Lesson 5:

The self in Western

Oriental/Eastern
and
thought
Summary:
The views in Western and Eastern philosophy are diametrically opposite. In the
West, there exists a multitude of definitions of the “self”, whereas in the East the
predominant view is that the self is rather an illusion. The notions
“consciousness”, “self-consciousness”, “personal identity” (personality) and
“self” overlap to a particular extent, but there exist specific differences. The
views in Western and Eastern philosophy are diametrically opposite. In the
West, there exists a multitude of definitions of the “self”, whereas in the
East the predominant view is that the self is rather an illusion. Taking this is
in consideration, the issue of the status of the human self requires a new
linguistic-philosophical analysis in the light of both contemporary science
and philosophy. Today, in neurosciences and neuropsychology the material
substrate of the self is sought in the face of the brain. Nonetheless, the use
of unclear notions is a linguistic confusion that undermines this process.
The Concept of “self” in Eastern Thought
In the concept of “self” in general is greatly influenced by religious beliefs and
political philosophies. Eastern concepts of “self” leans more toward the different
philosophies, namely: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Western thought people tend to think like Norah: people are separate and unique
from each other. What one person does or experiences is completely
independent of other people and the world at large. In Eastern philosophy, the
self is often treated as an illusion. That is, the idea that people are separate
entities from each other and the world is not considered a reality in Eastern
thought.
Confucianism
The concept of self, according to Confucianism, is related to the social aspect of
human existence. The self is conceived as a “relational self” – “one which is
intensely aware of the social presence of other human beings” (Ho, 1995: 117). In
this way, the individual self is dependent on all other selves. The self is thus an
obedient self, which follows the appeals of social requirements, rather than its
own needs and desires. The ideal self, according to this doctrine, can be achieved
through a harmonization of one’s everyday communication with other individuals
in society at large (Ho, 1995: 118).
Taoism
Taoism accentuates the falsehood of language, way before the philosophy of
linguistic analysis and the deconstruction of Jacques Derrida. The so-called “Tao”,
the essence of life and the universe, or the Way, cannot be described by human
language. That is why paradoxes, contradictions, anecdotes, metaphors and
aphorisms are used. Tao is ineffable. According to the doctrine of Taoism, “the
self is but one of the countless manifestations of the Tao. It is an extension of the
cosmos” (Ho, 1995: 120). Taoism, in its idiosyncratic style of exposition, describes
the self in the following way: “The perfect man has no self; the spiritual man has
no achievement; the true sage has no name” (Ibid.). The ideal of Taoism,
therefore, is the achievement of a lack of self or “selflessness”.
Buddhism
Buddha advised that one should abstain from dealing with metaphysics, because
this activity is futile. Nonetheless, Buddhism argues that the self as such does not
exist, that it is an illusion – “The self does not exist apart from the states of
consciousness. It represents incessant series of transient psychological states –
this is everything, which we subsume under the term ‘self’” (Radhakrishnan,
1996: 219-220; accent in the original there is no god, nor matter, neither is there
a phenomenal world. Thus, the doctrine of “no-self” or “no-soul” emerged. No-
self is achieved through a self-negation in the state of nirvana, which is a “state of
absolute, eternal quiescence-a transcendent state of supreme equanimity beyond
the comprehension of ordinary people unawaken from the illusion of selfhood”.
Reflection:
I learned a lot about philosophy, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and the self in Western
and Oriental/Eastern thought from our professor's five lessons. Philosophers, Sociologies,
Anthropologies, Psychologies, and Western and Eastern thinking have all made significant contributions
to our society.

Like St. Augustine, I am a Christian who believes that God is everything. That if we are with God,
everything will be better. The majority of people in our country are Christian or Catholic, and they
believe that when they are with God, anything they wish, want, or ask for would be granted in his name.
Although I do not consider myself religious, I do believe in Jesus and God. I've gone through a lot of ups
and downs, but I still thank God for everything that has happened and will happen. My mother used to
tell me as a child that I should praise his name and serve him as my father since he is the father of all.
While I was growing up, my mother was serving him and making sure that everyone knew about his
teachings. Every Sunday, they hold a home prayer service in our home.
I am the parents of my two nieces in our home, and because I am with them every day, I am
able to observe their changing habits and attitudes. Man has three parts of personality, according to
Sigmund Freud's philosophy. Those characteristics were present in my nieces. In Id: When they ask for
food and milk while I am busy, they cry if they notice that I am not paying attention to them or even
when they saw a toy in a store, they want me to buy for them and when I don’t, they cry a lot. In the
Ego: I noticed my oldest niece, who had broken my mother's cellphone charger and kept it on the
cabinet, and I was just watching at her from a distance. And then I saw her open the cabinet again, take
the damaged charger, and come up to me and tell me she had broken my mother's charger. I believe she
reasoned that if she kept the broken charger and stayed silent, she wouldn't be chastised if someone
discovered it was broken. However, because she is still a child, maybe she realized that doing that is
incorrect. I just told to her that her decision is the right one and she is brave kid for telling the truth. At
the last is Super Ego: My two nieces were watching YouTube one day while I was completing my
schoolwork, and they asked me if it was okay to open the door when someone was outside screaming
one of our names. So, when I observed them arguing, my five-year-old niece informed her almost-three-
year-old sister that "it was fine." The youngest, on the other hand, said, "No!" No! " Since the episode of
Cocomelon is about strangers, do not open the door." "But Tita Che, open the raider to collect the
order," my oldest niece said. "No!" answered the youngest forcefully. No!”. I also went over with them
when it was appropriate to open the door to a stranger. My nieces must have become confused, and
their minds are wondering what is correct and what is incorrect.

I can actually relate in the theory of Carl Rogers, when I was a child and I saw people in the
street I was actually feel curious in everything. I was amused how people walking, running fast through
me. I saw people are so busy in their way. I saw a lot of stores that really catches my attention and
makes me want to go there but I was afraid because I saw people lining up in a store already to buy
something. And hearing a lot of voices in the street makes me wonder why they are like that. I was really
curious what is going on. When I reach at the age of 14 or 15 years old, I recall my teacher asking me,
“who am I?” That was a value education subject, and we're talking about self though. I was nervous and
my mind is panicking, that was an easy question but a tricky one and I couldn't answer right away, while
am in the middle thinking I actually ask myself “who am I?” If I describe my appearance, I can easily
respond. So, my mind asking me too if what I'm about to say? And I understood that maybe when my
teacher asked me a question about myself, I didn't know what to say. Not because I'm still young, but
because I'm still unsure of who I am or how to express myself. Maybe it's because I didn't ask my friends
what they thought of me. In Carl Roger theory he says that “self-identity” can also influenced by others
perceive an individual. The real self can be seen by others. But because we have no way of truly knowing
how others view us, the real self is self-image. As I grow old, I gradually knew myself inside and outside.
What am I thinking, what do I desire, dislike, what makes me happy and unhappy, who I want to be,
what I can and I can’t do, In my interactions with others, I also identify myself. We can’t stop comparing
ourselves to others who are worse than us, because sometime it helps us to create positive self-concept.
Now that I'm babysitting my two nieces, I have a better understanding of their personalities and what
they like and don't like. What they believe they can do for the time being. Because I've previously gone
through this. Knowing who I am and what I like.