2.1.

2 THE “SELF” FROM VARIOUS

PHILOSOPHERS -
1) Socrates
2) Plato
3) St. Augustine
4) St. Thomas Aquinas
5) Rene Descartes’
6) John Locke
7) David Hume
8) Immanuel Kant
9) Gilbert Ryle
10) Maurice Mearlau-Ponty
1) SOCRATES
-
 Ancient Greek Philosopher (Cosmo-centric)
 470 BCE – 399 BCE; Athens, Greece
 Father of Western Philosophy: known for his contribution to
Greek philosophy which provided the foundation for all
Western philosophy.
 Philosophy should achieve practical results for the greater
well-being of society
 Man’s body is from the “World of Matter”; his eternal soul,
from the “Mind of the World” or “Universal Reason”
SOCRATES

 Socratic Method: Socratic Questioning

-

1. Ionic: emptying of the mind for clarity: getting rid of

prejudices and humble confession of ignorance
2. Maieutic: drawing truth or knowledge through Dialogue
or Conversation

 Human behavior is motivated by desire for Happiness

 Knowledge is the basis of action: “Knowing what is right
means doing what is right.”
 He said that he was accompanied & guided by a Spirit
(Daimonion)
SOCRATES
CONCEPT OF SELF -
(1) Human wisdom begins at the recognition of one’s
own ignorance
(2) “Know Thyself!” “The unexamined life is not worth
living”.
 To Know Yourself – to bring his inner self to life
 Self-Knowledge – the source of all wisdom
 “The man who does not follow the good fails to do
so because he does not recognize it.
(3) Every man is composed of body & soul
 CONCEPT OF SELF
(4) Ethical Virtue is the- only thing that matters
(He is the Father of Ethics)

(5) Virtue – the deepest and most basic

propensity of man (natural tendency of
man)
(6) A good person can never be harmed,
because whatever misfortunes he may
suffer, his virtue will remain intact
2) Plato
 Ancient Greek Philosopher (Cosmo-centric)
-
 Birth - 428/427BCE – 348/347BCE - Death (80 or 81 years);
Athens, Greece; Student of Socrates
 Basic Concepts:
1. Man is a soul using a body; Man’s eternal soul is from the
“World of Ideas” and his body, from the “World of the
Senses.
2. Innatism: man has knowledge by birth
3. Anamnesis: Learning is remembering what man already
knows from the “World of Ideas”, his/her origin
4. Academy: the venue for learning through remembering
(anamnesis)
 Famous works
(1) “Symposium”: everything on earth is a shadow of what is in
the World of Ideas -

(2) “Phaedra”: about the nature of love (Platonic love)

(3) “Republic”: about the ideal state; from Latin which means
“public matter” or “pertaining to the public”; proposes the 3
classification of men or citizens (classes of men:
Guardians, Warriors, and Artisans
CONCEPT OF SELF: The Ideal Self, the Perfect Self
-
(1)Man is a dual nature of body & soul
(2)The three components of the soul: rational soul, the
spiritual soul, the appetitive soul
(3)Man – omniscient or all-knowing before he came to be born
into this world (Innatism)
(4)Contemplation – allows man to regain perfections
(anamnesis)
(5)Happiness – fruit of virtue, attained by constant imitation of
the true divine exemplar of virtue
3. Saint Augustine (354 CE - 430 CE): “If I am
mistaken, I am.” (“Si- pallor, sum.”)

 Medieval Philosopher (Theocentric)

 354 CE – 430 CE; Tagaste (Souk Ahras), Algeria

 Bishop of Hippo (in Annaba, Algeria); Doctor of the Church

 Platonic philosopher: influenced by Neo-Platonism of Plotinus

& Manichaeism

 Notable Works: “Confessions”; “City of God”…

Saint Augustine
 Some Important Ideas
-

(1)Man is “Imago Dei”

(2)Memory is the most important aspect of the eternal soul;
learning or knowledge is achieved through remembering
(Platonic)
(3)“Primacy of the Will over the Intellect”
(4)“Love and you will understand”
(5)To Love, to Know, and to Serve
(6)God is “Insoluble Mystery” (Trinity); prayer is the only way to
know God; singing is praising God twice
3. CONCEPT OF SELF: “If I am mistaken, I am.”
(“Si pallor, sum.”) -

