME PHILOSOPHY ABOUT PHILOSOPHY SOCRATES “An unexamined life is not worth living.” ● The SELF is synonymous with the soul. ● The SOUL is immortal and survives beyong the physicality ● Socratic method - A dialogue between the soul and itself Reality consists of two dichotomous realms :

Physical- changeable, transient, imperfect
Ideal - unchanging, eternal, immortal PLATO “Self is synonymous with the soul.” ● SELF is fundamentally an intellectual entity whose nature exists as separate from the physical world the driving force behind the body and mind ● The mind is the sense of self and it desires an understanding of the Forms Three-part soul/self:
Reason - the divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise choices and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths
Physical appetite - includes the basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire
Spirit or passion - includes basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness and empathy ARISTOTLE “The soul is the essence of the self.” ● The soul is merely a set of defining features and does not consider the body and soul as separate entities. He suggests that anything with life has a soul. Introduces the 3 kinds of soul:
Vegetative soul - includes the physical body that can grow
Sentient soul - includes sensual desires, feelings and emotions
Rational soul - is what makes man human and includes the intellect that allows man to know and understand things ST. AUGUSTINE “The Self has an immortal soul.” ● Convinced that Platonism and Christianity were natural partners and adopted Plato’s vision of a bifurcated universe Two Realms of Reality:
an intelligible realm where truth itself dwells
sensible world which we perceive by sight and touch ● Then adapted it to metaphysic to Christian beliefs ● Immortal souls striving to achieve union with God through faith and reason. ● The physical body was both radically different from and inferior to its inhabitant, the immortal soul ● The body is united with the soul so that man may be entire and complete. Nevertheless, the body and soul remain irreconcilably divided. RENE DESCARTES “I think therefore I am.” ● The act of thinking about the self–of being self-conscious–is in itself proof that there is a self. ● The essence of the human self is a thinking entity that doubts, understands, analyzes, questions, and reasons. 2 Dimensions of the Human Self:
Thinking entity (soul) - non-material, immortal, conscious being, independent of physical laws of the universe
Physical body - material, mortal, on-thinking entity, fully governed by the physical laws of the universe ● The thinking self can exist independently from the body.

GEC 1: Understanding the Self Reference: UTS by Ma. Joycelyn Go-Monilla 2 JOHN LOCKE “The Self is consciousness. ” ● The human mind at birth is a tabula rasa or a blank slate. ● The self, or personal identity, is constructed primarily from sense experiences - or more specifically, what people see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. ● Conscious awareness and memory of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self. ● A person is a thinking, intelligent being who has the ability to reason and to reflect. ● Consciousness—being aware that we are thinking—always accompanies thinking and is an esse. ● Consciousness is what makes possible our belief that we are the same identity in different times and different places. DAVID HUME “There is no self.” ● If one carefully examines our sense experience through the process of introspection, we discover that there is no self. ● Careful examination of the contents of experience will lead to the identification of two distinct entities

Impressions —the basic sensations of experiences; pain, pleasure, heat, cold, happiness, grief, fear, exhilaration, and so on these are “lively” and “vivid.”
Ideas —are copies of impressions; less “lively” and “vivid.” Includes thoughts and images that are built up from our primary impressions–but because they are derivative copies of impressions they are once removed from reality. IMMANUEL KANT “We construct the self.” ● A person perceives and experiences an organized world of objects, relationships, and ideas, all existing within a fairly stable framework of space and time. ● Minds actively sort, organize, relate, and synthesize the fragmented, fluctuating collection of sense data that our sense organs take in ● Meaning-constructing activity is precisely what our minds are doing all of the time: taking the raw data of experience and actively synthesizing it into the familiar, orderly, meaningful world in which we live. SIGMUND FREUD “The Self is Multilayered.” 3 Layers of Self:
Conscious - governed by reality principle; ways that are rational, practical, and appropriate to the environment
Unconscious - governed by the pleasure principle; contains basic instinctual drives including sexuality, aggressiveness, and self-fantasies
Preconscious - contains material that is not threatening and is easily brought to mind GILBERT RYLE “I act therefore I am.” ● Self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances. ● Mind and body are intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways. PAUL CHURCHLAND “The self is the brain.’ ● Advocates the idea of eliminative materialism - self is inseparable from the brain and the psychology of the body. ● If the brain is gone, there is no self. MAURICE MERLEAU- PONTY “The self is embodied subjectivity.” ● Phenomenology – refers to the conviction that all knowledge of ourselves and our world is based on the “phenomena” of experience ● The “I” is a single integrated core identity, a combination of the mental, physical, and emotional structures around a core identity of the self.

JOHN LOCKE “The Self is consciousness. ” ● The human mind at birth is a tabula rasa or a b, Study notes of Public Law

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