The Self from Various

MODULE 1: Perspectives
Lesson 1: Philosophical Perspectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Identify the different philosophical perspectives in the conceptualizations of the self.
2. Examine/scrutinize the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self as
proposed by the philosophers.
3. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and
identity by developing a preliminary philosophical theory of the self.

INTRODUCTION
“Who am I?” is a very fundamental existential question. It is an inquiry that is addressed by the self to
the owner of the self. The self’s (you) answer to this defines how much you know about your self and
thus presents your identity. This is very critical as this will give meaning to your existence and will
help you navigate your life in this world of different co-existing beings and things. “Know thyself” is
Socrates’ advice to make your life worth living since for him “an unexamined life is not worth living.”
That is his mandate as a philosopher.
Socrates and the other thinkers had long tried to propose different tenets on how to seek the answers
for that main inquiry “Who am I?” Philosophers from the Pre-Socratic period up to the Contemporary
time of philosophy provided different answers to related questions “Is there a self?”, “Does the self
really exist?”, “Who am I in relation to the cosmos, God, and others?”, and “In what ways do I get to
know my self?” Their answers to these questions are very foundational but deep. Upon reflection, they
will help you in defining the concept of the self and identify the meaning of your own self.
This lesson will introduce you first briefly to the basics of philosophy as an intellectual enterprise so as
to relate it to the inquiry. Further, this will mainly focus on discussing the different philosophers’ ideas
on the self.
ACTIVITY

ASYNCHRONOUS LEARNING SCHEDULE

Watch and note the video presentation on the experts’ notes about philosophy and
the different perspectives of philosophers about the self. Take note of the key concepts about
the self of each philosopher particularly their answers to the philosophical questions stated in
the content. While watching the video, take time to answer the philosophical questions based on
the answers of the philosophers as well as the review question about philosophy as a field of
thought. You may use key phrases in your answers. You may opt to answer also immediately
after watching the whole video and after reflecting on the concluding questions “Which among
these philosophies can you relate with?” and “How do they affect the way you see yourself?”

1. What is philosophy? What is its goal?

2. Who am I in relation to the natural world? According to
The Milesians:
Thales:
Anaximander:
Anaximenes:
Democritus:
Heraclitus:
Anaxagoras:
Pythagoras:

3. In what ways do I get to know myself? According to

Socrates:
Plato:
Aristotle:

4. Who am I in relation to a supreme being/God? According to

St. Augustine:

5. What are the proofs that the self exists? According to

Rene Descartes:
John Locke:
David Hume:
Immanuel Kant:
Sigmund Freud:
Gilbert Ryle:
Paul Churchland:
 6. What happens when you fall in love physically, emotionally, and mentally? According to
Edmund Husserl: Maurice Merleau-Ponty:
Concluding Questions:
Which among those philosophies can you relate with?

How do they affect the way you see yourself?

Reminders
This activity will be done prior to the synchronous learning schedule.
The output of the activity must be submitted on a letter page format, Times New Roman as font style with a font size of 12.

ANALYSIS
SYNCHRONOUS LEARNING SCHEDULE
e instructor. The focus will be on the philosophical questions and the concluding questions. Participation in the recitations (or c
 Think-Pair/Group-and-Chat
Get a pair or group and create a group chat. Via messaging or video conferencing, the group or pair should choos
Briefly present the main tenets of the perspective.
According to the philosopher, what are the different influences, factors and forces that shape the self?
Justify the reason/s why you chose the perspective.

ABSTRACTION
THE SELF FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PHILOSOPHY

