LESSON 5

THE SELF IN WESTERN

AND EASTERN THOUGHT
INDIVIDUALISTIC
AND COLLECTIVE
SELF
 INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF

• Process of introspection and reflection – means use by

man to begin searching for clues as to the probable
purpose of his existence and the role he plays in the
general order of the things of the world
• Result: man decides that since he has only one life to live
and that death is inevitable, he should make the most of
this life he was given – goes into the world with the
intention of living the life that he chooses, making
decisions, acting upon these decisions and taking
responsibility for consequences
• This is an example of a person manifesting his
individualistic self
 INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF

• Man is aware that he is not alone and that he exists with others
in society, he sees himself as being capable of living his own
life, doing the things that he would love to do, making his own
mistakes and learning from his experiences
• Aware of his rights and the limitations of his freedom in the
extant society
• Sets goals and works hard to achieve them
• Knows that he is the one who will suffer the most if he wastes
his chance to live a life that he and his family can be proud of
• Legacy – something that would define him and inspire others
that being in the world meant making it better not only for
himself but also for others
 INDIVIDUALISTIC SELF

• The culture of the West that encourage individualism

• Development begins after birth and is observed in the
child-rearing practices of parents in the West
• Independence and self-reliance form the development
of the self in Western culture
• United States: offsprings who reach the age of 18
years are expected to ‘move out’ of the house, support
himself and make his own decisions
• Family is important but individual freedom and the
ability to stand on his own is expected
 COLLECTIVE SELF

• The culture of the East is engrained into the individual

• The identity of the individual is lost and does not exist except
as a part of the group
• Family and society – control how the group members should
think, act and generally conduct themselves in society
• Developed in collectivism: strong bonds of unity
• Decision: group decisions
• When the group decides every
member should follow
• Group members depend on
each other
• Individual thinking and decision making are frowned upon
 COLLECTIVE SELF

• Collectivistic cultures give birth to individuals who

develop collective selves
• Individuals bound by their customs, beliefs and
traditions of the group – every phase of their existence
• Issues decided upon by the group are
• - gender roles
• - marriage practices
• - patriarchy
• In such cases individual freedom is sacrificed for the benefit of
the group
 COLLECTIVE SELF

• Collectivism fosters nationalistic attitude as long as

this is what the group believes
• Individual members – non-entities and there is no
sense of self but what is present is a collective self
• It is a group self to which the person belongs to – how
the group thinks, behaves and achieves its goals
• What only exists:
• - group decisions
• - group goals
• Essence of existence: group survival
 COLLECTIVE SELF

• In contemporary society – both the

individualistic and the collective self may exist
in a single individual
• Why?
• - the influences and intermarriages between people of
the East and the West
• - sharing of knowledge and the influx of information
from mass media and social media
 THE SELF IN WESTERN THOUGHT

• RECALL:
• Self – an area of interest by the French and English philosophers
• Self – an entity whose proof of existence is most challenging as is
ascertained in the early Greek philosophies of Socrates and Plato
• Descartes emphasized the self through his dictum “ think therefore I
am”
• - Person exists regardless of his environment
• - The cognitive basis of the person’s thoughts is proof for the existence
of the self
• Kant believed that the self is capable of actions that entitles it to
have rights as an autonomous agent – this inspired the recognition of
human rights as important in the expression of individual freedom
 THE SELF IN WESTERN THOUGHT

• Introduced the ECOLOGICAL SELF – sees the self as a process that

is undergoing development
• Factors that influence self-development: human biological and
environmental characteristics like
• - Race
• - Gender
• - Social status
• - Education
• - Cultures
• Self – is seen as dynamic, different and unique in each individual
and is constantly exposed to an ever changing world
SELF IN CONFUCIAN
THOUGHT
 CONFUCIUS
• Known in West as Kong
Zhongni of China
• Born in the period of the
Zhou dynasty (551 BCE)
in the small state of Lu
• Grew up poor even though
he descended from a scholarly family
• Known as ‘Master Kong’ and as ‘Great Sage and Teacher’
 ZHOU DYNASTY
• Characterized by political, social and moral
disintegration in China
• Through all of there unrest, Confucius family made
sure that Confucius received proper education
• Confucius experiences in politics made him focus
on social reforms
• Philosophy: Humanistic Social Philosophy
 HUMANISTIC SOCIAL
PHILOSOPHY

• Primary focus: on human beings and the society he

finds himself in
• Main source of values of both human being and the
society in general: society and its communities
• Statement: ‘although the way of humans is
grounded in the way of heaven and operates in
harmony with the way of nature, it is to the ideals of
the human way that people must turn for guidance
in reforming and renewing society”
 CONFUCIANISM

• Philosophical concept: centered on the REN

which can be manifested through the:
• - LI (propriety),
• - XIAO (filiality), and
• - YI (rightness)
 REN
• Can be understood as human goodness
• Makes human beings different from beasts
• Involves feelings and thinking which serves as the foundation of all
human relationships
• Signifies the Chinese culture’s emphasis on feelings or the heart as the
most important instead of the head in human nature
• No specific definition because it is a reflection of the person’s own
understanding of humanity
• Something found within each person and can be realized in one’s
personal life and relationships
• Guides human actions and to go against the REN means abandoning
what is truly human for it is the REN that makes life worth living
• Can only be realized through the LI, XIAO and YI
 LI (PROPRIETY)
• In order to guide human actions, rules of propriety should be followed
• Rules involves adherence to the rituals of the community that form the
basis of LI which persisted and is strengthened by human practice
through generations such as:
• - customs,
• - ceremonies and
• - traditions
• “To master oneself and return to propriety is humanity” – Confucius
• Self-mastery – includes self-development
• - rejects selfish behavior and instead cultivates inner qualities of
humanity
• - characterized by self-control and the will to redirect impulses and
change these to socially accepted expressions of human nature
 LI (PROPRIETY)
• Conforms to norms of humanity
• Everyone has duties and responsibilities – five relationships
• - father and son
• - ruler and subject
• - older and younger brothers
• - husband and wife
• - friend and friend
• Acts and rituals whether religious or cultural highlight the
social and public character of human actions
 XIAO
(FILIALITY)
• The virtue of reverence and respect for family
• Parents should be revered for the life they had given
• Children show respect to their parents by exerting efforts to
take care of themselves – keeping fit and healthy through
proper diet and regular exercise
• Reverence for parents and family is demonstrated by bringing
honor to the family, making something of himself to earn the
respect of others
• If the person is having difficulty giving his family the honor
that they deserved, he should just do his best to not disgrace the
family
 XIAO
(FILIALITY)
• Relationships that exist in the family reflect
how the person relates to others in the
community
• The family is a reflection of the person
• How the person interacts socially and the values
he emulates can all be traced back to his family
environment – forms the bases of the person’s
moral and social virtue
 YI (RIGHTNESS)
• The right way of behaving
• Unconditional and absolute
• Right is right and what is not right is wrong – no gray areas
• Actions must be performed and carried out because they are
right actions
• Obedience to parents is expected of children because it is
morally right and obligatory to do so
• Actions should be performed because they are right and not for
selfish benefits that they provide – “Do not do to others what
you do not want them to do to you”
 LI, XIAO AND YI
• Virtues observed in a person whose
humanity is developed, morally cultivated
and aware
• The cultivation of the REN through LI,
XIAO and YI will lead to a person of
virtue
• Virtuous people result in a well-rounded,
civilized, humane society
• Next: Worksheet 1.5