Name: Nathaniel C.

De Leon Subject: GE01 - Understanding the Self

Block: CAS-05-201A Date: January 31, 2022

Assignment #2

The perspective of the various philosophers varies from one another, they might
agree to some degree but still different conclusions were reached.

Socrates, says that we are composed of the body and the soul, which is called
dualistic. He also believes that the true self is our soul, and it exists from the realm of
ideas before the body and it knows everything but forgets all of it when entering the
material world.

Plato, Socrates’ student, says that the material world we are living in is just a
replica of the Ideal world, or the world of forms, which only exists in the realm of ideas.
Plato also believes that the soul is the true self as it is the most intellectual part of a
person. The soul has 3 components which are: Rational Soul (Reason), Spirited Soul
(Neutral), Appetitive Soul (Desires). A healthy person balances all the components of
the soul.

Aristotle, unlike his teacher, Plato, and his teacher’s, believes that the true self is
a composite of the body and the soul, which are inseparable. According to Aristotle, the
self is Hylomorphic, composing both body and the soul, not one or the other.

Rene Descartes does not think that the self is based on the body or the soul, he
doubts the existence of his own physical body. According to Descartes, the true self is
the mind and the proof of existence is having the ability to doubt. This is clearly seen in
what he said, “I think, therefore I am”

David Hume, says “All knowledge is derived from human senses”. His
perspective about the self is influenced by empiricism. He formulated a theory called,
Bundle Theory, in which he says that the true self is a collection of impressions, a vivid
product of direct experience. His theory is different from the four above since his theory
says that the self is related to an “external” experience, unlike the first four which are
inside the body, soul, and mind.

Sigmund Freud, the Father of Psychoanalysis, says that both pleasure and
aggression drive a man. According to him, the true self is our ego the one who picks
between id and superego who to follow. Id is all about getting pleasure even if it is not
allowed, it is stronger than the ego. Superego is the exact opposite of the id, it is full of
rules and control. A healthy person is ego-dominated

John Locke, like David Hume, introduces another definition of the self. According
to him, the self is not locked in the mind, soul, or body only. He included the concept of
memory and says that the gathered memories are the true self. According to Locke,
when we are born we are like a Blank Slate, Tabula Rasa, we know nothing and learn
more as we gather memories

Confucius, says that the true self is formed through upbringing and the
environment. The self continually changes as time went by and depends on the
environment the self grows on. The beginnings of the self are Jen - Heart of
Compassion, Yi - Heart of Righteousness, Li - Heart of Propriety, Chih - Heart of
Wisdom.

Siddhartha Gautama/ Buddha, like Confucius, believes that the self is not an
entity, a substance, or an essence, but the true self is a dynamic process and
ever-changing. In Buddhism, Anatta - a doctrine which is often defined as no-self or
no-soul, in this doctrine the ever-changing self focuses more on the spiritual side.

William James is the first one in this list that introduces two parts of the self, I and
Me. The I is the subjective part of the self, while, the Me is the objective part of the self.
The objective part is further divided into three: material self, social self, and the spiritual
self. The material self refers to the self that involves our physiological needs or the
materialistic things one desires to have. The social self refers to how we interact with
other people. The spiritual self or the self that communicates with an ethereal being.

Virgilio Enriquez applied Filipino Culture to Psychology. According to Enriquez,

the true self is not only the individual but is the Tagalog word, Kapwa. He uses the
Tagalog word because the English word, “others”, is not the same as the word kapwa
which involves oneself and others at the same time. He defined kapwa as recognition of
shared identity or an inner self shared with others. According to Enriquez, “The ako
(ego) and the iba-sa-akin (others) are one and the same in kapwa psychology: Hindi
ako iba sa aking kapwa (I am no different from others).”
 References

Montano, R. L. (2020a). The Self In Western and Eastern Thought - Understanding the Self

[YouTube Video]. In www.youtube.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87TCpKV3e3M&ab_channel=LouisMontano

Montano, R. L. (2020b). The self from various philosophical perspectives / philosophical self -

understanding the self [YouTube Video]. In www.youtube.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lo3c5u73vw&list=PL_4oyk2RBdFd5xrybUJ_Z4b6

6xMPDWyI4&index=1&ab_channel=LouisMontano

PHILO-notes. (2020). Aristotle’s Concept of the Self (See link below for more video lectures in

Understanding the Self) [YouTube Video]. In www.youtube.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ04vU8b5YE&ab_channel=PHILO-notes

theselfcom. (2018, September 29). Reflection: Carl Rogers and William James’ Psychological

Perspective. The Self.

https://theselfcom.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/reflection-carl-rogers-and-william-james-p

sychological-perspective/#:~:text=On%20the%20other%20hand%2C%20William%20Ja

mes%20believed%20that

Yacat, J. (2013, October). Filipino Psychology (Sikolohiyang Pilipino). Research Gate.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316081561_Filipino_Psychology_Sikolohiyang

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of%20sikolohiyang,psyche%2C%20which%20translates%20to%20soul%20of%20a%20

people.