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LOMEDA,
Instructor
This section highlight how classical and modern philosophical models defined the self, the
evolution of these philosophical frameworks from ancient to contemporary times and the
relevance of the philosophy of the self to how the youth define their own sense of self.
Classical Antiquity
The ancient philosophy of the self can be traced back from Greek aphorisms---Know thyself Socrates’s
guiding principle that he imparted to his students. Socrates was more concerned with another subject, the problem
of the self.
He was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning about the
self. To Socrates, and this has become his life-long mission, the true task of the
philosopher is to know oneself. Plato claimed in his dialogues that Socrates affirmed that
the unexamined life is not worth living. For Socrates, every man is composed of body and
soul.
This means that every human person is dualistic, that is, he composed of two important aspects of his personhood.
For Socrates, this means all individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and the body, while
maintaining that there is also a soul that is perfect and permanent.
He is widely considered the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and Western philosophy, along
with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student, Aristotle
Plato, Socrates’s student, basically took off from his master and supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body
and soul. In addition to what Socrates earlier espoused, Plato added that there are three components of the soul:
the rational soul,
the spirited soul,
and the appetitive soul.
In his magnum opus, “The Republic” (Plato 2000), Plato emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be
attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another.
The rational soul forged by reason and intellect has to govern the affairs of the human person,
the spirited soul in charge of emotions should be kept at bay,
and the appetitive soul in charge of base desires like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex are controlled as well.
When this ideal state is attained, then the human person’s soul becomes just and virtuous.
Plato’s idea of truth about the human self was even more expounded and formalized by his prized student, Aristotle.
Aristotle suggested that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena. Aristotle called the ideal as essence and the
phenomena as matter. He also emphasized that the two co-exist and are co-dependent; the essence provide
meaning and purpose to the matter and matter provide substance and solidity to essence.
The philosophy of the self has been defined through two distinct lens: empiricism and rationalism. For empiricism,
there is no such thing as innate knowledge; instead, knowledge is derived from experience either perceived with the
five senses or processed in the brain. On the other hand, rationalism argues that there is innate knowledge, from the
standpoint of what is “ideal” and “true”
Nota Bene:
EMPIRICISM Empiricists share the view that there is no such thing as innate knowledge, and that instead
knowledge is derived from experience (either sensed via the five senses or reasoned via the brain or mind).
RATIONALISM: Rationalists share the view that there is innate knowledge; they differ in that they choose
different objects of innate knowledge. Plato is a rationalist because he thinks that we have innate knowledge of
the Forms
EXERCISE 1
Instruction: if you think the statement is correct, write agree, otherwise, write disagree.
EXERCISE 2
Instruction: Read the different statements below and answer the succeeding question. In
answering, take note of the three discerning points between empiricism and rationalism.
Rationalism Empiricism
The primary and most superior source of knowledge The only source of genuine knowledge about the world
about reality is reason is sense experience
Sense experience is unreliable and in adequate to route Reason is unreliable and inadequate route to
knowledge knowledge unless it is grounded in the solid bedrock of
sense experience
The fundamental truths about the world can be known There is no such thing as innate knowledge because
a priori: either innate or self-evident to our minds knowledge is derived from experience. The mind before
experience is a tabula rasa, a blank slate
1. When you are studying or reviewing lessons, are you more likely to take rationalist viewpoint or empiricist
viewpoint? Why?
I decided to adopt the emperist stance because, as I reviewed and studied it further, I became increasingly
aware that knowledge is derived through experience. A person's life is also here, where they study and grow in
knowledge. Their life experiences help them learn what is proper and incorrect behavior because they
continue to be shaped by their experiences for a longer and longer period of time, which shapes their
understanding more and more.
2. How do you apply empiricism and/or rationalism in studying your lessons? Be specific and concrete. Try to
remember your study habits and how you make sense of the lessons.
I can apply emperism in studying of my lessons through my self experiences and applying personal experiences in
understanding and answering activities in the lesson. Some examples of my study habits are applying self experiences and
knowledge from my senses until I understand and have enough knowledge about the topic. and while I reading it I is also
writing down the important words that should be known and learned in these lessons.