DANTE M. LLORENTE JR.

UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

BS ARCHITECTURE 1F MR. ALLEN MENDOZA

MIDTERM IN UTS

1. What is your reflection on the quote Socrates “Unexamined LIFE is not worth Living”. Cite
example base on your experience.
“Unexamined life is not worth living”. As I read this quote, I thought to myself, who does this
person think he is? Preaching about what to do and what not to do with people’s lives. but as I
dug deeper into it and researched more about the meaning and analysis of the quote, I came
across a book by Plato called “The Apology of Socrates”. In this book, Socrates was given two
choices: leave Athens or live the rest of his life in silence. Socrates was not willing to leave his
home, and he was not willing to be silent. Being silent implied his agreement with the government,
and in his eyes, this equated to living an unexamined life. Unwilling to live that type of life, Socrates
killed himself. It made a deep impression on me and reflected on myself and assessed if I was
this kind of person.
In a way, I am just like Socrates, someone who doesn't just go outside the box, he also tries
to question if this is the right one. Growing up, I quickly learned that we live in a heteronormative
active society. I realized that the ideal scenario while living here in the Philippines is to be straight,
find a partner of the opposite sex, get a job, marry, and have children. If you’re gay, you’re a
disappointment, and then you have to compensate and do your best in other aspects to at least
minimize the disappointment. We see so many constant reinforces of this throughout our
everyday lives in several ways, including signs and signals. This noticeable behavior in our culture
is seen everywhere- in parenting, the workplace, our education system, and the list goes on. I am
tired of this heteronormative society we live in. I’m tired of people asking who’s the guy and who’s
the girl in the relationship. I’m tired that a lot of us because there is still discrimination against the
LGBTQ+ community.
I want to hold the man I love in the street without people’s eyes staring at us I want to have
the same rights and privileges straight people do like being able to marry, because, at the end of
the day, we’re all humans too, looking for someone to love us because the world never did. And
if I can’t have that life, then that life is not worth living.

2. Explain the “Meaning of Life” according to St. Augustine.

According to St. Augustine, the meaning of life is to live in it with peace, kindness, and above all
have an undying love for the Lord our God. In that way, he believed it will be a path to life after
death, or in other words, heaven. Augustine believed that God intended for all people to coexist
in a bond of peace, but men live in a society wherein there is either in accordance with or in
position to God's intention. This accords to temptations where men blindly follow fleshly desires
and gets consumed by them which will, later, lead to damnation.
 He continues by saying that everyone's ultimate purpose is to experience this oneness
and happiness with the Divine by abstaining from earthly pleasures and desires and living a moral
life. He appears to hold that our sense of self and of existence derives from a higher form of
perception that our physical senses may not be able to discern or comprehend and that the more
one doubts and questions his life, the more St. Augustine is actually living in him while
incorporating church doctrine into his philosophy and establishing our sense of self with God,
which we are unable to do with our bodies due to the limitations of our senses in truly
comprehending the essence. People, therefore, need to establish their relationship with God
through virtue, but they also need to be able to stand by what they believe to be true and whom
they believe themselves to be, even though others may disagree. Only by persistently questioning
and seeking the truth will we be able to come up with the best explanation for who we are and
what our place in the world is. Overall, the philosopher and theologian Augustine had many
fascinating things to say about the meaning of life. I hope many people will follow this way of life.

3. Choose among the Modern Philosophers their view of the SELF. Explain and cite examples.

Among the modern philosophers, I chose René Descartes’ view of the self. René Descartes's
concept of the self revolves around the idea of mind-body dualism. For Descartes, a human
person is composed of two parts, namely, a material body and a non-material mind. It must be
noted that Descartes's idea of the "mind" is not different from the idea of the "soul" understood in
antiquity, for instance, Plato's concept of the soul. For Descartes, the mind, or the soul, is superior
to the body for it is in the mind that "mental states" occur. This is because for Descartes, the
mental states, such as thinking, imagining, and analyzing, rather than the physical states of the
body, such as pain, hunger, and thirst, are fundamental to our life as persons. In other words, for
Descartes, it is the mind that makes us humans. Thus, for Descartes, the "mind" is the "real self”.
I agree with what Descartes said. It all starts within the mind. An example of this is when your
body wants to eat but your mind says you shouldn’t because you might get fat resulting in an
eating disorder. Another example is when you have an assignment due tomorrow, but you don’t
have the right mental state, and in the end, you weren’t able to finish the task. That is why you
must have the right state of mind before doing anything. Mental health is important because it
affects everything. It impacts our ability to cope, adapt, and solve problems. It also impacts our
ability to be happy, productive, and well-adjusted. That is why it should be taken priority, not
stigmatized. Because of the stigma and shame associated with mental health issues, people are
less likely to seek treatment. But there’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your brain’s wiring is not your
fault.

4. How will you explain the True self vs the False self? Give example.
True self can be referred to as your soul. Knowing yourself from within and connecting to your
higher self. You will know your true self only when you start understanding things at a soul level.
When not getting praised by someone doesn't make you sad, when you don't care what people
think of you, when you understand someone for doing something wrong instead of blaming, when
you can accept your mistakes without hesitation, when a pleasant smile replaces your anger,
when your future doesn't make you anxious and past doesn't bother you anymore, when you are
grateful for everything you have, that's when you enter in your true self shedding your false self.
On the other hand, your false self is also known as your ego. You might be dealing with your
ego self up until the point where it fully consumes you and create a false persona. Finding
materialistic happiness, looking for approval from others, having a high sense of self-worth,
blaming others, not accepting responsibility for your actions, worrying about the future and
dwelling in the past, constant comparison, being unaware of the truth, being in denial, fear and
traumas, hatred and jealousy, trust issues, and superiority complex are all things you might
experience when dealing with your ego self.
I admit that I still have a lot of false self within me, but I think right now, I can say that I am
living my true self somehow. First off, I came out to my mother and close friends, and I am now
more caring to my friends and family. I have learned to love myself and feel the urge to help
others. I still have a lot to work on about my overthinking, but small progress is still progress.
Living in my somewhat true self, I can say that it has its ups and downs. But I can assure you I
haven’t had fun like this when I was still in my false self.

5. Describe your learnings from the different Perspectives we discussed.

There are many ways in which philosophy is unlike any other field of study. It has no clearly
defined function and does not exist as a means to an end. A philosopher is a person who studies
philosophy. Since philosophers are known for their ability to articulate their ideas, many people
around the world find life to be enjoyable. Philosophers are typically thought of as thinkers who
pursue the hidden significance of things that are concealed before advancing an agenda utilizing
a systematic approach to perspectives. Philosophers continue to offer their ideas and
acknowledge the fragility of the societies in which people continue to live. They try to protect other
vulnerable people from the world's immoralities by using their experiences as teachings for the
entire world.
Since each philosopher is unique, there are a lot of different views, opinions, and perspectives
involved. But in every philosopher that was discussed in our online learning understanding the
self, there are several things that they have in common, and that is to be kind to yourself, and to
other people, to accept things as they are, and to have courage and be brave. There were also a
lot of things I learned from each philosopher like being true to yourself, valuing your mental health,
breaking the norms, and many more. Those are the things I have observed and realized upon
absorbing the words of these philosophers. Reading their works offered me to reflect on myself
and how I view myself, God, and other people.
Even though each philosopher’s views are quite different from the other, it still helped me
learn about being a better person without confusing myself on which philosopher I should follow
since they offer a variety of insights and lessons that are unique in their own way. Moreover, I will
try to apply the knowledge I gathered from these well-respected philosophers, and will sooner or
later, help to change the world.