The self from various

philosophical perspective
PHILOSOPHY OF SELF “
▣ Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines simply
because all field of study began as philosophical discourses.
Ancient philosophers attempted to explain natural and social
phenomena , coming up with own definitions of how the world
works and what factors contribute to such phenomena.
The self has been defined as a unified being , essentially connected to
consciousness , awareness and agency. Different philosophers
introduced specific characteristics and meanings of self which
transformed from pure abstractions to explanations that hold scientific
proofs.,

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▣ Socrates is one of the early
philosopher who pondered on the
self.
▣ He stressed the importance of
”Knowing oneself” to which one
can experience positivity in life.
▣ It is a priority to use to its fullest
extent the ability to think and at
the same time be humble of what
is unknown.
▣ Socrates taught his disciples the
”Socratic Method” or
introspection.
SOCRATES

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 ▣ A student of Socrates, he
elaborated the work of his
teacher. He also wrote a book
titled “The Republic”.
▣ He believed that the body is
separate to the soul. This
philosophy is called as
“Dualism”.
▣ The soul is then divided into 3
different parts: the appetitive
soul, spirited soul, and rational
soul.

PLATO

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▣ He is a saint and a philosopher.
▣ His philosophy of the self is still
similar with “Dualism”.
▣ For him, God encompasses
human existence. The self is
derived and will only be
understood through divine
intervention.
▣ Therefore people should
reconnect with God in order to
know one self.

St. agustine

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 ▣ A French philosopher and father
of modern philosophy. He
introduced “Methodical
Doubting”.
▣ He is also well known for “Cogito
Ergo Sum” or ”I think therefore I
am”.
▣ He believes that the body can be
deceived by its experiences
therefore we should only trust the
mind.

RENE DESCARTES

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▣ Recognized as the father of
classical liberalism.
▣ He is famous for the concept
“Tabula Rasa” which means a
blank slate.
▣ Experiences and perceptions pave
the way for our existence. Hence,
we build ourselves up from
nobody to somebody.

John locke

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John locke – –WE
Socrates
St.
METHOD
Augustine
AS BLANK
KNOWLEDGE/
ARE
THE
–
ALL BORN
SOCRATIC
THEORY
EXAMINE
OF
SLATES / ONESELF
TABULA
/ GOD BE THE
RECAP Plato
Rene– DUALISM
Descartes/ –3-PART
ERGO SUMTHE SOUL
/ THE MIND IS
OF
COGITO
RASA
CENTER OF SELF RELIABLE, THE BODY IS NOT

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 ▣ Mainly an empiricist, he believes
in the presence of concrete
evidences for the self.
▣ For him, the self is constantly
changing. Like a vessel of
experiences and perceptions.
▣ There are two aspects of the self:
impressions and ideas.

DAVID HUME

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▣ German philosopher working on
Empiricism and Rationalism.
▣ He proposed the term
“Transcendental Apperception”
which is an integral part of
consciousnesses.
▣ The self can only be understood
by the active use of our
consciousness.

IMMANUEL KANT

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 ▣ An Austrian psychologist and
physician. He is famous for
coining the term psychoanalysis
and his study on human nature.
▣ For him, the self is composed of
the “Id, Ego, and Superego”.
▣ He also proposed the three levels
of consciousness which are:
Conscious, pre-conscious, and
unconscious.

SIGMUND FREUD

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▣ He introduced the field of
“Behaviorism”, which asserts
that it is through observable
action that the self can be
understood.
▣ These behaviors are reflection of
our mind. He further explained
his theory through “the ghost in
the machine”.

GILBERT RYLE

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 ▣ Cognitive processes explain the
self. This is called as
“Neurophilosophy”.
▣ It is through neurological
patterns that explain basic and
complex human experiences.
▣ He also built the idea of
“Eliminative materialism”.

PAUL CHURHCLAND

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 ▣ A French philosopher who
worked on existentialism and
phenomenology.
▣ The body and the mind are
interconnected entities.
▣ He divided the phenomenology of
perception: the body, the
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY perceived world, and the people
and the world.
▣ These three work together and
14 explains the self.
~ END ~

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