PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF
INTRODUCTION other hand, rationalism argues that there
Philosophy It will open the door to
study beings or anything about beings. Is
often called the mother of all disciplines
simply because all fields of the study
began as philosophical discourses.
Philosophy employs the inquisitive mind
to discover the ultimate causes, reasons,
and principles of everything. It goes
beyond scientific investigation by
exploring all areas of knowledge such as
religion, psychology, politics, physics,
and even medicine. Hence, the
etymological definition of philosophy as
"love of wisdom" could pertain to the
desire for truth by formulating never-
ending questions to provide answers to
every inquiry about the nature of human
existence. The nature of the self is a topic
of interest among philosophers. Different
philosophers introduced specific
characteristics and meanings of the self,
which, overtime, transformed from pure
abstractions to explanations that hold
scientific proofs. This module presents an
overview of the philosophical perspective
of the self to give a wider viewpoint in
understanding the self. The different
views of prominent philosophers
regarding the nature of the self will be
discussed.
Lesson 1: Empiricism and
Rationalism
The philosophy of the self has been
defined through two distinct approaches:
Empiricism and Rationalism. In
Empiricism, there is no such thing as
innate knowledge; instead, knowledge is
derived from experience ― either
perceived with the five sensory processed
with the brain. One knows things because
he or she has experienced it through
sensory and bodily experiences. On the
is innate knowledge; however, there are
different sources of innate knowledge.
Rationalism explains self from the
standpoint of what is “ideal” and “true”,
and not rooted in what is felt by the
senses or body. Conclusions are derived
through logic and reasoning. Some
philosophers applied empirical views of
the self; others used the rational
approach.
Lesson 2: The Philosophical
perspective of understanding the
self
Prominent philosophers have
different views regarding the nature of
the self. The ancient philosophers
explained the self from their conceptual
understanding of the world since
scientific evidence was hard to obtain due
to lack of measures. Meanwhile,
contemporary philosophers have
incorporated science to their theories in
the light of the technological
advancements they have been exposed to.
 SOCRATES
One’s true self is not identical with
what we own, with one social status, one
reputation, or even with our body. But
our true self is our soul.
SOCRATES was a Greek
philosopher who believed that philosophy
had a very important role to play in
the lives of the people. One of his
most quoted phrases is, “The
unexamined life is not worth living”.
According to Socrates, self-knowledge or
the examination of one’s self, as well as
the question about how one ought to live
one’s life, are very important concerns
because only by knowing your self can
you hope to improve your life. Socrates
suggested that the self consists of two
dichotomous realms: physical and ideal
realms. The physical (body) realm is
changeable, transient, and imperfect. The
ideal (soul) realm is unchanging, eternal,
and immortal. The physical world in
which we live belongs to the physical
realm. For Socrates, our body belongs to
the physical realm while the soul belongs
to the ideal realm. Socrates explains that
the essence of the self ― the soul ― is
the immortal entity. The soul strives for
wisdom and perfection, and reason is the
soul’s tool to achieve this dignified state.
Socrates suggests that man must live an
examined life and a life of purpose and
value. The individual person can have a
meaningful and happy life only if he
becomes virtuous and knows the value of
himself that can be achieved through
incessant soul-searching. Self-knowledge
is the ultimate virtue.
 PLATO
The true self of human being is the
reason or the intellect that constitutes
their soul and that is separable from their
body.
PLATO was the student of Socrates
who also believed that the self is
synonymous with the soul. Plato
elaborated the concept of the soul;
specifically, he introduced the idea of a
three-part soul: reason, physical appetite
and spirit or passion. Plato supported the
idea that man is composed of a body and
a soul.
SOUL – World of forms – is the true self,
the permanents and unchanging reality.
BODY – World of forms – Keeps on
changing. It is what we see around and
this is where we live – It is just a replica
of the real world found in the world of
forms (means is not the real self but only
a replica of true self).
o Reason is the divine essence that
enables us to think deeply, make wise
choice sand achieve a true
understanding of eternal truths.
