PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF SELF

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 (469/470-399 BCE) – Father of Ancient Western Philosopher

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. It is not about how many 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 ( 428-348 BCE) – Theory of Form and Matter

Plato is another Greek Philosopher who elaborates Socrates’ concept of the soul.

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.
The world of form is perfect and ultimately exists beyond matter. Plato considers the
self, soul, and mind as one.

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, is 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.

ARISTOTLE (384-322) – Father of Western Logic/ Father of formal Logic

Nature of the Soul

Conceptualizes the soul (psyche). “all that exists has a soul”

Adopted the theory of Forms and Matter by Plato. Form soul, matter = body

Provided that the being (a thing that exists) is alive, but it has a soul within. To have a
soul is to have the function and property of the form.

• “the soul is the actuality of the body that has life”. soul is defined by the very
essence of its relationship with the organic matter.

• it implies that all living things have souls and should be seen in a hierarchical order.

Plants are vegetative or nutritive soul, has the power for growth, nutrition, and
reproduction, growth is visible and inevitable. While, the animal soul is added with
motion and perception, possessing a sensitive faculty that is common to every
animal. Finally, human soul is the rational soul that is driven not only by
philosophy but also by science.

Flourishing “THE GOOD LIFE”

• eudaimonia everyone has purpose, and in understanding oneself, one must find a
way to discover their purpose in life. often translated as the “flourishing” or “the good
life”

self-reflection and contemplation as tool to understand oneself. Through exploring

one’s capacity and faculties, a person will significantly present oneself as a complete
person.

Virtue and Development

moral character is essential in understanding the self. cultivating virtue as critical for
reaching eudaimonia or human flourishing.

Self as part of society or a community. The self cannot be determined to be correct in

Its actions without community. This means that the connections of the soul towards
others are necessary to understand the self.

(Book) De Anima, which emphasizes self-reflection and contemplation as tool to

understand oneself

Medieval Period

Better known in Western Philosophy as the Christian Philosophical Era.

St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, who shape the understanding of man, his soul,
and the relationship of man, nature, and the Divine. Thus, this timeless and classical
pursuit of wisdom seeks to understand the self by understanding” the soul and
essence of man in its existence.

ST. AUGUSTINE

The African philosopher, 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.

Augustine describes that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God.
Everything created by God is all good. Therefore, the human person, being a creation
of God is always geared towards the good. The aspects of the self/soul according to
St. Augustine’s are:

-It is able to be aware of itself.

-It recognizes the self as a holistic one.

-It is aware of its unity.

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.

The Confessions (400 AD) . He explores various means of understanding the self
until he realizes the importance of the Esse Purum (Pure Essence). The book
presents his journey of self-discovery and conversion to Christianity

Memoria is way beyond the memory that one has; it is an important aspect that
contributes to one’s identity

Intellectus or the Intellect it is the faculty of man to reason, understand and

contemplate the truth.

Voluntas or the Will. The faculty is responsible for man’s decision- making, whether
to follow the intellect or be tempted.

RENÉ 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 self. He asserted that everything perceived by the
senses could not be used as proof of existence because human senses could be
fooled.

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 human self: the self is a thinking entity and the
self as a physical body.

JOHN LOCKE

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.

Different Perspectives in the Explanation of Self

DAVID HUME

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.

St. Thomas of Aquinas (1224-1274) – Scholastic

St. Thomas Aquinas is a doctor of the Church and a Philosopher. He christianized the
works of Aristotle.

Summas with the intention of directing people to faith. The first is the Summa
Contra Gentiles 1259 to 1265 AD. It is a book of treaties presenting the truths of the
Catholic faith against the errors and non-believers.

Summa Theological 1266 and 1273 AD. It is the book that explains the theology of
the Christian Faith to those who are studying sacred theology.

IMMANUEL KANT
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.

Kant’s view of the “self” is transcendental, which means the “self” is related to
spiritual or nonphysical realm. For Kant, the self is not in the body. The self is
outside the body, and it does not have qualities of the body. He proposed that it is
knowledge that bridges the “self” and the material things together.

SIGMUND FREUD

He is an Austrian neurologist who became known as the founding father of

psychoanalysis. Freud psychoanalysis became both a theory of personality and a
method of psychotherapy. Psychoanalytic theory has three major parts: A theory
of the structure of personality, in which the id, ego and superego are the principal
parts.

Structure of personality: Freud thought of personality as being based upon a

structure of three parts: the id, the ego and the superego.

Id-Latin word of Id is ‘It’ Id is the original source of personality, which is present in a

newborn.

It is the most primitive part, can be thought of as a sort of storehouse of biologically

based urges: to eat, drink, eliminate, and especially, to be sexually stimulated.

The sexual energy that underlies these urges is called the libido.

Ego (the decision-making component) – The Latin word of ego is ‘I’ which means
‘self’. The ego acts as a mediator or balance between the demands of Id and
superego.

Ego is based on the Reality Principle. Ego delays the discharge of tension. It
postponed the desires.

This adaptive measure of Ego is refereed as secondary process thinking.

Process Thinking

Ego waits for the right moment for the satisfaction of desire, whereas id satisfies
desires immediately.

Ego develops from Id and works for Id. Ego is an executive, which mediate between
the demands of id and realities of world and demands of super ego.
Superego (the moral component) – It is ideal rather than real. superego is that
part of personality that represents internalized value, ideals and moral attitude of
society. It is outgrowth of learning the taboos and moral values of society. It is refer to
conscience and is concern with right and wrong.

It inhabits the ID desires. Sex and aggressive superego operates through the ego
system and compel The ego to inhibit desires that are considering wrong or immoral.
Its psychiatric function is expresses as guilt, self-criticism and consciences.

GILBERT RYLE

He is a British Philosopher. “I act therefore, I am”

Ryle believes that the self is best understood as a pattern of behavior, the
tendency or dispositions for a person to behave in a certain way in certain
circumstances.

The mind Is not the seat of the self. It is not a separate, parallel thing to our
body.

The mind is a category mistake, brought about by habitual use.

The only way it can affect the other is through the external world.

PAUL CHUURCHLAND

Churchland advocated the idea of eliminative materialism or the idea that the self
is inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body. A fully matured
neuroscience will eliminate the need for beliefs since ”they are not real.” The physical
brain gives us a sense of self.

MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY

He believes that all knowledge about the self is based on the “phenomena” of
experience.

For him, everything that we are aware of-and can possible knows-is contained within
our own consciousness.

It’s impossible for us to get “outside” of our consciousness because it defines the
boundaries of our personal universe.