University of Antique
GEC 1
(Understanding the Self)
LESSON GUIDE
 
 
First Semester, School Year 2020-2021 
 
TEAM DEVELOPERS:  
 
Team Leader​: Lorilee Serato 
 
Writers:  
Jason Arguelles 
Loyalda Bolivar 
Rowena Cabrillos 
Emma Feranil 
Joseph Cezar Galedo 
Nonie Maravillas 
Darius Montaño 
Christopher Perile 
Lorilee Serato 
 
Peer Reviewers: 
Rowena Cabrillos 
Jan Ronhel Encarnacion 
Nonie Maravillas 
Leila May Navas 
Rama Lo Romero 
 
Technical Support: 
Jan Ronhel Encarnacion 
Joseph Cezar Galedo 
 
Consultant/Content Editors: 
Kristoffer Ryan Gidaya 
Daisy May Fornier 
 
Editors: 
Grace Pastolero 
Lorilee Serato 
 
 
 
 GEC 1 (Understanding the Self)
Lesson 1: ​The Self from Various Philosophical Perspectives

I. Starting Acc​U​r​A​tely (Introduction)

A. Intended Outcomes/Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to be able to:
1. explain the importance of understanding the self;
2. discuss the different notions of the self from the points of view of the
various philosophers across time and place;
3. compare and contrast the representations of the self in different philosophical
schools; and
4. manifest enthusiasm in knowing oneself by completing the tasks assigned.

B. Lesson Introduction:
Who are you? What is your name?
Before we even had to be in any formal institution of learning, among the many
things that we were first taught as kids is to articulate and write our names. As we grew
up, we were told to refer back to this name when talking about ourselves. Our parents
may have painstakingly thought about our names. Should we be named after a famous
celebrity, a respected politician or historical personality, or even a saint? Were you
named after one of them?
Our names represent who we are. Human beings attach names that are
meaningful to birthed progenies because names are supposed to designate us in the
world. Likewise, when our parents call our names, we were taught to respond to them
because our names represent who we are.
As a student, you are to always write your names on your answer sheets, projects,
or any output for that matter. Your name is a term assigned to label you as an individual
and is what you carry with you as your identity.
On the other hand, the self is not a static thing that one is simply born with like a
mole on one’s face or is just assigned by one’s parents just like a name. ​Everyone is
tasked to discover one’s self.​ ​Have you truly discovered yours?

II. Stim​U​lating Le​A​rning (Motivation)

Imagine yourself in this scenario:
You are about to submit yourself to your dream job interview. There are only a few slots
available but there is a long queue of applicants waiting at the lobby. You are given a form to fill

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in with these necessary data: personal information (name, age, address, birthday, hobbies,
favorites, etc.) and answers to questions such as “Why should we select you?” and “What could
be your contribution to the company?” and “Describe the company after a year of hiring you”.
Which part/parts of the form do you think is/are easy to answer? Which part/parts is/are
difficult? Kindly take your time to reflect on these.

Analysis:
It is easy to access factual information about ourselves: name, age, date of birth,
parents’ names, etc. But, it is actually difficult to pull out those that are truly important or
essential: ​What distinguishes you from others? What makes you unique?
You, as you, should know yourself better and deeper than anyone else. We lack
the time to examine ourselves – most of our days are filled with responding to the
expectations of others, doing norms that are dictated by the society, and establishing
things that are set for us by our biological and socio-economic conditions (These are
normal, but could sometimes detach us from the core of our identity).

III. Inc​U​lc​A​ting Concepts (Inputs/Lesson Proper)

Since the ancient until the postmodern times, philosophers and scholars grappled to
understand the meaning of life. They have attempted to answer the question “Who am I?” Let’s
find out these ideas that may have influenced the ways we look at our lives today.

