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Earning Outcomes: LSPU Self-Paced Learning Module (SLM)
Earning Outcomes: LSPU Self-Paced Learning Module (SLM)
Learning Outcomes
Intended Students should be able to meet the following intended learning outcomes:
Learning • Explain the role of philosophy in understanding the concept of self;
Outcomes • Discuss the different concepts of the self from the philosophical perspective; •
Differentiate the various concept of the self and identify their similarities; and
• Develop your own philosophy of the self.
Targets/ At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
Objectives • Demonstrate understanding on the importance of family.
• Identify the different types/classes of the Filipino family.
• Inculcate the vital role of family in building a progressive and peaceful nation.
The online discussion will happen on October 12 and 16, 2020, from
7:00-9:00AM.
(For further instructions, refer to your Google Classroom and see the
schedule of activities for this module)
Note: The insight that you will post on online discussion forum using Learning Management
System (LMS) will receive additional scores in class participation.
For Socrates the self is synonymous with the soul. He believes that ever
human possesses an immortal soul that survive the physical body. Socrates
was the first to focus on the full power of the reason on the human self: who
we are, who we should be, and who will become. Socrates suggest that reality
consist of two dichotomous realms: physical and ideal realms. The physical
realms is changeable, transient and imperfect. The ideal realm is unchanging,
eternal and immortal. The physical world in which man lives belong to the
physical realm. For Socrates, the body belong to the physical realm. On the
other hand, the unchanging, eternal, perfect realm includes the intellectual
essences of the universe concepts such as truth, goodness and beauty. The soul
belongs to the ideal realm.
Socrates explained that the essence of the self the soul is the immortal entity.
The soul strives for wisdom and perfections, and reasons is the soul’s tool to
achieve this exalted state. But then as long as the soul is tied to the body, the
quest for wisdom is inhibited by the imperfection of the physical realm, where
it wanders and confused. Socrates thus suggest that man must live an examined
life and a life of purpose and value. For him, an unexamined life is not worth
living. The individual person can have meaningful and happy life only if he
becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be achieved through
incessant soul-searching. He must begin at the source of all knowledge and
significance the self. The Socratic Method, the so called introspection, is a
method of carefully examining one’s thoughts and emotions to gain
selfknowledge.
Another Greek philosopher, Aristotle, believes that the soul is merely a set of
defining features and does not consider the bod and soul as separate entities.
He suggests that anything with life has a soul. Aristotle holds that the soul is the
essence of all living things. Thus, the soul is the essence of the self. However,
humans differ from other living things because of their capacity of thinking. His
discussion about the self centers on the kinds of soul possessed by man. Thus,
he introduces the three kinds of soul: vegetative, sentient, and rational. The
vegetative soul includes the physical body that can grow, Sentient soul includes
sensual desire, feelings, and emotions. Rational soul is what makes man human.
It includes the intellect that allows man to know and understand things. Thus,
Aristotle suggests that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good,
flourishing, and fulfilling life (self-actualization). The pursuit of happiness is a
search for a good life that includes doing virtuous action. In saying this, he
posits that part of the rational soul is characterized b moral virtues such as
justice and courage.
For English philosopher John Locke, the human mind at birth is tabula rasa or
a blank slate. He feels that the self, or personal identity, is constructed
primarily from the sense experiences-or more specially, what people see, hear,
smell, taste, and feel. These experiences shape and mold the self throughout a
person’s life. For Locke, conscious awareness and memory of the previous
experience are the keys to understanding the self. Locke believes that the
essence of the self is its conscious awareness of itself as a thinking, reasoning,
and reflecting identity. He contends that consciousness accompanies thinking
and makes possible the concept people have of a self. Self-consciousness is
necessary to have a coherent personal (self) identity of knowledge of the self as
a person. Consciousness is what makes identity of a person similar in different
situations.
