Five Philosophers Who Have Different

Definitions About The Self

1. SOCRATES: LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING

For Socrates, life is not worth living if it not

examined. For him, the Soul is synonymous with
the Self. He believes that human beings have
immortal soul that lives within the physical body.

2. PLATO: THE SELF IS AN IMMORTAL SOUL

For Plato, there are three elements of the

soul: Reason, Physical Appetite, Spirit or Passion.
Reason is the ability of the self to think critically,
and make wise decisions. Physical Appetite is the
basic needs of a person, hunger, thirst and sexual
desires. Lastly, Spirit or Passion is composed of the
basic emotions that the self encounters.
 3. RENE DESCARTES: I THINK THEREFORE I AM

For Rene Descartes suggests that there are

two dimensions of the self: the self as a thinking
entity and the self as a physical body. He also
empahasized on the saying:I think therefore I am”
which means that a rational thinking person and
being self concious is the proof that there is a self.

4. JOHN LOCKE: THE SELF IS CONCIOUSNESS

For John Locke, “concious awareness and

memory of precious experiences are the keys to
understanding his self”. He said that the fact that the
person is a thinking entity, reasonable and reflecting
on its identity, then there is a self.

5. DAVID HUME: THERE IS NO SELF

For David Hume, there is no self if a person

carefully examines himself through the method of
introspection. The self is just a result of the
humanistic imagination and thoughts that build up a
person’s characteristics.