(1) Man is of a bifurcated nature (made of two parts: Platonic)

(2) It is by the illumination of God, by “divine light”, that we

can have knowledge

(3) “Only some divinity can show man what is virtue”

4) Saint Thomas Aquinas
 Medieval Philosopher (Theocentric)
-
 1225 CE – 1274 CE; Roccasecca, Italy

 Aristotelian philosophy: Hylemorphism (all things consist of

matter (Greek: hyle) & form (morphe)
 Manis body is the matter; the soul is the form’

 Main idea: Faith & Reason, and Science & Theology need not
be opposed to each other and could co-exist—the balance of
logic and natural sciences with the philosophical concerns of
the Christian doctrine
Saint Thomas Aquinas

 Basic teachings: -

(1)“The Primacy of Reason over the Will.”

(2)“You cannot love unless you know.” (contrary to St.

Augustine’s position)

(3)Man’s goal: Contemplation of Truth

(4)Exitus-Reditus: “All comes from God; all will return to God.”

of the Christian doctrine
Saint Thomas Aquinas

-
 Quinque Viae (Five Ways to Prove that God exists):
(1) From Motion (Nature of Motion)
(2) From Causation (Uncaused Cause)
(3) From Contingency (Possibility & Necessity)
(4) Gradation
(5) Divine Government of the World
St. Thomas Aquinas
 Notable Works: -
(1)Disputed Questions on Truth (1256-1259);

(2)Summa Contra Gentiles -1259-1265 (Book of Truth

of the Catholic Faith against the Errors of
Unbelievers);

(3)Summa Theologiae – 1265-1274 (explanation of the

Christian Faith to Theology Students)
Saint Thomas Aquinas
CONCEPT OF SELF: Self-Knowledge
-
(1) Man is composed of matter & form (Hylemorphism)
- Matter (hyle) – “Common stuff that make up everything” (Body)
- Form (morphe) – “Essence of a substance or thing” (Soul)
(2) Theory of Self-Knowledge: all our self-knowledge is
dependent on our experience of the world around us
(Aristotelian)
- Rejects a view that the mind is “always on”, never sleeping,
subconsciously self-aware in the background.”
(3) Aquinas argues, our awareness of ourselves is
triggered and shaped by our experiences of objects in
our environment.
5) Rene Descartes
-
 Modern Philosopher - Mathematician (Anthropocentric)
 Father of Modern Anthropocentric Philosophy
 1596 – 1650; place of birth: La Haye, Touraine, France; place of
death: Stockholm, Sweden

 Father of Rationalism: rationalism is the view that regards reason

as the chief source and test of knowledge

 Main theory: The Theory of Innate Knowledge and that all men
were born with knowledge though the higher power of God
(oppose to empiricism wherein knowledge is achieved only
through experience)
Rene Descartes
-
 The 4 Innate Ideas:
1. the idea of God
2. the idea of (finite) man
3. the idea of (indefinite) body
4. the idea of union (of mind & body)

 Known for the “Critical Methodic Doubt”

Meditation 1: “Dubito” (doubt everything)
Meditation 2: “Cogito, ergo sum” (doubting is a
function of thinking; “I think, therefore, I am.”
Meditation 3: On the Universal Reason
Rene Descartes
-
CONCEPT OF SELF: “I think, therefore, I am.” (“Cogito,
ergo sum.”)

 Man – thinking identity distinct from the body

 He must use his mind and thinking abilities to

investigate and develop himself
6) John Locke
 Modern Philosopher (Anthropocentric)
-
 1622-1706; Wrington, Somerset, England
 Father of Empiricism & Political Liberalism
 Empiricism: from Greek “empiria” meaning “experience” –
the human mind is empty (tabula rasa); knowledge comes
through experience
 Political Liberalism: a political and moral philosophy based
on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the
governed, and equality before the law
 Inspirer of European Enlightenment & the U.S. Constitution
 “Follow your idea; your idea is the best!” (liberty)
John Locke
CONCEPT OF SELF: Personal Identity is made
-
possible by self-consciousness
(1) The mind at birth is tabula rasa, a blank state, and
is informed only by Experience
(2) He is an Empiricist philosopher (From Greek
“empiria”, meaning “experience”)
(3) If I have one million pesos in my mind and only one
centavo in my pocket, the second condition is still
better than the first.
7) David Hume
 Modern Empiricist Philosopher
- (Anthropocentric)
 1711 – 1776; Edinburgh, Scotland
 Feeling is more important than knowing
 “The most lively thought is still inferior to the dullest
sensation.”

