What is Philosophy?
It is not about how many
Philosophy is often called as
the mother of all disciplines
simply because all fields of
study began as philosophical
discourses.
Philosophy is from the Greek
words Philo (loving) and
Sophia (knowledge, wisdom).
At simplest, PHILOSOPHY
means "loving knowledge" or
"loving wisdom" The term
philosophy as originally used
by the Greeks meant, "The
pursuit of knowledge for its
own sake."
• The philosophical framework
for understanding the self was
first introduced by the ancient
great Greek philosophers:
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
• Most of them agree that
"self-knowledge" is a
prerequisite to a happy and
meaningful life.
SOCRATES
I KNOW THAT I DON’T
KNOW
Socrates was a Greek
philosopher.
He suggests that the self is
synonymous with the soul.
He believes that every human
possesses an immortal soul
that survives the physical
body.
Thus, Socrates suggests that
man must live an examined
life and a life of purpose and
value.
For him, an individual 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.
The African philosopher,
properties you own or how
many "likes" you get in your
social media accounts and
even how successful you are in
chosen career.
In a real sense, your real self is
not even your body.
The state of your inner being
(soul/self) determines the
quality of your life.
PLATO
BALANCE BETWEEN
MIND AND BODY
Plato is another Greek
Philosopher who elaborates
Socrates' concept of the soul.
He was the student of Socrates.
He is best known for his
Theory of Forms that asserted
the physical world is not really
the "real" world because the
ultimate reality exists beyond
the physical world.
His philosophy can be
explained as a process of self-
knowledge and purification of
the soul.
He introduces the idea of a
three-part: soul/self- reason,
physical appetite, and spirit or
passion.
The self/soul/mind according
to Plato the best aspect of the
human beings by which the
FORMS (ideas) are known.
REASON is the divine essence
that enables us to think deeply,
make wise decisions and
achieve the true understanding
of eternal truths.
PHYSICAL APPETITE
includes our biological needs
such as hunger, thirst, and
sexual desires.
SPIRIT or PASSION
composes the basic emotions
like love, anger, ambition,
aggressiveness, and empathy.
ST. AUGUSTINE
ALL KNOWLEDGE LEAD
TOGOD
Augustine, is regarded as a
saint (St. Augustine of Hippo)
in the Catholic Church,
He is one of the Latin Fathers
of the church, one of the
Doctors of the church, and one
of the most significant
Christian thinkers.
Giving the Theory of Forms a
Christian perspective,
Augustine asserted that these
forms were concepts existing
within the perfect and eternal
God where the soul belonged.
St. Augustine believes that a
virtuous life is dynamism of
love. It's the constant turning
point towards life.
Loving God means loving
one's fellowmen; and loving
one's fellowmen denoted never
doing any harm to another or
as the golden rule of justice
denoted, doing unto others as
you would have them do unto
you.
Love and justice as the
foundation of the individual
self.
RENE DESCARTES
René Descartes was a French
philosopher, mathematician,
and a scientist and considered
as the father of modern
philosophy.
He was regarded as the first
thinker to emphasize the use of
reason to describe, predict, and
understand natural phenomena
based on observations and
empirical evidence
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- I in it proof that
there is a sel.
 He asserted that everything
perceived by the senses could
not be used as proof of
existence because human
senses could be fooled.
Sensory information from the
body, transmitted through the
nervous system, reached the
pineal gland And, the
immaterial mind processed
these sensations and
determined appropriate
responses which were then
communicated back to the
body through the pineal gland.
Thus, functioning into two
directions of information
allowed for coordinated
actions and experiences, all
orchestrated by the pineal
gland's role as an intermediary
Descartes' claims about the
"self" are: It is constant; it is
not prone to change, and it is
not affected by time. Only the
immaterial soul remains the
same throughout the time. The
Immaterial soul is the source
of our identity
He suggested that the act of
thinking about the self or being
self-conscious is proof that
there is a self.
There are two dimensions of a
man self: the self is a thinking
entity and the self as a physical
body.
JOHN LOCKE
HUMAN MIND AT BIRTH
IA A TABULA RASA,
WHICH MEANS THAT
KNOWLEDGE IS
DERIVED FROM
EXPERIENCE
John Locke is an English
philosopher and physician.