1. SOCRATES (469-399 B.C.E.)

He is the first philosopher who ever engaged in a
systematic questioning about the self. Socrates was more
concerned with the problem of the self. According to him, the
true task of the philosopher is to “know oneself”.
Socrates affirmed, as claimed by Plato in his dialogues,
that ​the unexamined life is not worth living​. Living a life
without knowing your “self”, your purpose, your nature of
being, is “sleepwalking”. These “sleepwalking” individuals
exist, but there is no life or meaning in their existence. They are only going through the motions
of life but they lack happiness, significance and virtue. To live and die inside is the worst thing
that could happen to a man.
So, check on yourself. Are you “sleepwalking”?
In terms of the components or divisions of self, Socrates believed that every man is
composed of a “body” and a “soul”. Every human person is dualistic—composed of two
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important aspects of his personhood: an imperfect, impermanent aspect called the “body” and a
perfect and permanent aspect called the “soul” (Dualism).

2. PLATO (428-347 B.C.E.)

Plato is Socrates’ student who supported Dualism, an idea
that man is of dualistic nature composed of body and soul. For
Plato, however, the soul (​psyche in Greek) has three elements: the
rational​ soul, the ​spirited​ soul, and the ​appetitive​ soul.
Rational Self​—composed of reason and intellect that
governs the affairs of humans; enables humans
to think, make wise choices and understand eternal
truths.
Spirited Self​ –also called Passion, is in charge of our
emotions (love, aggressiveness, empathy, etc.).
Appetitive Soul​—in charge of base desires like eating, drinking, sleeping and even
sexual activities.

The focus of Plato is on the harmony of these three components of the soul. When the
ideal state is attained (meaning when the three components are working in harmony with each
other), the person’s soul becomes just and virtuous. Imagine that you plan to travel by using a
chariot being pulled by two horses. How can you arrive at your intended destination? Of course,
your chariot must have wheels and the two horses must gallop harmoniously with each other.
Take these three elements (the chariot and the two horses) as the three components of the
soul, working in harmony to achieve the ideal state. Plato called this giving JUSTICE to your
human person.

3. ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, Northern Africa (354-430)

Following Plato’s ideas and infusing these with Christian
doctrines, Augustine agreed that man has a bifurcated nature or the
self is divided into two:
Body:
● Can only thrive in the imperfect, physical reality (the
world)
● Bound to die on Earth

Soul:
● Anticipated to live eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in communion with God.

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 He believed that happiness exists only in God’s love. Therefore, according to him, the goal
of every human person is to attain communion and bliss with God by living his life on earth in
virtue. He created, in his book “The Confessions”, a theology of self—a total, complete view of
the self in relation to God.
Do you also consider your relationship with your God a basis in examining yourself?

4. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)

Aquinas is another Christian priest who introduced Christian
doctrines with philosophical ideas in understanding the self. He
supported Aristotle’s ideas of rejecting the dualistic belief that
self is a dualistic entity composed of body and soul. He
maintained instead the idea of Aristotle that there are two basic
categories of things:
Matter (​hyle)​ which represents all matter; and
Form (​morphe​) which represents the essence of a
thing, what makes the thing what it is.

This view is called ​Hylomorphism.​ It asserts that individual organisms are composed of
matter (body) and form (soul) which only exist in relation to one another. Humans are
composed of a united, inseparable union of components of self rather than divided, dualistic
self. It also asserts that the soul (​anima)​ is what separates living thing (e.g. humans) from
non-living ones.
The soul is what enlivens the body. For living things, to live is to exist. So the
soul is that by which the human body actually exists. Now a form is this sort of
thing. So the human soul is the form of the body. (Aquinas, De anima, 1, 369)

5. RENÉ DESCARTES (1596-1650)

Descartes is the “father of modern philosophy”. His
philosophical ideas were encapsulated in his major philosophical
work, ​Meditations on First Philosophy​. His philosophy is focused
on understanding the nature of ​reasoning process​ and its relation
to the human self. He questioned the integrity of beliefs accepted
on “faith”.
He emphasized that the only thing that we should not doubt
or question is the existence of self. For even if we doubt our self, it only proves the existence of
a thinking self, and a thinking self should not be doubted. His famous line is​ cogito, ergo sum

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which literally means “I think, therefore I am”. This simply means that because you are thinking,
there is no doubt that you exist. No rational person will doubt his/her own existence as a
conscious, thinking entity (even if we are dreaming, hallucinating or being manipulated by some
external entity). However, the physical body is just secondary to your personal identity.
According to Descartes, here are some of the manifestations that you are “thinking”:
You ​understand​ situations in which you find yourself.
You​ doubt​ the accuracy of ideas presented to you.
You​ affirm​ the truth of a statement made about you.
You​ deny​ an accusation that someone has made.
You​ will​ yourself to complete a task you have begun.
You​ refuse t​ o follow a command that you consider to be unethical.
You​ imagine​ a fulfilling career for yourself.
You​ feel ​passionate emotions toward another person.

