I.

THE SELF FROM VARIOUS

PERSPECTIVES
.
OBJECTIVES:

1. Explain the role of philosophy in understanding

the concept of the self;
2. Discuss the different concepts of the self from
the philosophical perspective;
3. Differentiate the various concepts of the self and
identify their similarities; and
4. Develop your own philosophy of the self.
 Philosophical
Perspective

Anthropological Sociological
Conceptualization
of Self Perspective

SEL
F

The Self in
Psychological Western and
Perspective Eastern Thought
WHO AM I?
WHAT AM I?
.
 A search for answers to the nature
of the self and the qualities that
define it can be traced back to great
philosophers during the ancient
times.
.
 PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
.
 SOCRATES
A Greek Philosopher from Athens who is
credited as the founder of Western
philosophy and among the first moral
philosophers of the ethical tradition of
thought.
“AN UNEXAMINED
LIFE IS NOT
WORTH LIVING”
• The Self is synonymous with the
soul.
• He believes that every human
possesses an immortal soul that
survives the physical body.
• The first to focus on the full
power of reason on the human
self: WHO WE ARE, WHO WE
SHOULD BE, & WHO WILL
WE BECOME.
• He suggests that reality consists
of two dichotomous realms:
physical and ideal.
 PHYSICAL REALM IDEAL REALM
Changeable, Unchanging, eternal,
transient, imperfect immortal
Where the physical Intellectual essences
world belongs of the universe,
concepts such as
truth, goodness, and
beauty.
Where the body Where the soul
belongs belongs
• Socratic Method – the so-called
introspection; a method of
carefully examining one’s
thoughts and emotions – to gain
self-knowledge.
• Soul – immortal entity, which
strives for wisdom and
perfection. This cannot be
attained if the soul is tied to the
body.
“AN UNEXAMINED
LIFE IS NOT
WORTH LIVING”
• The individual person can have a
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 with the source of
all knowledge and significance –
the self.
 PLATO
•Ancient Greek Philosopher
•Student of Socrates
THE SELF IS AN
IMMORTAL SOUL
• Elaborates the concept of
Socrates about the soul
• Introduces the idea of a three-
part soul: reason, physical
appetite, and spirit or passion.
• Reason is the divine essence that
enables us to think deeply, make
wise choices, and achieve a true
understanding of eternal truths.
• Physical appetite includes our
basic biological needs such as
hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.
• The spirit or passion includes
basic emotions such as love,
anger, ambition, aggressiveness,
and empathy.
The three elements are in dynamic
relationship with one another,
sometimes in conflict.
 When conflict occurs, it is the
REASON’s responsibility to sort
things out and exert control,
restoring harmonious
relationship.
 When the reason is in control of
the two consistently, genuine
happiness is achieved.
• He goes on to elaborate
his ideas about the soul.
• In his Theory of Forms,
he introduces the
concepts of the two
worlds: the world of
forms (non-physical
ideas) and the world of
sense (reality).
• The world of form is real and
permanent, the world of sense is
temporary and only a replica of the
ideal world.
• The sensible world is dependent
on the ideal world.
• Since the soul is regarded as
permanent, man should give
more importance to it than to the
physical body.
 ARISTOTLE
An ancient Greek philosopher and a
polymath.
“THE SOUL IS THE
ESSENCE OF THE
SELF”
• Does not consider the
body and the soul as
separate entities
• The soul is the essence of
all living things including
the SELF.
• Humans are capable of
critical thinking.
Three kinds of souls: vegetative,
sentient, and rational soul.
 The vegetative soul includes the
physical body that can grow
 The sentient soul includes
sensual desires, feelings, and
emotions.
 The rational soul is what makes
man human. It includes intellect
that allows man to know and
understand things.
• He suggests that the rational self
must lead a good, flourishing,
and fulfilling life (self-
actualization).
• The pursuit of happiness is a
search for a good life that
includes doing virtuous actions.
• The rational soul is characterized
by moral virtues such as courage
and justice.
 ST. AUGUSTINE