For Locke, the human mind at
birth is Tabula rasa or a blank
slate. He feels that the "self" or
personal identity is basically
constructed from the
experiences - like what people
see, smell, taste, hear and feel.
He also interpreted that to
mean the “self”-it must consist
of memory; meaning the
person existing today is the
same person yesterday.
DAVID HUME
ALL KNOWLEDGE IS
DERIVED FROM HUMAN
SENSES
He is a Scottish Philosopher.
He was one of the figureheads
of the influential British
Empiricism movement.
Empiricism is the idea that the
origin of all knowledge is
experience. Hume is identified
with the Bundle Theory
wherein he described the "self"
or person (which Hume
assumed to be "mind") as a
bundle or collection of
different perceptions that are
moving in a very fast manner.
Hume divided the mind's
perceptions into two groups:
Impressions. Perceptions that
are the most strong. These are
directly experienced, they
result from inward and
outward sentiments.
Ideas. The less lively
counterparts of impressions
These are mechanisms that
copy and reproduce sense
data formulated based upon
the previously perceived
impressions.
IMMANUAL KANT
REASON IS THE FINAL
AUTHORITY OF MORALITY.
MORALITY IS ACHIEVED ONLY
WHEN THERE IS ABSENCE OF
WAR BECAUSE OF THE
RESULT OF ENLIGHTENMENT
He is a German philosopher
He believes that it is the self
that makes experiencing an
intelligible world possible
because it is the self that is
actively organizing and
synthesizing all of our
thoughts and perceptions. He
also proposed that the human
mind creates the structure of
human experience.
SIGMUND FREUD
WISH FULFILLMENT IS THE
ROAD TO THE UNCONSCIOUS
GILBERT RYLE
I ACT THEREFORE I AM
PHYSICAL BODY IS AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE
SELF
Sociological View of Self
Sociology
What is SOCIOLOGY ?
-the study of the
development, structure, and
functioning of human society.
- its that socially formed norm,
beliefs and values come to
exist within the person to a
degree where these become
natural
THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF
MODERN SOCIETY AMONG
OTHER CONTRUCTION
Modernization-the
transformation from a
traditional, rural, agrarian
society to a secular, urban,
industrial society
Effects of modernization:
*Significantly change society
and this has affected how an
individual build and develop
his or her self-identity. People
behave according to social
rules and tradition while the
family and the immediate
provided supervision on how
to get through life. Choosing
where to live, what line for
work to do and even who to
marry was very limited
(Hermannsdóttir, 2011) •
*Improved people's living
condition. A person in the
modern society is free to
choose where to live, what to
do and who to be with
(Giddens, 1991)
CHARACTERISYIC OF
MODERNITY
1. Industrialism - social
relation implied in the
extensive use of material
power and machinery in of
production.
2.Capitalism-production
system involving both
competitive product markets
and the commodification
(putting a price tag) of labor
power.
3. Institution of Surveillance -
massive increase of power and
reach by institutions,
especially in government.
4. Dynamism - having a
vigorous activity and progress.
Most evident characteristic of
a modern society.
SOCIAL GROUPS AND SOCIAL
NETWORK
Georg Simmel - a German
sociologist, philosopher, and
critic
Social Group - having two or
more people interacting with
one another, sharing similar
characteristic and whose
members identify themselves
as a part of the group
ex. family, friends, classmate
Social Network- refers to the
ties or connection that link
you to your social group.
ex. family- blood relation
friends-friendship
classmate- interest to learn
ORGANIC GROUP-naturally
Occurring, and its highly
influenced by family.
ORGANIC MOTIVATION-you
join this group because your
family is a part of it.
-its positive effect is
rootedness, giving the person
a sense of belongingness.
However it imply less
freedom.
RATIONAL GROUP-occur in
modem society.
RATIONAL MOTIVATION-
people join this group out of
their free own will.
- imply greater freedom,
especially the freedom of
movement
DEVELOPING THE SELF
Language - self-development
and language are intimately
tied. Through shared
understanding of symbols,
gestures and sound, language
gives the individual the
capacity to express
themselves while at the same
time comprehending what
other people are conveying.