At this point, Locke is proposing the people could use the power of reason to
gain knowledge and consequently use this knowledge to understand
experiences. Knowledge is based on careful observation of experiences. Reason
plays an important role in helping to figure out the significance of sense
experience and to reach intelligent conclusions. Thus, using the power of
reason and introspection enables one to understand and achieve accurate
conclusion about the self (or personal identity)
British philosopher Gilbert Ryle believes that the self is the best understood as
a pattern of behaviour, the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a
certain way in certain circumstances. Ryle’s concept of the human self thus
provides the philosophical principle, “I act therefore I am” Ryle considers the
mind and body to be intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways. In short,
the self is the same as bodily behaviour. He concludes that the mind is the
totality of human dispositions that is known through the way people behave.
Nevertheless, Ryle is convinced that the mind express the entire system of
thoughts, emotions, and actions that make up the human self.
not the imaginary mind, gives people the sense of self. The mind does not really
exist because it cannot be experienced by the senses.
DISCOVER
⚫ Socrates suggest that the self is synonymous with the soul. He believes that
ever human possess an immortal soul that survives that physical body.
⚫ For Plato, the three elements of the soul/ self are reason, physical appetite,
and spirit or passion. Reason is divine essence that enables people to think
deeply, make wise choices, and achieve a true understanding of eternal
truths. The physical appetite includes the basic biological needs while the
spirit or passion includes the basic emotions.
⚫ Aristotle suggest that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good,
flourishing, and fulfilling life.
⚫ Augustine believes that the body is united with the soul, so that man may be
entire and complete.
⚫ Descartes suggests that the act of thinking about the self or being
selfconscious is proof that there is a self. There are two dimensions of the
human self: the self as a thinking entity and the self as a physical body.
⚫ Locke believes that conscious awareness and memory of previous
experiences are the keys to understanding the self. He believes that the
essence of the self is its conscious awareness of itself as a thinking,
reasoning, and reflecting identity.
⚫ To Hume, the idea of personal identity is result of imagination and that if
the person carefully examines his sense experience through the process of
introspection, he will discover that there is no self.
⚫ According to Kant, the self constructs its own reality, actively creating a
world that is familiar a predictable.
⚫ Freud holds that the self consist of three layers: conscious, unconscious, and
preconscious.
⚫ Ryle believes that the self is best understood as a pattern of behaviour, the
tendency or disposition for a person to behave in a certain way in certain
circumstances.
⚫ Churchland advocates the idea of eliminative materialism or the idea that
the self is inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body.
⚫ According to Merleau-Ponty, all knowledge about the self is based on the
“phenomena” of experience.
ENGAGING ASSESSMENT
Identify the philosopher who proposed the particular view of self presented in the first column.
Then, examine your personal view about the nature of self and indicate whether you believe
or not in that philosophical view of self. If you believe in that state philosophy, recall an
important experience you have had which relates to it. If you do not believe, explain your
disbelief. How do your experience or disbelief affects our selfhood?
Believe It or not:
(Write B if
Philosophical Related Life Reasons why I Effects on
Philosopher you believe and N
View of self if you do not Experience do not believe myself
believe)
⚫ An
examined life is
not
worth living
⚫ If human
beings
do not
live in
accordance
to their
nature/func
tion, the
result will
be injustice
⚫ Self-
realization
is attained
by fulfilling
man’s
threefold
nature:
Performance Tasks
vegetative,
sentient, and
rational.
⚫ The self
seeks to be
unified with
God through
faith and
reason.
⚫ The self is a
thinking
thing.
Distinct
from the
body
⚫ The human
mind at
birth is
a
blank state
or
tabula rasa.
⚫ There is no
self only
bundle of
constantly
changing
perceptions
passing
through the
theatre
of
our minds.
⚫ The self
transcends
experience
⚫ I act,
therefore, I
am
⚫ The self is
the brain
⚫ The
consciousne
ss, the world,
and
human body
are intricately
intertwined
in
the
knowing the
world.
Write an essay on the philosophical perspective of the self. Consider the following questions in
writing your essay.
My Reflection
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