The Self from Philosophical Perspectives Flashcards
It employs the inquisitive mind to discover the
ultimate causes, reasons, and principles of everything. It goes beyond scientific investigation by exploring all areas of knowledge such as religion, psychology, politics, physics and even
medicine.
Philosophy
Philia & Sophia
Love & Wisdom
PHILOSOPHERS
Socrates
Plato
Aristotle
St. Augustine
Descartes
Locke
Hume
Kant
Ryle
Churchland
Merleau-Ponty
“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
SOCRATES
Know Yourself
Tells each man to bring his inner self to light
Socrates
One has to self-examine and discuss about the self as this is a duty to achieve what is the greatest good to a life. It is the goal of Socrative
perspective to better the quality of human life through consistent self-examination.
Socratic Method
One has to self-examine and discuss about the self as this is a duty to achieve what is the greatest good to a life. It is the goal of Socrative
perspective to better the quality of human life through consistent self-examination.
Socratic Method
Changeable, transient, and imperfect. The body belong in this realm
Physical Realm (Socrates)
Unchanging, eternal, and immortal. The intellectual essences of the universe, concepts such as truth, goodness, beauty, and soul belong to this realm.
Ideal Realm (Socrates)
According to Socrates, what is the key to a virtuous life?
constant self-examination/introspection
The ideal self, the perfect self
Man was all-knowing before he came to be born into this world.
Plato
“The self is an immortal soul.”
Plato
A part of soul according to Plato that loves
truth, which should rule over the other parts of the soul through the use of reason. Thinks deeply, make wise choices, and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths.
rational part/reason
A part of soul according to Plato which desires
food, drink, and sex. Basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.
appetitive part/physical appetite
A part of soul according to Plato which loves honor and victory. Basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition, aggressiveness, and empathy.
spirited part/passion
Can only be achieved by people who consistently make sure that their Reason is in control of their Spirits and Appetites.
Genuine happiness
Love is the force that paves way for all beings to ascent to higher stages of self-realization and
perfection.
Theory of Love and Becomin
According to Plato, love begins in the experience that there is something _____. Then it drives that person to seek what is lacking. All thoughts and efforts are directed towards the pursuit of that
which is lacking. The deeper the thought, the stronger the love.
lacking
Love is way of knowing and realizing the truth. It is a process of seeking __________. The greater the love, the more intellectual component it will contain.
higher stages of being
THEORY OF FORMS: permanent and real
World of Forms (Non-Physical Ideas)
THEORY OF FORMS: temporary and only a replica of the ideal world.
World of Sense (Reality)
“the soul is the essence of the self.”
ARISTOTLE
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
Aristotle
Aristotle suggests that the rational nature of the self, which can be attained in self-actualization, is to lead a _____, _____ and _____.
good, flourishing, and fulfilling life
The pursuit of happiness is a search for a good life that includes doing _____ actions.
virtuous
He believes that the soul is merely a set of defining features and does not consider the body and soul as separate entities
Aristotle
For him, anything with life has a soul. Humans differ because of their rational capacity.
Aristotle
THREE KINDS OF SOUL:
» physical body that can grow
VEGETATIVE SOUL
THREE KINDS OF SOUL:
» sensual desires, feelings, and emotions
SENTIENT SOUL
THREE KINDS OF SOUL:
» intellect that allows man to know and understand things
RATIONAL SOUL
“the self has an immortal soul”
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
The measure of love is to love without measure.
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
Stressed that the mind is superior over the body. And uderstanding the self and the formation of identity is achieved through introspection.
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
TWO PROCESS according to ST. AUGUSTINE OF
HIPPO
Self-presentation leading to self-realization
TWO REALMS OF THOUGHTS:
> > God as the source of all reality and truth
The sinfulness of man
Develops a fundamental concept of human person, “I am doubting, therefore I am.”
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO
According to ST. AUGUSTINE OF
HIPPO, all things are worthy to love but they must be loved properly. If man lovesGod, first, and everything else to a lesser degree then all will fall into rightful place.