The essence of existing as a human identity is the possibility of being aware of our selves:
Being self-conscious in this way is integral to having a personal identity. Having a self-identity
and being self-conscious are mutually dependent on one another.
Do you believe that your self is more than or even beyond your physical sense of yourself?

6. JOHN LOCKE (1632-1704)

John Locke, a British philosopher and physician, is famous in
his ​tabula rasa​ theory of the mind. ​Tabula rasa​ (literally means
blank slate​) concept of the mind suggests that humans are born
with an empty or clean mind. The mind is only filled in through
experiences as one grows and interacts with the environment.
In the study of self, John Locke holds the idea that personal
identity (the self) is a matter of psychological continuity. For him,
personal identity is founded on consciousness, and not on the
substance of either the soul or the body. Consciousness is being
aware that one is thinking. It always accompanies thinking and is an important part of the
thinking process. Consciousness makes possible our belief that we are the same identity in
different times and different places.
Do you agree that you are the same you last night before you go to bed and in the
morning when you wake up? How about last year when you were still in high school? How
about during the summer vacation?​ If you believe so, then it is because of your​ consciousness

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of being the same person in all those different contexts. Consciousness is very important in
creating a coherent self-identity.
Additionally, personal identity, according to him, is the concept about oneself that evolves
over the course of an individual’s life. It may include aspects of life that man has no control
over, such as where he grew up or the color of his skin, as well as the choices he makes, like
how he spend his time and what he believes.
Reflect on yourself. How influential are your experiences in the development of your
concept of identity or self?

7. DAVID HUME (1711-1776)

David Hume is a Scottish philosopher, an empiricist, who
believes that one can know only what comes from the sense and
experiences. (Empiricism is the school of thought that espouses
the idea that knowledge can only be possible if it is sensed and
experienced.) Hume argues that the self is not an entity over and
beyond the physical body. Men can only attain knowledge by
experiencing. ​For example​, Jack knows that Jill is another
human person not because he has seen her soul. He knows she is just like him because he
sees her, hears her and touches her.
To Hume, the self is nothing else but a bundle of impressions or a collection of different
perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and are in a perpetual
flux and movement (Hume and Steinberg, 1992). For him, man has no “clear and intelligible”
idea of the self. He posits that no single impression of the self exists; rather, the self is just the
thing to which all perceptions of man are ascribed. Moreover, even if there was such an
impression of the self, it would have to remain constant over time to constitute identity.
​ nd​ ideas​.
He said further that experiences are categorized into two: ​impressions a
​ re basic objects of your experience or sensation. They, therefore, form the
Impressions a
core of your thoughts; and are vivid because they are products of your direct experience with
the world (e.g. pain, pleasure, heat, cold, happiness, grief, fear, exhilaration, etc.).
Ideas,​ on the other hand, are copies of impressions. Because of this, they are not as
lively and vivid as your impressions. When one imagines the feeling of being in love for the
first time, that still is an idea.
Simply, ​impressions​ are your direct experiences while ​ideas​ are acquired through indirect
means. For example, your ​impression​ of your trip to Paris, France is more vivid than your

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 ideas​ about it based on what you see in YouTube videos, magazines, or your friend’s stories
of their vacation trips.
It is believed that there is a unified, coherent self, a soul or mind just like what some of the
previous philosophers thought. But to Hume, what one thinks as a unified self is simply a
combination of all experiences​ with a particular person because to him, ​there is no self.​

8. IMMANUEL KANT (1724-1804)

To Kant, the ​self is a regulating and organizing factor of the
apparatuses of the mind.
The idea of Hume that the self was a combination of
impressions was problematic for Kant. Although he recognizes the
truth to Hume’s account that everything starts with perception and
sensation of impressions, Kant believes that there is a mind that
organizes these impressions that men get from the external world.
For example, time and space are ideas that one cannot find
in the world, but is built in our minds. He calls these the ​apparatuses of the mind​. Along with
the different apparatuses of the mind goes the “self”.
Without the self, one cannot organize the different impressions that one gets in relation
to his own existence.
Kant believes that the self is an actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all
knowledge and experiences. The self is also the seat of knowledge acquisition for all human
persons.

