GRACE MISSION COLLEGE

PANGASINAN
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

STUDENT NAME: RICHARD POSERIO PALAYLAY

MODULE
1

ACTIVITY #1
Directions: Answer the following questions:

1. “Know thyself”, was Socrates’ advice. Considering the nature of yourself, share an experience that proves
that you do not know yourself.

-The most important enterprise in your life is to be able to discover who you truly are.

When someone asked me about the things that I wanted to pursue or my life goals. I felt unprepared to answer
those questions because I don't fully understand who I am and what to do.

Twenty second of October, I was experienced anxiety and because of my anxiety I didn't know where am I good
at, and experienced a lot of insecurity, I'm scared of doing different activities ,and one day I've realized that I
need to trust or believe to myself and failing is different from failure.

2.Without this work on yourself, life is worthless, according to Socrates. Do you agree? Why? Why not?

I don’t agree because the statement is hyperbole. It is certainly noble for a person to examine his/her life
and reflect on the deeper questions. Socrates was a philosopher. He, like most others, wanted to propagate
his ideas and line of thought. This does not mean that those who do not philosophies deeply are worthless.
It is simply better for a person to live an examined life.
3.“Ignorance is the beginning of wisdom”, Socrates claimed. When you do not admit of you ignorance, what
are the consequences? Illustrate this with your experience.

 Ignorance is NOT the beginning of wisdom. Awareness of one’s ignorance and incentive to correct
may spur the acquisition of knowledge, not wisdom. When you don’t admit to your ignorance you
continue to stay ignorant and very easy for others to control; for their benefit not yours. So, in the
end you become a pawn for others to use and the probability of any happiness or Joy is just about
zero. Hopefully such a fate is not acceptable to you and you choose to learn new things; especially
all about Unconditional Love as a way of fully Living! While Fear and ignorance go together; Love,
Joy and knowledge do so as well! Choose wisely; and no whining allowed if you do so foolishly!

You don’t learn and remain ignorant. You have to understand, Socretes was coming from a place of
humility when it comes to this topic. Humility is aways wise.

ACTIVITY #2
Directions: Answer the following questions:

1. According to Plato, the body is just a shell, a prison house of the soul. As a consequence of this thought, to
which should you give more attention? How?

 Well, since we all are souls, we use many things as tools. A carpenter uses hammers, nails and saw.
These are not parts of the carpenter, just tools, right? So we, being soul, are using tools too, but
they are not parts of us. The body is a tool. Emotions and feelings is a tool, the mind, thoughts is a
tool. We should take care of them all, because good tools are essential for good work to be done.
Exercise the body. Laugh and cry to exercise emotions. Read and study to challenge the mind.

2.The life of a human person for Plato is a continuous ascent towards the world of ideas, a journey in which
the self frees itself from the imprisonment in the body. Does applying Plato’s thought of the self lead to an
ascetic way of life? Explain your answer.

 One may be set free from the concept that "I am a body" by replacing it with the thought that "I am not
the body," but they would still be bound to the mind, which is the source of all ideas. When ascetism is
practiced improperly, it is intended to harm an innocent body needlessly.