Play- individual role-play or
assume the perspective of
other Role-playing enables
person to internalize some
other people's perspective
Game-Level where the
individual not only internalize
other's perspective, he or she
is able to take into account
societal rule and adheres to it.
Self is developed by
understanding the rule and
one must abide by it to win
the game or be successful
TWO SIDES OF SELF
"Me" - the product of what
the person has learned while
interacting with others and
with the environment.
Learned behaviors, attitudes
and even expectation
compromises. It exercises
social control over the self.
"I" -is that the part of the self
that is unsocialized and
spontaneous. It is the
individual's response to the
community's attitude towards
the person.
The Self and the Person in
Contemporary Anthropology
What is Anthropology?
-Is the study of people, past
and present Anthropology
comes from the Greek word
"Anthropos" which means
"human or man" and "logos
"which means "knowledge or
reason "
-Looks at humans as
something complex in terms
of physical, emotional, social,
and cultural complexity.
-Refers to the science of
humans and their culture.
-Anthropologist is a person
engaged in the practice of
anthropology.
A UNIT BUT UNITARY
"Self" In modem anthropology
characterizes the term in its
most general "Ordinary and
Everyday use". Katherine
Ewing (1990), described the as
encompassing the "physical
organism, possessing
psychological functioning and
social attributes".
The "self" as implicity and
explicity existing in the mind
comprised of psychological
biological, and cultural
processes. Joseph
LeDoux(2002), conceptualized
the implicit and explicit
aspects of the self.
Explicit is the aspect of the self
that you are consciously
aware.
Implicit is the aspect of the
self that is not immediately
available to the consciousness.
Sigmund Freud's the "level of
consciousness"
According to LeDoux(2002),
"the self is not static: it is
added to and subtracted from
genetic maturation, learning,
forgetting, stress, ageing, and
disease."
SELF AS REPRESENTATION
Ewing(1989) asserted that
"self" is illusory. "People
construct a series of self-
representation that are based
on the selected cultural
concepts of person and
selected chains of personal
memories. Each self-concept is
experienced as whole an
continuous,
By self-representation, Ewing
meant culturally shaped " self"
concepts that one applies to
oneself.
According to Ewing (1990),
people from all cultures have
been observed to be able to
rapidly project different self-
representations, depending on
the context of the situation.
THE SELF EMBODIED IN
CULTURE
Cultural anthropologist have
argued that the self is
culturally shaped and infinitely
variable.
Cultural traditions and social
practices regulate, regulate,
express, and transform the
human psyche, resulting less
in psychic unity for humankind
than in ethnic divergences in
mind, self, emotion.
Cultural psychologists
distinguished two ways of how
the self is constructed.
The Independent and
Interdependent constructs.
*These self is constructed are
also imbedded in culture.
*Construal is an interpretation
of the meaning of something;
the act of construing.
interpretation - an explanation
that results from interpreting
something.
*Hence, in this sense is the
meaning of "self"
The independent construct is
characteristic of individual
culture.
Individualistic culture is a
society which is characterized
by individualism, not
collectivism. Individualistic
cultures are oriented around
the self, being independent
instead of identifying with a
group mentality.
The Interdependent construct
is typical of the collectivist
culture in East Asia stressing
the essential connection
between the individual to
other people.
Collectivist cultures, such as
those of China, Korea, and
Japan, emphasize family and
work group goals above
individual needs or desires.
Development psychologist
Catherine Raeff (2010)
- believed that culture can
influence how you view:
relationships, personality
traits, achievement, and
expressing emotions
Relationships - Culture
influences how you enter into
and maintain relationships.
For example, relationships
may be seen as voluntary or as
duty-based.
Personality traits - are
distinguishing qualities or
characteristics that are
embodiment of an
individual's.
-Culture influences whether
(and how) you value traits,
self-esteem, politeness,
assertiveness, and so on, as
well as how you perceive
hardship or how you feel
about relying on others.
Achievement - Culture
influences how you define
success and whether you
value certain type of individual
and group achievements.
Expressing emotions - Culture
influences what will affect you
emotionally, as well as how
you express yourself, such as
showing your feelings in public
or keeping it private.