THE ROLE OF LOVE
“I think therefore I am”
RENÉ DESCARTES
The soul and the body can function without the other.
RENÉ DESCARTES
Is the keystone of his beliefs. It means that if you are able to doubt, question, or think about anything, then you must exist. The very act of thinking proves that you are a real, conscious being. Even if everything else could be an illusion or a trick, the fact that you are able to doubt or think shows that you definitely exist.
Cogito Ergo Sum (I think therefore I am)
The ___________ about the self – of being self-conscious – is in itself proof that there is a self.
act of thinking
TWO (2) DIMENSIONS:
nonmaterial, immortal, conscious being, independent of the physical laws of the universe. (thinks, reasons, doubts, and engages in intellectual activities)
The Self as Thinking Entity
TWO (2) DIMENSIONS:
material, mortal, fully governed by thelaws of nature (This dimension encompasses the entire material world, including bodies, objects, and the physical environment. Unlike the mind, which is immaterial, the extended substance is characterized by its spatial properties, such as size, shape, and location)
The Self as a Physical Body
“the self is consciousness”
JOHN LOCKE
Personal Identity
JOHN LOCKE
John Locke
At birth, the mind is a blank slate without innate
ideas, and it is experience that provides us knowledge provided by sensory [hear, smell, taste, see, feel] experiences and reflections
Tabula Rasa
Knowledge results from ideas produced by objects that were experienced.
JOHN LOCKE
TWO (2) FORMS ON PROCESSING KNOWLEDGE: wherein objects are experienced through the senses
Sensation
TWO (2) FORMS ON PROCESSING KNOWLEDGE: the mind looks at the objects that were experienced to discover the relationships that may exists between them. It involves the mind’s ability to consider and analyze its own thoughts and experiences.
Reflection
“there is no self”
DAVID HUME
The self is the bundle theory of the mind.
DAVID HUME
According to DAVID HUME, the mind receives materials from the senses and calls it ____.
perception
According to DAVID HUME, the mind receives materials from the senses and calls it ____.
perception
TWO (2) TYPES OF PERCEPTIONS:
» basic sensations such as hate, love, joy, grief, pain, cold and heat
Impressions
TWO (2) TYPES OF PERCEPTIONS
» thoughts and images from impressions, less lively and vivid
Ideas
people have no experience of a simple and individual impression that they can call self where the self is the totality of a person’s conscious life.
Skeptical claim
“we construct our self”
IMMANUEL KANT
Respect for self
IMMANUEL KANT
Kant combined the idea of _____ (knowledge through reasoning) and ______ (knowledge through senses)
rationalism & empiricism
Believes that human experiences make up our persona
IMMANUEL KANT
Pertains to the experience of the self and its unity with objects
Transcendental Self / Apperception
(things as they are in themselves)
noumena
(things as they appear)
phenomena
Path to true knowledge
» Rationalism & Empiricism
» Transcendental Self
“the self is the way people behave”
GILBERT RYLE
The self is a pattern of behavior.
GILBERT RYLE
According to GILBERT RYLE, the _____ is a pattern of behavior., tendency to behave in a certain way in certain circumstances
self
The self is the same as bodily behavior.
I Act Therefore I Am
TWO (2) TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE:
» knowing facts or information
Knowing That
TWO (2) TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE
» using facts/information in the performance of some skill or technical abilities
Knowing How
“the self is the brain”
PATRICIA CHURCHLAND
& PAUL CHURCHLAND
The self is inseparable from the brain and the body.
PATRICIA CHURCHLAND
& PAUL CHURCHLAND
The study of philosophy of the mind, the philosophy of
science, neuroscience, and psychology
neurophilosophy
According to them, the self is inseparable from the brain and the body. If there is no brain, there is no self.
PATRICIA CHURCHLAND
& PAUL CHURCHLAND
The mind and the body are unified, not separate.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
“the self is embodied subjectivity”
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
Argues that all knowledge about the self is based on the ‘phenomena’ of experience. A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
Perception is not merely a consequence of sensory experience, rather, it is a conscious experience. Action is required in the formation of self-perception as well as self-concept.
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