What is philosophy?
Philosophy etymologically means “love of wisdom”. That is, when you love something, you spend
time, effort, resources to search, care, and attain it. That is the mandate of philosophy. It encourages
you to ask questions and seek answers to fundamental ideas which will give meaning to your life and
existence. It encourages you to ask “Who am I?” It inspires you to love that question and the answers
for it.
In this lesson, the main question posed by philosophy is “How do you answer the question ‘Who am
I?’”
ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY
There were Pre-Socratic philosophers who tried to
seek answers by relating the inquiry to the cosmos with Click and Read: The following links will tell you more about
the life and works of the philosophers. Click the links and read
the question “Who am I in relation to the natural more about them.
world?” These early philosophers focused on the
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/
workings of the things around us i.e. elements, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/
numbers, heavenly entities, and the microscopic https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine/
substances as the underlying principles of everything https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hedonism/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/stoicism/
including the human self. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epicureanism/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/
With a shift of focus from the cosmo-centric approach https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/
into the inner world of humans, the Ancient https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant/
Triumvirate i.e. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle began https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sigmund-Freud
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ryle/
the inquiry “In what ways do I get to know myself?” https://peoplepill.com/people/paul-churchland/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/merleau-ponty/
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/husserl/
Socrates’ answer is “Know thyself” by examining your life. Examined life means the continuous
inquiry, search for answers, and reflection about anything that you encounter. His reflections arrived at
dualism of the soul and body.
Plato also, as Socrates’ student upheld the immortality of the soul. Further, however, he believed that
the 3 aspects of the soul i.e. reason, physical desire, and passion are in a dynamic relationship which
could be in conflict or agreement. And it is the body which is always the cause of endless trouble; and
thus, should strive to attain harmony through reason.
For Aristotle, the self is known through experiences by way of the senses. It is because the self (mind)
is brought into the world as a tabula rasa (blank tablet).
The Post-Aristotelians maintained the dualism of the soul and body as the composition of the self. But
they became more ethical in approaching the concept of the self. The Stoics believed that the self
should be apathetic or indifferent to pleasure. The Hedonists encouraged the self to attain happiness
through focusing on the present since everybody will die tomorrow anyway. The Epicureans
maintained moderate pleasure for the self.
MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY
The Medieval philosopher St. Augustine of Hippo turned the main question into “Is the self related to a
supreme being/God? Who am I in relation to a supreme being/God?” His time aimed to merged
philosophy and religion. Thus, he integrated the ideas of Plato and Christianity of his age. He believed
in the dualism of the self as body and soul. The body in the temporary world becomes a proving
ground for the superiority of the soul, which in turn should be unified with God through faith and
reason.
MODERN PHILOSOPHY
The Modern philosophers approach became anthropocentric and less reliant to handed-down
knowledge. Independent inquiries became the trend as they attempted to ask questions like “How can I
be sure that the self exists? What are the proofs that the self exists?”
For Rene Descartes, the mere fact that the self thinks implies that the self exists. His phrase “cogito
ergo sum” means “I think, therefore I am.” According to him, the thinking thing, the self, can actually
exist independently of the body.
John Locke believed in Aristotle’s concept of the self (mind) as tabula rasa. For him, the self is created
by memories written on the tablet. Thus, there is a self that exists because of memory.
As opposed to Locke and Descartes, David Hume suggested that the self does not exist. According to
him, what we actually believe as the “self” is just a bundle of constantly changing perceptions that we
encounter. There is no unified self that forms our identity.
Immanuel Kant contested Hume’s No Self theory and suggested that the self is a priori. Thus, it exists
independently of experiences and serves as the unifying and organizing consciousness that makes
sense of all aspects of identity.
Sigmund Freud’s focus on identifying the structures of the self implies that the self exists. For him, the
self is multilayered and has 3 personality structures i.e. id, ego, and superego, and
 has 3 levels of consciousness i.e. conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious. All these layers shape the
personality/identity of the self.
Two physicalists, Gilbert Ryle and Paul Churchland did away with the concept of the mind being the
seat of self. Ryle proposed that the seat of self is the behavior and not the mind. The self is the pattern
of behavior, the tendency or disposition for one to behave in a particular circumstance. The self is “I
act, therefore I am.” Churchland believed that the self is the brain itself. It is the physical brain that
gives us the sense of self and not the imaginary mind.
CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
The contemporary thinkers approached the concept of human existence and being in a humanistic way.
They focused more on very humanly experiences. Thus, the inquiry about the self could be translated
into one sample question that probes about the human experience of falling in love by the self, that is,
“What happens to you when you fall in love—physically, emotionally, and mentally (cognitively)?”
The approach is called as phenomenological. The idea is the self has its own way of experiencing
things like falling in love. It is subjective. It is a lived experience. That is, when you fall in love, the
aspects of physical (biological), emotional, and mental are seamlessly woven together unified by the
self. That concept of mental and physical as intertwined was proposed by Edmund Husserl. For
Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the self is the “lived body” that is the primary site of knowing the world and
experiencing everything in it. Thus, the self is not just the mind, the physical brain or the behavior. The
self is the living body that is the natural synthesis of mind and biology.

ASSESSMENT/ EVALUATION

MENT
think-group-and- chat). If the synchronous presentation is not possible, it should be recorded and posted in the FB page of the
ctive essay that answers the question “Who am I?” using your own philosophical theory of the self that you formulated based
hort diagram to further explain your theory. A rubric assessment tool will be utilized for the evaluation of this write-up.
REFERENCES
Chaffee, J. (2016). The philosopher’s way: A text with readings: Thinking critically about profound
ideas. New York: Pearson.
Moore, B. and Bruder, K. (2002). Philosophy: The power of ideas. New York: McGraw Hill
International Edition.
Price, J. (2000). Philosophy through the ages. Canada: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.