PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

Activity 1: Do I Know Myself?

Name:

Course:

Year / Section / Time:

Professor:

Reflect on the following questions regarding your “self” and answer them specifically as you can. Please
answer in NOT MORE THAN THREE SENTENCES.

1. How would you describe yourself?

2. What are some of the qualities that differentiate you from others?
3. In what ways have your self-changed through your life? In what ways has it remained the same?
4. What are your strengths?
5. What are your abilities?
6. What do you wish to change in your traits? Why?
7. What do you want to achieve for yourself?
8. How would you describe yourself when it comes to your body?
9. After you die, what do you think will happen to yourself? Do you believe your self will continue
to exist in some form? What form will you be?

Analysis A

 One of Socrates’ famous statement is “The unexamined life is not worth living”. Why do we
need to examine our life?

Analysis B

 Relate an experience in your life when the three elements of yourself as identified by Plato:
Reason, Appetite and Spirit, were in conflict. What was the nature of conflict? How was it
resolved?

Analysis C

 Describe yourself based on your relation to God.

Analysis D

Taking Descartes’ concept of dualism.

  Relate a situation that shows how your mind significantly affects your body.
 Relate a situation that shows how your body significantly affects your mind.

Analysis E

 According to Locke, it is our memory that links our self at this moment with our self in previous
circumstances or in the past. Do you agree with Locke that we are the same identity at different
times and different places?

Analysis F

 Do you agree with Hume that there is no permanent self? How shall we respond when
somebody tells us, “Please don’t change!”

Analysis G

 With Kant’s idea that man is gifted with reason and free will to create an idea of his “self”. Try to
engage yourself into “looking for yourself” by investigating, reflecting on, and synthesizing your
experiences. What have you found? Did you discover yourself?

Analysis H

 Let’s do a little experiment. Take time to ask someone who is close to you to describe you based
solely on your observable behaviour. Then reflect on what aspects of your “self” do you think his
description matches your “real self” and what does not?

Analysis I

 Look into yourself and apply Merleau-Ponty’ perspective of the self by describing briefly how the
pandemic COVID-19 is affecting mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing.