Lesson 1.

Philosophical
Perspectives of the Self
Philosophy as a subject presents various philosophers offering multiple
perspectives on just about any topic including the self. Philosophically,
discussion of the self is a basic search for meaning and purpose in life.
Determination, rationalization, and identification of the self set the direction from
which an individual travels to fulfill his or her purpose in life. The inability to
define oneself leads to a lot of contradictions within the self later on; hence , it is
one of the many imperatives in life to know oneself and to go on with the
business of leading a life charted by oneself.
Philosophical Orientations:
 Empiricism – the belief that there is no such thing as innate knowledge,
instead, knowledge is derived from sensory experience.
 Rationalism – the belief that there is innate knowledge, and that there are
different sources of knowledge.
 Idealism – objects of knowledge is held to be dependent on the activity of
the mind.
Antiquity/Classical Philosophers:
1. Socrates – Knowledge is the personification of good, and ignorance is that of evil;
self-knowledge is the ultimate virtue.
“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
“Know thyself.”
2. Plato – moral virtue is rooted in the intellect, and leads to happiness.
3. Aristotle – the ideal (essence) is found inside the phenomena (matter), and the
universals inside the particulars.
Medieval/Middle Ages Philosopher:
St. Augustine – All knowledge leads to God; only the pure heart can see God;
love of God, faith in Him, and understanding of the Gospel will ultimately lead to
happiness.
Enlightenment Philosophers:
1. Rene Descartes – “Cogito ergo sum” – I think therefore I am.
 The self is a thinking thing whose whole essence or nature is merely thinking.
The self is different from the body hence, the self and body exist but differ in
existence and
reality.
Mind-body dichotomy – through (mind) will always precede action (body).
Only humans have hubris (excessive pride) because of the fact that humans are
the sole
rational animals in existence.
2. John Locke – founded on consciousness (the perception of what passes in a Man’s
own mind).
According the Locke, consciousness can be transferred from one substance
(body and soul)
to another therefore, the soul can change, but consciousness remains the same.
Tabula Rasa – this concept posits that everyone started as a blank slate, and the
content is provided by one’s experiences over time.
3. David Hume – there is no self as a mental entity for “what we call a mind is
nothing but a heap/collection of different perceptions.
” The self is nothing but a complex set of successive impressions or
perceptions.
4. Immanuel Kant – consciousness is formed by one’s inner and outer sense: the
inner sense (comprised of one’s psychological state and intellect) and the
outer sense (consists one’s senses and the physical world).
Contemporary/ Modern Philosophers:
1. Sigmund Freud – the self is multilayered and is composed of the three
structures of the human mind – the id, ego, and superego.
Id Ego Superego
Since birth Maintains equilibrium Last to develop
Hedonistic/Pleasure Reality Principle Morality Principle
Principle Adheres to reason and Has two systems:
Driven by the sexual energy logic Conscience & Ideal Self
2. Gilbert Ryle – opposed the Cartesian notion of “Cogito ergo sum.”
The mind is not separate from the body.
Logical/Analytical Behaviorism – a theory of mind which states that mental
concepts can be understood through observable events.
The self is a combination of the mind and body; “I act, therefore I am.”
3. Paul and Patricia Churchland – Eliminative Materialism – ordinary, common sense
understanding of the mind
is deeply wrong and that some or all of the mental states posited by common sense
do not exist.
To understand the self, one must study the brain, not just the mind.
4. Maurice Merleau-Ponty – body has two types: subjective body (as lived and
experienced),
and objective body (observed and scientifically investigated),
The self is embodied subjectivity – humans are neither disembodied minds (existing
without
body) nor as complex machines, but as living creatures whose subjectivity
(consciousness) is
actualized in the forms of their physical involvement with the world. “I am my body.”