UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
Philosophy
SOCRATES
 Greek philosopher from Athens who is
known to be one of the greatest ancient
figures who founded Western
Philosophy
 “The self is based on knowledge, not
on ignorance.”
 believed that to “Know Thyself.” is an
essential part of understanding oneself:
who we are, who we should be, and
who we will become
 the self is synonymous with the soul; in
which, the essence of the self is the soul
 suggests that man should live an
examined life and a life of purpose and
value for an unexamined life is not worth
living
 DUALISM
o corruptible body and immortal soul
o Socrates performed that every man is
composed of body and soul; our reality
consists of two dichotomous realms:
1. Physical realm- changeable,
transient, and imperfect
2. Ideal Realm- unchanging,
eternal, and immortal
o Soul: immortal entity, always in quest
for wisdom and perfection through the
full power of human reason
o but our reality is also tied up to the
Physical Realm – our bodies and where
it wanders in imperfection
o Self: struggles in a constant state of
confusion which inhibits the self to
achieve its exalted state – wisdom, and
perfection
o Socrates then suggests that man should
live an examined life and a life of
purpose and value for an unexamined
life is not worth living.
o to live a meaningful and happy life, the
self must become virtuous and know the
value of himself through:
 introspection – carefully
examining one’s thoughts
and emotions to gain self-
knowledge
PLATO
 Greek philosopher from Athens who
studied under Socrates; founder of the
Academy and eventually became the
teacher of Aristotle
 “The self is represented by the well-
being of the soul.”
 elaborated on Socrates’ concept of the
soul
 also believes that the self is
synonymous with the soul
 focused on the process of self-
knowledge and purification of the soul
 stated that justice can only be attained if
there is harmony in the three parts of
the soul (The Republic)
1. Reason- divine essence that
allows us to think deeply
2. Physical Appetite- refers to our
basic biological needs like
hunger, thirst, and sexual
desires
3. Spirit- consists of our basic
emotions like love, anger,
ambition, aggressiveness, and
empathy
 three elements are in a dynamic
relationship but can be often in conflict
with each other
 harmony can be restored through
Reason which is in control of the
Physical Appetite and Spirit
 if balance is maintained, one can
achieve genuine happiness
 Reason, according to Plato, is the
essence of justice.
 Plato also believes in dualism, where he
then suggests that man should give
more importance to the soul than the
physical body
SAINT AUGUSTINE
 African theologian and philosopher who
became a bishop of Hippo
 “The self must be in harmony with
God.”
 integrated the concept of Plato in
Christianity
 the soul is immortal that even if the body
is bound to die on the physical realm,
the soul will live eternally in the spiritual
realm in communion with God
 sought understanding of human concept
and was greatly influenced by:
 Skepticism- led him to the
philosophical principle, “I doubt
therefore I am.”
 human person is innately and always
geared up towards good because man
is the creation of God who is the source
of all that is good
 to know the self, one must have the
knowledge of God which is the truth can
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be found within us through reflections,
prayers and confessions
 believes that man’s end goal is
happiness
 to attain happiness, the self must be
able to acknowledge the love of the
Supreme Being or reciprocate that love
ethically for without God, humans are
bound to fail in search of happiness
RENE DESCARTES
 French mathematician, scientist, and the
Father of Modern Philosophy
 “The self is a thinking entity.”
 La geometrie: Cartesian brought new
perspective to philosophy
 applied the concept of Dualism in his
two dimensions of the human self
1. self as a thinking identity
2. self as a physical body
 both are independent with each
other yet each can exist without
the other
 wanted to understand the relationship
between the nature of the process of
reasoning and the human self
 discovered that the self is intellectually
autonomous and has independent
thinking
 suggests that we cannot simply rely on
our senses, that everything must be
subjected to doubt
 the only thing that one cannot doubt is
the existence of the self
 How do we know that the self exists? “I
think therefore I am.”
 Cogito ergo sum.
 the very act of thinking is the mere proof
of one’s existence
 the essence of self: a thinking entity that
is able to doubt, understand, analyze,
question, and reason
JOHN LOCKE
 English political philosopher and the
Father of Liberalism
 founder of modern philosophical
empiricism
 “The self is constructed from
experience.”
 suggests that the self is based from our
experiences through our senses: vision,
hearing, smell, taste, and touch
 key to understanding the self
1. conscious awareness
2. memory of previous experiences
 also known for his idea of Tabula rasa
which means blank slate: theory
wherein it states that when a person is
born, he has no mental pre-knowledge
and through experiences perceived by
our senses, one attains knowledge
 believes that the essence of the self is
one’s ability to be consciously aware of
his thinking, reasoning, and reflecting
faculties to have a concept of the self
DAVID HUME
 Scottish philosopher and empiricist
 “The self is a collection of different
perceptions.”
 believes that one can only know what
comes from the senses and experience
 argues that the self is not an entity that
is over and beyond the physical body
 the idea of personal identity is a result of
the imagination; there is no self
 there are only two distinct entities from
our experiences
1. impressions- basic sensations of
people’s experiences and vivid
perceptions
2. ideas- thoughts and images
based on our impressions
IMMANUEL KANT
 German philosopher and one of the
central Enlightenment thinkers
 “The self is constructed through
rationality.”
 explains that the self is always
transcendental (Transcendental Unity
of Apperception)
 the construction of a world that is stable
and familiar which can be investigated
and proven scientifically
(Transcendental Deduction of
Categories)
 the self is merely a product of reason,
and it constructs its own reality
SIGMUND FREUD
 Austrian neurologist and founder of:
 psychoanalysis, a method for
treating mental illnesses which
explains human behavior
 “The self is multilayered.”
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 known for his Psychoanalytic Theory

