Understanding

the
Self
Dr. Au Q. Pestaño
Philosophical
Perspective
of
The Self
Week 2
General Learning Competency
Discuss the different representations & conceptualizations of
The Self based on various philosophical perspectives.
CONTENTS
● John Locke
● Immanuel Kant
● Sigmund Freud
● Gilbert Ryle
● Maurice Merlau Ponty
● Paul Churchland
● Schedule
 John Locke

“All knowledge comes from experience.”

 governments had obligations and limited powers over their
citizens
powerful arguments in favor of religious toleration.

The self is crystallized when an individual exercises the

Locke principle of freedom, which protects
individual liberty.

Clean slate
John Locke believed that The Self emerges through experiences.
 Immanuel
Kant

“Science is organized knowledge.

Wisdom is organized life.”
 everything depended on how individuals
interprets and responds to his environment
based on their personal opinions and feelings

Self as transcendental
Kant

The Self emerges as a crystallized knowledge of one’s

self and others based on one’s recurring observations.
 Sigmund Freud

“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle

will strike you as the most beautiful.”
 human behavior as propelled by the drive to find
pleasurable experiences
each human behavior was motivated by
seeking pleasure, irregularities in one’s
behavior could be interpreted as a lack in
Sigmund Freud the gratifications of said motives, which
he may not be aware of.

The Self emerges as one strives to address unmet needs

and find pleasurable experiences to gratify one’s
aspirations and instincts as he goes through
the different stages of growth and development.
 Gilbert Ryle

“A person can see things, only when his eyes are open, and
when his surroundings are illuminated; but he can have pictures
in his mind’s eye, when his eyes are shut and when the world
is dark.”
 anything perceived by the
human senses can be explained Mental concepts can explain
through the behavior that the behaviors one manifests
was used to observe them. Mental concepts can explain the
behaviors one manifests

Ryle
The Self emerges as human behaviors unfold as it reflects
one’s innate Self-conception; it emerges as one manifests
behaviors descriptive of inner dreams, hopes, aspirations and
wishes.
 Maurice Merlau’
Ponty

“We know not through our intellect but through

our experience.”
 anything in this world had a rigorous,
methodic, and unrelenting feature under scrutiny.

Ponty
The Self emerges as one perceives the world and his
existence in the world, as he looks at the world through
one’s body which is involved in one’s existence.
 Paul
Churchland

“The brain is the engine of reason and the seat for the soul.”
folklores and mythical
beliefs are fallacious for they are
not anchored on scientific and
neurological explanations
beliefs, practices, and rituals ,which
were passed to subsequent generations,
are invalid because they cannot be
reduced to neuroscientific phenomenon

Churchland
The Self emerges not as something that is theoretically
founded, but as data-innervated, since The Self cannot be a
product of imagination and opinions but of empirical
observation.
 In an outlined bulleted form.

Case Study
Paul 18 years old had been living with his grandparents since the day he was three months old. His parents
are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Qatar. They however keep in touch almost always every day
through the iconic electronic digital gadgets apps mostly in FB messenger and Skype. His parents and
grandparents describe him as a person who is selective with friends whom he fosters a close relationship
with. His grandparents noticed he choose friends who exude similar characteristics as his and manifest the
values he upholds. He understands the fact though that he cannot be choosy with his relatives and the
people he has to work with in school and in his work place in the future. His friends describe him a straight
forward but discreet, loving, fun to be with and thoughtful person and even so filled with life’s wisdom in his
tender age. Moreover, his friends observed that he respects the individuality of his friends and treats them
as their equals but always with utmost respect. He does not take things subjectively but almost always
objective and anchored on facts as he investigates as well. He is not judgmental and can relate with people
from all walks of life. His grandparents noticed too that most of his friends are older than him in a number of
5-20 years or so. How do you describe the philosophical self of Paul? Support your answer.
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Thank you…
Dr. Au Q. Pestaño