THE SELF FROM VARIOUS

PERSPECTIVES
Raessel B. Gutoman, MP
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IN WHAT WAYS DO I GET TO KNOW
MYSELF?

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I. PHILOSOPHY
The self in philosophical paradigm

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 Philosophy

“Philos” and “Sophia”

“Love for wisdom”
“wisdom”=“karunungan”

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“ Philosophy

It is the study of acquiring knowledge through rational

thinking and inquiries that involves in answering questions
regarding the nature and
existence of man and the world we live in.
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Socrates
◈ “Know thy self”
◆ Man must live and stand according to his nature
◆ Man must look at himself
◈ “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
◆ Two fundamental questions:
1. To find what?
2. By what means?
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Socrates

To find what?
◈ The only way for us to understand ourselves is
through introspection (internal questioning)
◈ Wisdom is learning to reflect

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“
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Socrates

By what means?
◈ The Socratic Method: Dialogue between the
soul and itself
◈ Between a student and his teacher

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 Socrates
Every Man is Dualistic
Body:
Changeable,
transient, imperfect
World of
Senses/Matter

Soul:
Unchanging, eternal, perfect
World of Ideas/Form 12
Plato
3-Part Soul/Self (Psyche)
▪ Appetitive: accounts for the basic biological
needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire
▪ Spirited: accounts for courageous part of the
person; the basic emotions such as love, anger,
ambition, aggressiveness, and empathy
▪ Rational: the conscious mind, the divine
essence that lets us think deeply (wisdom),
make wise choices, and achieve a true
understanding of eternal truths 13
“
justice in human person can only
be attained if the three parts of the
soul are working harmoniously
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Aristotle

▪ The mind (self) is a tabula rasa (a

blank tablet)

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Aristotle

▪ “Self is composed of matter and form”

▪ Matter is in a continuous process of developing
and becoming
▪ The Process of Completion is through experiences
▪ Knowledge is acquired through the senses

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Medieval Philosophy 500 AD to 1350 AD
St. Augustine
◈ “The more one doubts and question his life
means that, one is actually living it”
◈ The self strives to achieve union with
God through faith and reason

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How can I be sure that the self exists?
What are the proofs that the self exists?

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Rene Descartes
◈ Use of systematic and scientific method to aid his ideas
and assumptions
◈ “Methodical Doubt”-a continuous process of questioning
what we perceive and doubting, asking questions is part of
our existence
◈ distrust and doubt to all the truths and beliefs of an
individual to determine what beliefs he or she is certain
are true.
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John Locke
◈ Father of liberalism
◈ “Tabula Rasa” or blank slate- the experiences
of a person is important for establishment of
who that person can become
◈ A person can become who they want to be with
the right stimulations, enough experiences, as
well as awareness
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David Hume
◈ Impressions of things are based on our
sensations of experiences
◈ “there is no permanent self”
I said, Walang
They said, the ganon!
self is an entity
beyond
physical body…
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Emmanuel Kant
▪ “Transcedental Apperception”- The self actively
organizes all the sensations and thoughts into a
picture that makes sense to each one of us
▪ To fully understand who we are, a certain level
of consciousness which synthesizes all the
experiences, impressions and different contents
is what it only takes to define a person.
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Sigmund Freud
◈ Father of Psychoanalysis
◈ A man has different constructs of personality that
interacts with each other along with his concept
of levels of consciousness provides an idea of
how a person develops a sense of self

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Sigmund Freud
Aspects of the self:
◈ Id-satisfaction of one’s needs and self
gratification
◈ Superego- conscience, notion of right or
wrong
◈ Ego-operates within the boundaries of
reality 25
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Sigmund Freud
◈ Levels of Consciousness
◆ Conscious – refers to those thoughts and feelings that we
are aware of
◆ Preconscious – experiences that are unconscious but could
become conscious with little effort
◆ Unconscious – contains all drives, urges or instincts that are
beyond our awareness but motivate our feelings, thoughts
and behavior

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Gilbert Ryle
◈ Behavioristic approach to self-The self is defined in terms
of behavior that is presented to the world
◈ The self is a “Ghost in the machine”

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Paul and Patricia Churchland
◈ Eliminative
Materialism
◆ Grounded in
neuroscience
◆ The self is defined by
the movement of the
brain 29
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
◈ Phenomenology of Perception (unity of the function of the
mind and body):
◆ The Body-receives the experiences as well as
integrates such experiences in different perceptions
◆ The Perceived world-accumulation of the perception as
integrated by the experiences of the body
◆ The People and the world- enable one to experience
the cultural aspect and relate to others
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To Do: Discussion Board

WHICH AMONG THESE

PHILOSOPHIES CAN YOU RELATE
WITH? HOW DO THEY AFFECT THE
WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF?

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Read:
◈ Chapter 2: Self in the Sociological
Perspective

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THANKS!
Any questions?