(RATIONAL SOUL)
o Physical appetite includes our basic
biological needs such as hunger, thirst
and sexual desires. (APPETITIVE
SOUL).
o Spirit or passion includes basic
emotions such as love, anger,
empathy. (SPIRITED SOUL).
These three elements are in a dynamic
relationship with one another, sometimes
in conflict. When conflict occurs, Plato
believes it is the responsibility of our
reason to sort things out and exert
control, restoring harmonious
relationships among the three
elements. Further, Plato believed that
genuine happiness can only be achieved
by people who consistently make sure
that their Reason is in control of their
Spirit and Appetite. (If the 3 components
of the soul attained it ideal state, The
HUMAN PERSON becomes JUST and
VIRTOUS).
 ST. AUGUSTINE
AUGUSTINE agreed that man is
divided (BIFURCATED) nature.
BODY – Is bound to die on earth
SOUL – Is to anticipate living eternally
in a realm of spirited bliss in communion
with God.
African philosopher AUGUSTINE is
regarded as a saint in the Catholic
Church. As religious philosopher, he
contemplated on the nature of man with
an emphasis on the soul as an important
element of man. He believed that the soul
is what governs and defines the human
person. Augustine described that
humankind is created in the image and
likeness of God, everything created by
God who is all good is good. Therefore,
the human person being a creation of God
is always geared towards the good.
Augustine was convinced that the self is
known only through knowing God. For
Augustine, “knowledge can only come by
seeing the truth that dwells within us.”
The truth that which Augustine spoke
refers to the truth of knowing God. God
is transcendent and that the self seeks to
be united with God through faith and
reason.
Our real world is found in the world
where there is permanence and infinity –
that’s the world where God is.
Our world (world of materials) is not
our final home but just a temporary home
where we are just passing through.
 REŃE DESCARTES
French philosopher DESCARTES is
the Father of Modern Philosophy. He
brought an entirely new perspective to
philosophy and the self. The Latin phrase
“Cogito ergo sum” “I think therefore I
am” is the keystone of Descartes’
concept of self. For him, the act of
thinking about the self ― of being self-
conscious ― is in itself proof that there is
a self. It was then that he developed his
theory of knowledge because he is
confident that no rational person will
doubt his or her own existence as a
conscious, thinking entity -while we are
aware of thinking about ourselves. For
DESCARTES, this is the essence of the
human self- a thinking entity that doubts,
understands, analyzes, questions, and
reasons.
The self is defined as a subject that
thinks.
The self that has full competence in
the powers of human reason.
The self can only find it’s truth and
authenticity capacity to think.
 JOHN LOCKE
For LOCKE, the human mind at birth
is tabula rasa or blank slate. The self or
personal identity is constructed primarily
from sense experience ― specifically,
what people see, hear, smell, taste, and
feel. These experiences shape and mold
the self throughout a person’s life. For
LOCKE, conscious awareness and
memory of previous experiences are the
keys to understanding the self.
Personal Identity is a matter of
psychological continuity.
Personal Identity is founded
consciousness.
Posits an empty mind, a tabula rasa
which is shaped by experiences, and
sensation.
Our concept of personal identity must
derive from inner experience.
 IMMANUEL KANT
For German philosopher KANT, it is
the self that makes experiencing an
understandable world possible because it
is the self that is actively organizing all
our thoughts and perceptions. In other
words, the self-constructs its own reality,
actively creating a world that is familiar,
predictable, and most significantly, mine.
The self is the product of reason, a
regulative principle, because the self
regulates experience by making unified
experiences possible. The self transcends
experience because the mind can grasp
aspects of reality which is not limited to
the senses.
We all have an inner and outer self
which together forms our consciousness.