The African philosopher is regarded as a

saint in the Catholic Church.
“THE SELF HAS AN
IMMORTAL SOUL”
• Augustine believes that the
physical body is radically
different from and inferior to
its inhabitant, the immortal
soul.
• He believes that the body is
united with the soul so that
man may be entire and
complete.
• As a religious philosopher, he
contemplates the nature of man
with emphasis on the soul as an
important element of man.
• In his work, Confessions,
Augustine describes that
humankind is created in the
image and likeness of God.
• Being a creation of God is
always geared towards the good.
• He is convinced that the self is
known through knowing God.
Self-knowledge is a consequence
of knowledge of God.
• He espouses the significance of
reflections, prayers, and
confessions to justify the
existence of God.
• “Knowledge can only come by
seeing the truth that dwells
within us.” The truth of knowing
God.
• We seek to be united with God
through faith and reason.
• In his discovery of truth, he
develops a concept and
philosophical principle, “I am
doubting, therefore I am.”
RENE DESCARTES
French philosopher and the father of
modern philosophy
“I THINK
THEREFORE I
AM”
• The act of thinking about the
self – of being self-conscious
is in itself 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.
 Thinking self or Physical body
soul
Non-material, A material, moral,
immortal, conscious non-thinking entity,
being, and fully governed by the
independent of the physical laws of
physical laws of the nature.
universe
• In other words, the self as a
thinking entity is distinct
from the self as a physical
body.
• The thinking self can exist
INDEPENDENTLY of the
physical body.
JOHN
LOCKE
English Philosopher
THE SELF IS
CONSCIOUSNESS
• He feels that the self is
constructed primarily from
sense experiences.
• Conscious awareness and
memory of previous
experiences are the keys to
understanding the self.
• Using the power of reason
and introspection enables
us to understand and
achieve accurate
conclusions of the self.
DAVID
HUME
Scottish Philosopher
THERE IS NO
SELF
• In the process of
introspection, there is no
self.
• What people experience is
just a bundle or collection
of different perceptions.
• The idea of personal
identity is a result of
imagination.
IMMANUEL
KANT
German Philosopher
WE CONSTRUCT
THE SELF
• He believes that the self is an
organizing principle that makes
a unified and intelligible
experience possible.
• The self constructs its own
reality, actively creating a
world that is familiar,
predictable, and most
significantly, mine.
SIGMUND
FREUD
Austrian Psychoanalyst
THE SELF IS
MULTILAYERED
• He holds that the self
consists of three layers:
conscious, unconscious, and
preconscious.
 • Governed by the “reality principle”
• Organized in ways that are rational, practical
and appropriate to the environment
• Realistic demands of the self, the
CONSCIOUS SELF consequences of the actions, preserve the
balance of the entire psychodynamic system
of the self
• Governed by the “pleasure principle”
• Contains the basic instinctual drives including
UNCONSCIOUS SELF sexuality, aggressiveness, and self destruction;
traumatic experiences, unfulfilled wishes,
childhood fantasies, feelings thoughts
• Much of the self is determined by the this
• Contains materials that are not
PRECONSCIOUS SELF threatening and are easily brought to
mind
• Located between the two
GILBERT
RYLE
British Philosopher
THE SELF IS THE
WAY PEOPLE
BEHAVE
• The self is best understood as
a pattern of behavior, the
tendency or disposition of a
person to behave in a certain
way in certain circumstances.
• He is convinced that the
mind expresses the entire
systems of thoughts,
emotions, and actions that
make up the human self.
 PAUL
CHURCHLAND
Canadian Philosopher
• THE SELF IS THE BRAIN
• The self is inseparable from
the brain and the physiology
of the brain.
• The brain gives man a sense
of self.
• So, if the brain is gone there
is no self.
MAURICE
MERLEAU-
PONTY

French Philosopher
• THE SELF IS EMBODIED
SUBJECTIVITY
• Argues that all knowledge of
the self is based on the
“phenomena” of experience.
• He is convinced that
consciousness, the world,
and the human body are
intricately intertwined in
perceiving the world.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
.
REFERENCE:
Go-Monilla, M.J. & Ramirez, N. C. (2018).
Understanding the Self. C&E Publishing, Inc.
TED-Ed (2018, Aug. 11). Who am I? A
philosophical inquiry. TED-Ed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=UHwVyplU3Pg&t=220s