9. GILBERT RYLE (1900-1976)

Gilbert Ryle is a British philosopher who solved the
mind-body dichotomy that has been running for a long time in the
history of thought by blatantly denying the concept of an internal,
non-physical self. For Ryle, what truly matters is the behavior that a
person manifests in his day-to-day life. He said that looking for
and trying to understand a self as it really exists is like visiting
your friend’s university and looking for the “university”. One can
roam around the campus, visit the library and he football field,
and meet the administrators and faculty and still end up not
finding the “university”. This is because the campus, the people, the systems, and the territory
all form the university.

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 Ryle suggests that the “self” is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the
convenient name that people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make. To him, the self
is how you behave.

10. MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY (1908-1961)

Merleau-Ponty is a French phenomenological philosopher

who asserts that the mind-body bifurcation that has been going
on for a long time is a futile endeavor and an invalid problem.
Unlike Ryle who simply denies the “self”, Merleau-Ponty
instead says that the mind and body are so intertwined that they
cannot be separated from one another. One cannot find any
experience that is not an embodied experience. This means that
all experience is embodied. One’s body is his opening toward
his existence to the world. Because of these bodies, men are in
the world. The living body (or lived body), his thoughts, emotions and experiences are all one.
So, how do you know that you are really in love? According to Merleau-Ponty, you need to
have a precise description of your immediate responses: physically, emotionally, and
cognitively.
I am currently in love, and

✔ I feel ________________________________________________________.

✔ I think _______________________________________________________.

✔ My physical responses are ______________________________________.

✔ I spontaneously _______________________________________________.

By doing so, you can have a clearer understanding of what “being in love” is all about, by
using the concepts based on the reality of your lived experiences.
Try doing that in other phenomenon of your experiences such as:
● Being the eldest/youngest/only child
● Poverty
● Living with a broken family
● Being a teenager
● Being a member of LGBTQIA+ community, etc.

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11. PATRICIA CHURCHLAND

Through time, more ideas and views about self

emerged. There are those who believe that all aspects of
the universe are composed of matter and energy that can
be fully explained by physical laws (​Materialism​, or
Physicalism​ as its more contemporary counterpart). These
philosophers (and even psychologists) believe that mental
states are identical to physical brain states. They believe
that there is no immaterial self that exists independently
from the brain or the body.
Patricia Churchland’s ideas on self are grounded on the perspectives of materialism or
physicalism. She argued that to fully understand the mind, one must understand the brain,
using concepts of neuroscience to explain mental concepts such as freewill. She asserted that
there is no mind or soul beyond the physical brain. Therefore, she proposed that the brain is the
self; the brain is each of us.

IV. ​U​sing/​A​pplying Knowledge (Application/Integration)

To summarize and to better compare and contrast the views of the different
philosophers that we have discussed, kindly complete the matrix below.

Philosopher View of Self Division of Self Other remarkable

ideas
Socrates

Plato

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St. Augustine

St. Aquinas

Rene Descartes

John Locke

David Hume

Immanuel Kant

Gilbert Ryle

Maurice
Merleau-Ponty

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Patricia Churchland

V. Eval​U​A​ting Understanding (Assessment)

Let us check your understanding of the different philosophical views on self that we have
discussed. Answer the following questions briefly. Use the ideas of the philosophers to support
your answer.
1. After reading the different philosophical views on self, what do you think is the meaning
or significance of knowing one’s self? (10 points)

2. Which of the following views about self do you agree with and why?
A. Self is immortal
B. The purpose of self is to achieve communion with the Divine
C. Self is developed through experiences
D. Self is manifested through one's behaviors.
If you do not agree to any of these views, then how do you view self and why? (10
points).

