MODULE 2

Unit 1: DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND

IDENTITY

Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Examine and discuss the various philosophical and anthropological perspectives of the self (CLO1). 2.
Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across the different philosophical and
anthropological perspectives (CLO1).

Time element: 12 hours

Lesson 1: The Self from Various Perspectives

Name: ___________________________________ Course & Yr.: _______________ Section: _____

Lesson Preparation/ Review/Preview

TASK NO. 1:
Words That Describe Me
I. Directions: Underline the words that describe you. Add additional words if necessary.

Adaptive Self-Aware Tolerant

Dependable Intelligent Fearless
Compassionate Hard Worker Capable with Hands Respectful Calm Humble
Energetic Eccentric Clever
Creative Confidant Thoughtful
Complex Realistic Cautious
Balanced Cooperative Shy
Quiet Attentive Picky

Other words that describe you:

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. II. Directions: Answer the following questions about your Self as fully as precisely as you can.
1. How would you characterize yourself?
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2. What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes your “self” special?
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3. How is your Self connected to your body?
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_ 4. How is your Self related to other selves?
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Concept Notes Presentation
The Self from Philosophical and Anthropological Perspectives

Socrates
• Know Thyself
 • An unexamined life is not worth living
• The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance
• Man is composed of Body and Soul:
- The soul is immortal and perfect
- The body is impermanent and decays after a person’s death.
• Important Principles
- Never doing wrong or participating in any wrongdoing, even directly.
- A person who knows what is good and right could not act against it.
Explore! Know more!
Click the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH86jaBQ0F4 and watch about the life and contributions
of Socrates. Be guided with the following questions:
1. What is the clip all about?
2. What is his contribution in understanding the self?

Plato
• Socrates’ most famous student and believes that the Soul has three parts:
- Reason – true and good for the person
- Spirit – seeks for honor and competitive values and governs a person’s emotions
- Appetite – drawn to food, drinks, and sex.
• Plato also asserts that the world has two characteristics:
- Visible Aspect – our sense experience
- Nonvisible Aspect – ideas comprehensible only by the mind
• The most important component of reality is accessible not to the sense but to the mind alone.
Explore! Know more!
Click the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWZlx6XheD4&t=43s and watch about the life and
contributions of Plato. Be guided with the following questions:
1. What is the clip all about?
2. What is his contribution in understanding the self?

Rene Descartes
• The father of Modern Philosophy, known philosophical statement is Cogito Ergo Sum “I think, therefore I am”. ⮚
Cartesian Dualism Theory – one’s thoughts are a reflection of one’s beliefs, values, conditions, experiences, and
development.
Descartes also asserts that there is a distinction between the mind and the body. To develop himself, man has
to use his own mind and thinking abilities, which are independent from each other.

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David Hume
• Empiricist
⮚ All knowledge is derived from sense experience
⮚ Experience – a bundle or collection of different perceptions which succeed each other with an inconceivable
rapidity and are in perpetual flux and movement.
⮚ Impression and ideas can be found by examining one’s experience.
 ⮚ Impressions are the basic object of our experiences which forms the core of our thoughts while ideas are copies
of impressions because they are not as lively as our impressions.

Immanuel Kant
• Believes that a person has an Intrinsic Worth and they are Rational Agents.
• Moral goodness exists when the rational creatures act from good will.
• Morality requires us to treat each person.
• People should be treated well with respect without manipulating just to achieve one’s goals.

John Locke

• Developed the Personal Identity concept which is about one self’s evolving over the course of one’s life. •
He also believed of the survival of consciousness after death.
• Also developed the criterion of personal identity which hold that psychological continuity relations, that is, overlapping
chains of direct psychological connections, as those causal and cognitive connections between beliefs, desires,
intentions, experiential memories, character traits and so forth, constitute personal identity (cf. Locke 1689, II.xxvii.9-
29; Parfit 1971a; 1984; Perry 1972; Shoemaker 1970; Shoemaker & Swinburne 1984).
• Personal Identity (the self) to be founded on consciousness (memory), and not on the substance of either the soul or
the body.
Explore! Know more!

Visit the links below and examine how philosophical and anthropological perspective shape and empower
the self.
1. UTS Philosophical Perspective of The Self
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZTNA-2E1n4

2. Philosophy- Mind: Personal Identity (The Narrative Self)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIqoN9oRgo

3. How Culture affects your Personality?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx-1EthJeIg

4. Anthropological Perspective
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ5pcHeWLUM

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Guided Practice
TASK NO.2:
The Self from Various Perspectives

Directions: Fill in the matrix below by supplying the concepts of “self” according to the different philosophers.
Philosophers Concept of “Self”
 Socrates

Plato

Rene
Descartes

David Hume

Emmanuel
Kant

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TASK NO.3:
Myself Through The Years

Directions: Paste a picture of you when you were in elementary, in high school, and in college. Below each picture, lists
down the salient characteristics that you remember.
 MY ELEMENTARY SELF MY HIGH

SCHOOL SELF MY ELEMENTARY SELF

Fill in the table below:
Similarities in all Stages of my Differences in my “Self” across the Possible reasons for the
“Self” three stages of my life differences in me
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Performance

TASK NO.4:

I. Multiple Choices. Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. From whom is the famous saying “Cogito Ergo Sum”?
A. John Locke C. Rene Descartes
B. Immanuel Kant D. Plato
2. Who believed the idea, “An unexamined life is not worth living”?
A. Plato C. David Hume
B. Socrates D. Immanuel Kant
3. Who characterized the soul into three parts: reason, spirit and appetite?
A. Renee Descartes C. David Hume
B. John Locke D. Plato
4. Who suggested that moral goodness exists when the rational creatures acts from goodwill?
A. Immanuel Kant C. Socrates
B. David Hume D. Plato
5. Who is the proponent of the theory of Cartesian Dualism?
A. John Locke C. Plato
B. Immanuel Kant D. Rene Descartes
6. Who highlighted the concept of personal Identity?
A. John Locke C. Socrates
B. David Hume D. Immanuel Kant
7. Who is considered as the Father of Modern Philosophy?
A. Plato C. David Hume
B. Rene Descartes D. Socrates
8. Who believed that all knowledge is derived from sense experience?
A. David Hume C. Plato
B. Immanuel Kant D. John Locke
9. Who believed that people have “Intrinsic Worth”?
 A. Immanuel Kant C. Socrates
B. John Locke D. David Hume
10. Who assumes that there is distinction between mind and the body?
A. John Locke C. Rene Descartes
B. David Hume D. Immanuel Kant
11. Who contended that the world has two characteristics?
A. Immanuel Kant C. Socrates
B. David Hume D. Plato
12. Who believe that impression and ideas can be found by examining one’s
perception? A. Immanuel Kant C. Socrates
B. John Locke D. David Hume
13. According to him “One’s thoughts are a reflection of one’s beliefs, values, conditions, experiences, and
development.” Rene Descartes
A. John Locke C. Rene Descartes
B. Immanuel Kant D. Plato
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14. “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance.”
A. Plato C. David Hume
B. Rene Descartes D. Socrates
15. He considers personal identity to be founded in consciousness and not on the substance of either the soul or the
body.
A. David Hume C. Plato
B. Immanuel Kant D. John Locke

II. Essay.
1. How does philosophical and anthropological perspectives best facilitate your understanding about yourself?
Criteria:
Assertion and Content --- 10 points
Organization of Thoughts --- 5 points
Choice of Words --- 5points
TOTAL --- 20 points

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