PSYCH 101-L2-WEBINAR CONTENT
Philosophy is often called the mother
OUTLINE LESSON 2: WHAT PHILOSOPHY
SAYS ABOUT THE SELF
At the end of this lesson, you should be able
to:
1. Discuss the different philosophical
standpoints about the self;
2. Explain how philosophical models have
transformed from classical to contemporary
times;
3. Synthesize and evaluate the different
perspectives of the self; and
4. Analyze the relevance of various
philosophical standpoints to your sense of self.
A. PHILOSOPHICAL STANDPOINTS ABOUT
THE SELF
1. Introduction
a.
of all disciplines simply because all fields of
study began as philosophical discourses.
(1) Ancient philosophers
attempted to explain natural and
social phenomena, coming up
with their own definitions of how
the world works and what factors
contribute to such phenomena.
(2) Thus, it was inevitable to
come up with various
conceptions of what it means to
be human, and in so doing, the
different functions of the self.
b. The self has been defined as a
“unified being”, essentially connected to
consciousness, awareness, and agency (or
at least, with the faculty of rational choice).”
(1) Different philosophers
introduced specific characteristics
and meanings of the self, which,
overtime, transformed from pure
abstractions to explanations that
hold scientific proof
2. Classical Antiquity
 a. The ancient philosophy of the self can
be traced back from one of 147 Greek
aphorisms prominently inscribed in the temple
of Apollo at Delphi – “know thyself.” This
aphorism (or principle) was Socrates’s
guiding principle where he believed that the
real self is not the physical body, but rather
the psyche (or soul). He further posited that
the appearance of the body is inferior to its
functions.
b. In expounding the ideas of Socrates,
his prized student Plato explained that truth
can be distinguished in two forms: the
METAPHYSICAL realm (mind) and the
PHYSICAL world (body).
(1) Plato suggested that the self
is fundamentally an intellectual
entity whose nature exists
independent from the physical
world.
(2) Plato bifurcated the truth or
reality into two: the ONTOS
(ideal), the ultimate reality which
tends to be permanent and
spiritual, and the PHENOMENA,
which refers to the manifestation
of the ideal. Compared to ontos,
phenomena are imperfect,
impermanent, and inferior.
c. Plato’s idea of truth about the human
self was even more expounded and formalized
by his prized student, Aristotle.
(1) While Plato emphasized the
separation of the ideal from the
phenomenal existence of being,
Aristotle suggested that the ideal
is subsumed in the
phenomena.
(2) Aristotle called the ideal as
ESSENCE, and the phenomena
as MATTER.
(3) He also emphasized that the
two co-exist and are co-
dependent; the essence
provides meaning and purpose
to the matter, and the matter
provides substance and
solidity to the essence.
d. The philosophy of the self has been
defined through two distinct lens: EMPIRICISM
and RATIONALISM.
(1) In empiricism, there is no
such thing as innate knowledge;
instead, knowledge is derived
from EXPERIENCE – either
perceived with the five senses or
processed with the brain.
(2) One knows things because he
or she has experienced it
through sensory and bodily
responses.
(3) On the other hand,
rationalism argues that there is
innate knowledge; however,
there are different sources of
innate knowledge.
(4) Rationalism explains self from
the standpoint of what is “ideal”
and “true”, and not rooted in
what is felt by the senses or
body.
(5) Conclusions, in rationalism,
are derived through logic and
reasoning. Some philosophers
applied empirical views of the
self; others used the rational.

B. TRANSFORMATION OF PHILOSOPHICAL
MODELS FROM CLASSICAL TO
CONTEMPORARY TIMES
1. From classical antiquity to the contemporary
era, philosophy of the self evolved. From the
teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle,
renaissance and contemporary philosophers
also defined the self according to personal and
historical contexts.
a. As stated by Fromm, “You can only
understand humans in the context of their
history.” This line is appropriate in
understanding how philosophers have shaped
their own viewpoints of the self.
b. The ancient philosophers explained
the self from their conceptual understanding
of the world since scientific evidence was
hard to obtain due to the lack of measures.
c. Contemporary philosophers,
meanwhile, have incorporated science to
their theories in the light of technological
advancements that they have been exposed
to.
2. Towards Modern Philosophy
a. Socrates and Plato have explained
the self from a theoretical and logical
orientation. Aristotle was an empiricist,
deriving views of the self from physical and
scientific underpinnings.
b. St. Augustine incorporated the
views of Plato to his religious philosophy.
John Locke, David Hume, and Immanuel
Kant were empiricist philosophers; while
Rene Descartes was a dominant rational
philosopher during the Middle Ages.
c. Among contemporary philosophers,
the majority are empiricists: Gilbert Ryle,
Patricia Churchland, and Maurice Merleau-
Ponty have incorporated biological and
neuroscience in their philosophies.

C. PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF:
RATIONALISM AND EMPIRICISM
1. Three discerning points of rationalism
a. The primary and most superior
source of knowledge about reality is REASON.
b. Sense experience is unreliable and
inadequate route to knowledge. c. The
fundamental truths about the world can be
known a priori: either innate or self-evident to
our minds.
2. Three discerning points of empiricism
a. The only source of genuine
knowledge about the world is SENSE
EXPERIENCE.
b. Reason is an unreliable and
inadequate route to knowledge unless it is
grounded in the solid bedrock of sense
experience.
c. There is no such thing as innate
knowledge because knowledge is derived
from experience. The mind before experience
is tabula rasa, a blank state.
D. RELEVANCE OF THE
PHILOSOPHICAL STANDPOINTS TO THE
SENSE OF SELF
1. Each one of us has a sense of self. It is in
this context that the different philosophical
standpoints about the self come into play.
In the ordinary course of life, the self’s search
for knowledge and truth either pursues the
roadmap of rationalism or empiricism.
2. The pursuit of knowledge through
education may commence with the rationalist
perspective with reason as the superior source
of knowledge. However, reason may be
substantiated with knowledge from sense
experience or empirical knowledge, as the
student is introduced to scientific method of
inquiry.
3. The question about the meaning of life may
be addressed by pursuing knowledge from
sense experience as the individual matures
into a being of experience. Understanding and
knowing the feelings of pain, suffering and joy
can be explained on the basis of empirical
data. However, giving meaning to these
experiences may be within the faculty of
reason.
4. Questions relative to life after death may
not be explained through empirical methods.