PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

OF THE SELF
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF

Learning outcome:

Discuss the different representations and

conceptualizations of the self from the Oriental
and Western philosophical perspectives.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
OUTLINE
A. The Essentialist View
1. The Judaic & Christian Traditions
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
- Plato and Aristotle
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine
4. Self in the Modern Period
- Rene Descartes
- John Locke
- Karl Marx
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
OUTLINE
B. The Protean View
1 Oriental Philosophy
- Hinduism and atman
- Buddhism and anatman
- Taoism
2. The Self-Created Self
- Jean Paul Sartre
3. Postmodernism
- The Protean Self
- Neuro-science and the Self
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF

If we are indeed unique, the task of

proving it seems to be getting difficult.

The questions now lie before us:

Who and what are we?
Are we a little lower than angels,
Or are we a little higher than apes?
Among the choices in each slide, you are
to identify which picture is an Avocado?

You may have more than 1 answer.

One point deduction for every incorrect answer.

Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
Which one is the Avocado?
You may have more than 1 answer.

A B C
 PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Essentialist Model/Avocado View
•An avocado-
• pear-shaped tropical fruit
• yellowish flesh
• a single large seed at the center

The seed at the center contains all the

essential information about what
makes an avocado an avocado.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
1. The Judaic and Christian Traditions
• Humans are made in the image and
likeness of God
• Animals may have instincts and intelligence
but they are not made in God’s likeness
• We are self-conscious
• We have the capacity to love
• We have fleshy outward appearance but
inside we share the divine nature
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
• Reason is at the core our being
• Our reasoning ability sets us apart from
other terrestrial beings
• Reason controls emotions & appetites
• We may act like animals at times, but only
because we are not using reason to control
the other parts of our being
• Humans alone are capable of living
according to reason
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
The Soul’s Origin and Home
-Socrates
• “. . . the soul is in the very likeness of the
divine, and immortal, and intellectual, and
uniform, and indissoluble, and
unchangeable” (Phaedo)
-Plato
• The other world of Forms
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
The Soul’s Origin and Home
- Aristotle
• Denied the world of Forms
• Said the form exists within the object
• The soul exists only in the body
• When the body dies, the soul dies with it

.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition
Greek – Western Tradition
• A life dominated by reason is the ideal
• Reason is like a charioteer (Plato)
• It’s been this way since Plato in the Western world
• It may seem like a good idea, but when culture
identifies rationality with men and emotionality
with women problems arise
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• Nature (behind which, of course, stands God)
gives us a general sense of our duties. Social
institutions shape these to promote "socially
useful" habits such as justice. But these efforts do
not truly suffice to make us good.
• The most important part of a person is the inner
person, i.e., the mind.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• Ethically, the most important part of the mind is
not the intellect (or reason) but the will.
• The orientation of the will determines whether we
love lower goods (such as bodily goods, wealth,
and reputation) or higher goods (virtue and,
above all, God).
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• Although originally neither good nor bad, the
human will became corrupted so that it is in most
cases inclined to love lower rather than higher
goods.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• Although originally neither good nor bad, the
human will became corrupted so that it is in most
cases inclined to love lower rather than higher
goods.
• Good persons are those whose will and reason are
subordinated to faith in God and devotion to
God's will (i.e., that we should live righteously).
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• Faith is a gift of grace that we cannot command
but only receive when it comes.
• Yet the wicked actions of persons lacking faith
who violate basic principles of justice come from
within them and so they merit proportionate
punishment by human authorities.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
3. The Theocentric Tradition
- St. Augustine of Hippo
• God's grace may work on us when we are
studying Scripture, but much study of Scripture is
no guarantee of receiving it.
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
4. The Self in the Modern Period
• Our culture is still basically a male dominated
society.
• Mitchell indicated that in the 70’s women tried to
be more manlike in business – didn’t work too well
(some still try – because of expectations, . . .)
• Women (or anyone) who accept the value of
emotions run the risk of being viewed as second
class citizens
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
4. The Self in the Modern Period
• We are learning, however, that suppressing
emotions can be unhealthy
• Rationalism may be important, but emotions
are an important aspect of life as well
• Feminism – “the theory that women should
have political, economic, and social rights equal
to those of men and should define their own
roles”
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES OF THE SELF
The Avocado View
4. The Self in the Modern Period
• Mitchell suggests:
• “If we define our humanity in terms of our
rationality, the superior computational skills of
a computer program may threaten us.”
• She also asks – Are androids candidates for
human status, according to the Greek
rationalist tradition stressing that life
dominated by reason is the ideal?