where there are three distinct
interacting agents
1. id
2. ego
3. superego
 he is not a philosopher but his views on
the self, have made a significant impact
on philosophical thinking
 suggests that the self consists of three
layers
1. conscious self
 reality principle referring
to thoughts and
perceptions
 rational, always seeks to
preserve the equilibrium
of the entire
psychodynamic of the
self
2. unconscious self
 pleasure principle which
pertains to our instinctual
drives - desires and fears
 most primitive level of
human motivation and
functioning, much of the
self is determined in this
layer
3. preconscious self
 memories and stored
knowledge
 easiest to access in the
mind, relative to how we
identify the things around
us material that is not
threatening to the self
PAUL CHURCHLAND
 Canadian philosopher, contributed in
philosophy of neuroscience and
philosophy of man
 “The self is the brain.”
 Eliminative Materialism claims that the
self is inseparable from the body and
brain
 mind does not exist because it cannot
be perceived by our senses
 the physical brain gives a sense of self,
thus, the self is the brain
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
 French philosopher, lead proponent of
existentialism, phenomenology
 “The self is embodied subjectivity.”
 dismissed the idea of Cartesian Dualism
 argues that the mind and body are one
and inseparable along with its thoughts,
emotions & experiences
 everything that people are aware of is
contained within the consciousness
 perception is not merely a result of
sensory experience but conscious
experience
 all knowledge about the self is based on
“phenomena”
LEARNINGS:

GILBERT RYLE
 British philosopher known for his work:
 The Concept of Mind - a criticism
on Descartes’ Cartesian Dualism

 “The self is represented by the

behavior of an individual.”

 coined the term “ghost in the machine”,

says that the consciousness or mind is
carried in a physical entity; creating the
philosophical concept, “I act therefore I
am.”
 believes in Logical Behaviorism, it states
that the self is how people behave; a
pattern of behavior
 mind is in control of producing the entire
system of thoughts, emotions, and
actions

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4. Consistent- traits that persist overtime
which allow it to be measured and
studied as predictable tendencies
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF 5. Unitary- where mainly all experiences
Sociology and thoughts are processed
6. Private- describes one’s internal
SOCIOLOGY processes: information, feelings and
 From the Latin word socius (society), emotions, and thoughts that are never
and the Greek word logos (study of or to accessible to anyone but the self
speak about)
 scientific study of social groups and  self as being Private, it is isolated from
human relationships; the interconnected the external world
relationship between the self and other  might result to potential clash with each
people other because the external reality takes
 an aspect of yourself where you a huge part in the shaping of the self:
recognize social environments and what it might be, what it can be, and
relations that influence how you build what it will be
your self-concept  the boundaries of “the person” (self) and
“their social context” (social environment
AUGUSTE COMTE and roles) cannot be separated with
 Father of Sociology each other (Social Constructionist
 Founder of Sociology (together with Perspective)
Herbert Spencer and Karl Marx)  the self should not be a static entity but
 First to use the term “S defined rather flux or flexible because of its
sociology as the scientific study of social numerous anticipated social roles
dynamics and social static  the self is always shifting and unable to
stay constant; the self is multifaceted
AGENTS OF SOCIOLIZATION
1. Family
2. School Experience
3. Peer Groups
4. Workplace
5. Religion
6. Government
7. Mass media

CHARLES COOLEY
 Looking Glass Self

 explains that the people whom you

interact with become a mirror of how
you view yourself
 self-identity or self-image is achieved
through:
1. how you present yourself to others
2. how you analyze how others
perceive you
3. how you create an image of yourself
 you might have wrong interpretations
about how other people evaluate you
especially, if you perceive it negatively -
might lead you to develop a negative
self-image

RICHARD STEVENS
 Characteristics of the Self

1. Separate- distinct from other selves; the

self is unique
2. Self-contained- pertains to its own
distinct thoughts, characteristics, and
volition or decision-making
3. Independent- does not require any
other self to exist