UNDERSTANDING THE SELF GE 108

PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVES
CLASSIC PHILOSOPHERS
LEARNING OUTCOMES
DEMONSTRATE CRITICAL AND REFLECTIVE THOUGHT IN
ANALYZING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE'S SELF AND
IDENTITY

SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

EVALUATE HOW IDENTITY IS INFLUENCED AND SEEN IN
THE CONTEXT OF PHILOSOPHY
Introduction
WHAT IS A SELF?
A self is just a person, a living,
breathing, thinking human being.
We use the particle ‘self’ to form
reflexive pronouns, like “myself”
and “yourself”, and these
pronouns, refer to persons.

IF YOU WOULD BE A REAL SEEKER

AFTER TRUTH, IT IS NECESSARY
THAT AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR
LIFE YOU DOUBT, AS FAR AS
POSSIBLE, ALL THINGS – RENE
DESCARTES
Classical
SOCRATES
The cornerstone of
Socrates’ philosophy was
the Delphic Oracle’s
command to “know
thyself”.
Classical
SOCRATES
focus the full power of
reason on the human self
Classical
SOCRATES
For Socrates, men’s goal in life is to
obtain happiness and such goal
motivates us to act towards or avoid
things that could have negative
repercussions in our lives. As such, by
fully knowing oneself, a person will
be able to achieve happiness
Classical
SOCRATES
The possession of knowledge is a
virtue and that ignorance is a
depravity, that a person’s acceptance
of ignorance is the beginning of
acquisition of knowledge.

Classical
SOCRATES
This method of questioning
oneself, where the person
assumes the role of both the
teacher and the student is known
to the world as the Socratic
method or Socrative
conversation.

Metaphysical Framework
SOCRATES

2 Dichotomous Realms

1. Physical Realm
2. Ideal Realm
Metaphysical Framework
SOCRATES

Physical Realm

The physical world in which we live

– comprised of all that we can see
hear, taste, smell and feel- belongs to
the former realm.
Metaphysical Framework
SOCRATES

Ideal Realm

The unchanging, eternal, perfect

realm includes the intellectual
essences of the universe, concepts such
as truth, goodness and beauty
Metaphysical Framework
SOCRATES

Body and Soul

Physical Realm - Body (changeable)

Ideal Realm - Soul (unchanging)
Classical
PLATO

He elaborated his concept of the soul

which is translated in Greek as Psyche
Classical
PLATO
 TWO LENSES OF PHILOSOPHY

Empiricism
Rationalism according to it, there is no
such thing as innate
explains self from the knowledge; all knowledge
standpoint of what is ideal are derived from experience
and true, and what not is – through five senses or
rooted with senses. what is perceived by our
brain.

 Describe an experience in your life

which reason prevailed over passion
and appetite. How was reason able to
prevail? Did you gain increased
wisdom from the experience?

Classical
ST. AUGUSTINE

He follows the idea that God

encompasses us all, that everything will
be better if we are with God. His work’s
focal point is on how God and his
teachings affects various aspects in life.
He follows the belief that everything is
better if we devote ourselves in mending
our relationship with God.
Classical
ST. AUGUSTINE

His idea of a man and how to

understand who we are as a person
is related to our understanding of
who we are and how we question
ourselves
Classical
ST. AUGUSTINE

Our notion of ourselves and our idea

of existence comes from a higher
form of sense in which bodily senses
may not perceive or understand, and
the more one doubts and question
his life means that person is actually
living.
Classical
ST. AUGUSTINE

We cannot achieve establishing our

sense of self with God with our
bodies because of the limitation of
our senses in truly understanding the
essence of our existence and our
role in the world