 GILBERT RYLE
British philosopher RYLE, believed
that the self is best understood as a
pattern of behavior, the tendency for a
person to behave in a certain way in
certain circumstances. RYLE’S concept
of the human self thus provided the
philosophical principle, “I act therefore I
am”. Ryle considers the mind and body
intrinsically linked in complex and
intimate ways. In short, the self is the
same as bodily behavior. Ryle is
convinced that the mind expresses the
entire system of thoughts, emotions, and
actions that make up the human self.
SOUL – How we behave.
- The behavior that a person manifests
in his day – to – day life.
 PAUL CHURCHLAND
American philosopher
CHURCHLAND advocated the idea of
eliminative materialism or the idea that
the self is inseparable from the brain and
the physiology of the body. All a person
has is the brain and so, if the brain is
gone, there is no self. For Churchland,
the physical brain and not the imaginary
mind, gives people the sense of self. The
self is the brain.
-His view in mind and brain are identical.
 DAVID HUME
A Scottish philosopher, has a very
unique way of looking at man. As an
empiricist who believes that one can
know only what comes from the senses
and experiences, HUME argues that the
self is nothing like what his predecessors
thought of it. The self is not an entity
over and beyond the physical body One
can rightly see here the empiricism that
runs through his veins. Empiricism is the
school of thought that espouses the idea
that knowledge can only be possible if it
is sensed and experienced. Men, can only
attain knowledge by experiencing.
HUME, the self is nothing else but a
bundle of impressions. What are
impressions? For HUME, if one tries to
examine his experiences, he finds that
they can all be categorized into two:
impressions and ideas Impressions are,
The basic objects of our experience or
sensation. They therefore form the core
of our thoughts. Impressions therefore are
vivid because they are products of our
direct experience with the world. Ideas,
on the other hand, are copies of
impressions. Because of this, they are not
as lively and vivid as our impressions.
When one imagines the feeling of being
in love for the first time, that still is an
idea.
What is the self then? Self, according
to HUME, is simply "a bundle or
collection of different perceptions, which
succeed each other with an inconceivable
rapidity, and are in a perpetual flux and
movement." Men simply want to believe
that there is a unified, coherent self, a
soul or mind just like what the previous
philosophers thought. In reality, what one
thinks is a unified self is simply a
combination of all experiences with a
particular person.
 MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY
MERLEAU-PONTY is a
phenomenologist who asserts that the
mind-body bifurcation that has been
going on for a long time is a futile
endeavor and an invalid problem. Unlike
RYLE who simply denies the "self,"
MERLEAU-PONTY instead says that
the mind and body are so intertwined that
they cannot be separated from one
another. One cannot find any experience
that is not an embodied experience. All
experience is embodied. One's body is his
opening toward his existence to the
world. Because of these bodies, men are
in the world. MERLEAU-PONTY
dismisses the Cartesian Dualism that has
spelled so much devastation in the history
of man. For him, the Cartesian problem is
nothing else but plain misunderstanding.
The living body, his thoughts, emotions,
and experiences are all one.
He asserted that body is part of the
mind and mind is the part of the body,
Therefore, an embodied subjectivity.
The SELF is embodied subjectivity.

 THOMAS AQUINAS

The most eminent thirteenth century

scholar and stalwart of the medieval
philosophy, appended something to this
Christian view. Adapting some ideas
from Aristotle, Aquinas said that indeed,
man is composed of two parts: matter and
form. Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to
the "common stuff that makes up
everything in the universe." Man's body
is part of this matter. Form on the other
hand, or morphe in Greek refers to the
"essence of a substance or thing." It is
what makes it what it is. In the case of the
human person, the body of the human
person is something that he shares even
with animals. The cells in man's body are
more or less akin to the cells of any other
living, organic being in the world.
However, what makes a human person a
human person and not a dog, or a tiger. is
his soul, his essence. To Aquinas, just as
in Aristotle, the soul is what animates the
body; it is what makes us humans.