INGENTE, Rachelle Alexis TAPAY, Neil Victor PHILO 104 (16-130)

MADAMBA, Ervic Joy ALVE, Katrina MWF 2:35-3:35PM

MADAJE, Christian BUSRAN, Prince

A GROUP CRITIQUE ON
“What Is The Self” By Michael D. Moga, S.J.

It is truly a challenge to grasp the idea of the ‘self’ and to limit it to a singular definition,
for the ‘self”, as several and we ourselves had discussed it, is unfathomable. Then again, many
have attempted and created assumptions on what the ‘self’ truly is. Fr. Moga has explained his
counter-argument against empiricists who claimed that the ‘self’ does not exist because it cannot
be traced to a precise object of experience, those whose statements presume that only objects
exists. Fr. Moga said that subjects are also necessary to give meaning to the things surrounding
us, and though subjects have no body, they still in fact exist, to which we have agreed. ‘Self’ is
the condition of identity that makes one subject of experience distinct from all others. Having the
‘self’ as a necessary avenue to cater experiences helps us determine and be aware that the ‘self
‘does exist, since we all have distinct experiences. We have noted that these experiences and
feelings are merely minor parts of the ‘self’ and not the embodiment, as a whole of the ‘self’.
Fr. Moga has presented us the two basic types of ‘self’ – the “ego” self and the “person”
self. *insert assessment for ego self please* We concurred with Fr. Moga's assessment of the
“person” self and its three forms, to which we have related and associated his ideas with our
personal experiences. He supposed that the ‘self’ is made up of three dimensions, seeing the
person as historical. We are the way we are today because of the past that has left a permanent
mark on us and which influences us on, because of the future that we long for, our hopes and
dreams that we gravitate towards, and because of the things that we experience in the present. In
the person as relatedness, he said that the ‘self’ exists because of the people that surrounds us,
which is true to us, for as persons, we rely on the people around us and we need to create bonds,
to form relationships. The ‘self’ is built on our interactions and response towards other people.
And lastly, a concept of the “person” self that has struck us was self-image. A realistic view on
the self is through how we have created our self-image. A negative self-image might conjure a
pessimistic response on how a person handles a situation given to him, while a very idealistic
self-image might create a strain on a person who cannot achieve his “ideal self”. This is the most
dominant idea of the ‘self’ that could consume a person and can cause either great happiness or
extreme sadness.
The ‘self’ is truly mysterious and complex. It is a concept that many can theorize but
cannot give a singular meaning. Fr. Moga’s points on the ‘self’, “ego” and “person”, presented
us with different ideas that are distinct, separate and of equal importance. They are notions that
guides us to a better understanding of the character of the human self.