 Knowledge is Limited
 “The contrary of every matter of fact is still
possible.”
David Hume
CONCEPT OF SELF: The Self is the Bundle Theory
-
(1) Man has no “clear and intelligible” idea of the Self
(Empiricist)

(2) Self is a bundle or collection of different

perceptions which succeed each othe
(3) Impression – basic object of our experience or
sensation
(4) Ideas – copies of impressions
8) Immanuel Kant
-
 Modern philosopher (Anthropocentric)
 1724 – 1804; Kanisberg, Germany

 Known for: The Critique of Pure Reason”

 Subject-Object Unity

 Ethical Teaching: Categorical Imperative

 Categorical Imperative – a universal ethical principle stating
that one should always respect the humanity in others and act
only in accordance with rules that could hold for everyone.
Immanuel Kant
CONCEPT OF SELF: Respect
-
for Self
(1) Man – only creature who governs and directs
himself and his actions (Subject)

(2) Man should not be used as a tool

(3) Man should be treated equally

(4) Categorical Imperative

9) Gilbert Ryle
 Contemporary Philosopher (Post-Modern)
-
 1900 – 1976; Brighton, England
 Known for Analytic Philosophy and Logical Behaviorism
 Analytic Philosophy: branch of philosophy using analysis—a
method of approaching philosophical problems through
analysis of terms in which they are expressed; associated
with Anglo-American philosophy of the 20th century.
 Logical Behaviorism: the thesis that mental concepts can be
explained in terms of behavioral concepts
 Notable work: “The Concept of Mind” (1949)
Gilbert Ryle
 Phenomenology: the study of phenomena as they manifest in
our experience of the way we- perceive and understand
phenomena, and of the meaning phenomena have in our
subjective experience
 Phenomenon: a fact or situation that is observed to exist or
happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in
question; a remarkable person, thing or event; an observable
fact or event

 Philosophy of the self: the search for the self and

consciousness need not be focused on the space between our
skulls. Instead, we should turn our attention to the lived body.
Gilbert Ryle
CONCEPT OF SELF: The- Self is How You Believe
(1) Summarizes the essential elements of the dualistic
view of the self – mind and body as distinct entities
(supporting Plato, Saint Augustine, Descartes, and
others)

(2) The “Self” is not an entity one can locate and

analyze, but simply the convenient name that people
use to refer to all behaviors that people make
10) Maurice Mearlau-Ponty
 Contemporary Philosopher- (Post-Modern)
 1908 – 1961; Rochefort, France

 Leading Exponent of Phenomenology

 Phenomenology: study of phenomena as they
manifest in our experience of the way we perceive
and understand phenomena and of the meaning of
phenomena have in our subjective experience
Maurice Mearlau-Ponty

 Phenomenon: a fact or situation

- that is observed to
exist or happen, especially one whose cause or
explanation is in question; a remarkable person,
thing or event; an observable fact or event

 Philosophy of the self: the search for the self and

consciousness need not be focused on the space
between our skulls. Instead, we should turn our
attention to the lived body.
Maurice Mearlau-Ponty
CONCEPT OF SELF: The
-
Self is Embodied
Subjectivity

 The division between the “mind and the body” is a

product of confused thinking

 The mind and body are so intertwined that they

cannot be separated from one another
WHO ARE YOU?
 Socrates, Plato, Augustine: The self is an immortal soul that
exists over time.
 Thomas Aquinas: Our self-knowledge
- depends on our experience
 Descartes: The self is a thinking thing, distinct from the body.
 John Locke: Personal identity is made possible by self
-consciousness.
 David Hume: The is no “Self”, only a bundle of constantly
changing perception passing though the theater of
our minds.
 Immanuel Kant: The self is a unifying subject, an organizing
consciousness that makes intelligible
 Gilbert Ryle: The “Self” is the best way people should be!
 Maurice Merlau-Ponty: The “Self” is embodied subjectivity.