3. What do you think will happen to your “self” when you die? (10 points)

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 4. In what instances do you usually observe that the mind affects the body or vice versa?
Describe those instances. (10 points)

5. Compare and contrast the philosophical views of St. Augustine and St. Aquinas
concerning the self. (10 points)

VI. ​U​pgr​A​ding Competence and Expanding Insights (Enrichment Phase)

After learning the different philosophical views about self, which of those do you believe
in and adhere to? Are there instances in your life that lead you to believe in these views? Find a
partner and share it to him/her. Submit to me screenshots of your sharing as proof that you
have done this activity.

VII. S​U​ggested Enrichment ​Ac

​ tivities (Suggested activities, links, etc.)
In a short-sized bond paper, make a collage of how you view self. Feel free to use any
symbol to present your idea of self. You can use symbols such as dove, a question mark, a
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 tree, and so on. Make a collage of the symbol that you have chosen. Use magazine cut-outs,
colored papers, old newspapers, dried leaves etc. as materials or a combination of these. Then,
explain your work in 100 words in another short-sized bond paper. Send a picture or scanned
copy of your work as attachment to the LMS or send via messenger.
Note: While doing the activity, listen to Casting Crown’s “Who am I?”. If you do not have a copy
of the music, visit this site: ​http://youtube.be/3rT8Re1EIQc

Rubric for grading the output:

Criterion 1 2 3 4 5 SCORE
Content Composition is Composition is Composition Composition is Composition is
(relevance, based on one’s based on is supported well supported supported by
use of own one’s own by one by philosophical
references, understanding; understanding philosophica philosophical citations learned
citations) needs to containing l idea that is citations in the lesson with
integrate ideas philosophical properly learned in the additional support
from ideas leaned cited. lesson. ideas from
philosophers from the student’s further
learned from lesson; needs readings.
the lesson. proper
acknowledgme
nt/ citation of
philosophical
ideas used.
Creativity The output is The output is The output The output is The output is
(originality, not original and haphazardly is original original but original; clearly
materials is copied from done (not well but needs to needs to be suggests the
used, existing media; organized; not improve suggestive of intended idea;
neatness, does not use neat). It does output by the idea it materials, color
color preferred not clearly adding conveys; it’s and design match
coordination materials. suggest the design color and the message
, design) intended idea. elements. design is conveyed.
good; neat;
good choice of
materials.
Writing The The The The ideas are The flow of ideas
Mechanics composition is composition is composition organized in a is meaningful;
(organizatio not organized; not well has good manner that is very minimal
n, syntax) many errors in organized; organization easily errors in sentence
sentence several errors ; although understood; structure, spelling
structure, in sentence some errors only a few and choice of
spelling and structure, in sentence errors in words are evident.
choice of words spelling and structure, sentence
are evident; choice of spelling and structure,
ideas are not words are choice of spelling and
clear. evident; some words are choice of
ideas are not evident; words are
clear. ideas are evident.
functional.
TOTAL SCORE

*Note to teachers: You may opt to use or revise this, or make your own rubric.

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VIII. Conclusion:
Self has been philosophically defined in many ways. Though we were provided with
these fundamental concepts and principles about the self, finding the true meaning of our
existence is a personal endeavor. It is our personal task to find out and understand who we
really are. Doing so can help us define ourselves better. No one else can, not even our parents.
In this time of digital socialization, instead of knowing other people’s lives, take time to listen to
yourself. Look inwardly and search that “self” that waits for your attention. Be yourself. While
doing so, reflect on this idea by Friedrich Nietzsche: “​We are unknown, we knowers, ourselves
to ourselves; this has good reason. We have never searched for ourselves—how should it then
​ ”
come to pass, that we should ever find ourselves?
Lastly, this search to understand the self is not entirely possible without “the knowledge
of the holy” (Proverbs 9:10) for this knowledge is supreme and it is where all wisdom is actually
anchored.

References:
Alata, E., Caslib, B., Serafica, J. & Pawilen, R,A. (2018). ​Understanding the
self​ (1st edition). Rex Book Store, Inc.

Brawner, D., & Arcega, A. (2018). ​Understanding the self.​ Quezon City: C & E
Publishing.

Chaffee, J. (2016). ​The philosopher's way: Thinking critically about profound ideas
(5th ed.). USA: Pearson Education.

Villafuerte, S., Quillope, A., Tunac, R., & Borja, E. (2018). ​Understanding the
self​. Quezon City: Nieme Publishing House Co.

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