UNDERSTANDING

THE SELF

NESLYN NICOLE B. ESGUERRA, RPM, MA

OUTLINE
1. Activity
2. What is Philosophy?
3. Philosophical perspective on self
4. Application/Assessment
1. Activity 1: Words that Describe Me
Adaptive Self-Aware Tolerant
Dependable Intelligent Fearless
Compassionate Hard Worker Capable with Hands
Respectful Calm Humble
Energetic Eccentric Clever
Creative Confidant Thoughtful
Complex Realistic Cautious
Balanced Cooperative Shy
Quiet Attentive Picky
2. What is Philosophy?
Philosophy = Greek words “Philos” and “Sophia” means “Love for
Wisdom”.
◦ = It is the study of acquiring knowledge through
rational thinking and inquiries that involves in
answering questions regarding the nature and existence
of man and the world we live in.

◦ Pythagoras – the first person to use the term

philosophy.
3. Philosophical Perspective on Self
Philosophers:
1. Socrates
2. Plato 8. Gilbert Ryle
3. St. Augustine 9. Paul Churchland
4. Rene Descartes 10. Maurice Merleau-Ponty
5. John Locke
6. David Hume Other Philosophers:
7. Immanuel Kant 1. Aristotle
2. Thomas Aquinas
The Self according to
Ancient Philosophers
- SOCRATES
- PLATO
- ARISTOTLE
1. Socrates
 “ Know thyself”
 “An unexamined life is not worth living”
 Socrates was concerned with the problem of the self.
 Dualistic - every man composed of body and soul.
 Body
 Imperfect
 Impermanent

 Soul
 Perfect
 Permanent
Socrates’ two (2) dichotomous realms
1. Physical realm 2. Ideal realms
- changeable, transient and imperfect - unchanging, eternal and immortal
- the body belongs to this realm - the soul belongs to this realm
Plato
- a student of Socrates
- the “ soul is immortal”
- philosophy of the self can be explained as a process of
self-knowledge and purification of the soul.
- he believed in the existence of the mind and soul.
- mind and soul is given in perfection with God.
Plato: 3 Parts of Soul
1. Appetitive soul
- basic needs
- Plato’s idea of the appetitive soul is the part of the person that is driven by desire and need to
satisfy oneself
- includes our basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst and sexual desire.
Plato: 3 parts of Soul
2. Spirited soul
- emotion and passion
- this part of the soul can be attributed to the courageous part of a person, one who wants to
do something or to right the wrongs that they observe. Spirited soul are very competitive and is
very active, his competitiveness drives one to expect positive results and winning.
Plato: 3 parts of Soul
3. Rational soul
- reason and intellect
- “thinking soul”
- this is the part that thinks and plan for the future “the conscious mind” it decides what to do,
when to do it and the possible results one could have depending on their actions.
Aristotle
- the soul is the essence of the self
- a student of Plato
- the body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing.
- the soul is simply the form of the body, and is not capable of existing without the body.
- the soul is that which makes a person a person. The soul is the essence of the self.
- Aristotle suggests that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing and fulfilling
life.
- without the body the soul cannot exist
- the soul dies along with the body
Aristotle
- soul and body react sympathetically upon each other. A change in the state of the soul
produces a change in the shape sense of the body and conversely it change in the shape of the
body produce a change in the state of the soul
- Aristotle suggest that anything with life has soul.
- his discussion about the self centers on the kinds of the soul possessed by a man.
- he introduced the 3 kinds of soul.
Aristotle: 3 kinds of Soul
1. Vegetative soul - includes the physical body that can grow.
2. Sentience – includes the sensual desires, feelings and emotions
3. Rational – is what makes man human. It includes the intellect that makes man know and
understand things.
The Self According to
Medieval Philosophers
- ST. AUGUSTINE
- ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
St. Augustine
- “I am doubting, therefore I am”
- A Saint and a Philosopher of the church. He integrated the idea of Plato
and Christianity.
- St. Augustine follows the idea that God encompasses us all, that
everything will be better if we are with God.
- he believed that humankind is created in the image and likeness of God.
- “Knowledge can only come seeing the truth that dwells within us”
St. Aquinas
- A person can know the truth with certainty by the use of his reason.
- Some truths can be perceived only with the aid of divine intervention.
- “Self” is imperfect
The Self according to Modern and
Contemporary Philosophers
- DESCARTES - HUME - KANT – RYLE
- LOCKE - CHURCHLAND - MERLEAU-PONTY
Rene Descartes
- Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher known to be the father of modern
philosophy.
- Descartes is known for the statement “Cogito Ergo Sum” which means in
English as “I think therefore I am”.
- According to him a person is comprised of mind and body, the body that
perceives from the different senses and the mind that thinks and question
or doubt what the body has experienced.
Rene Descartes: two (2) distinct entities
1. Cogito – the things that think “mind”
2. Extenza – the extension “body”
John Locke
- John Locke is an English Philosopher and Physician
- He is considered to be the father of Classical liberalism some of his works on this subject
matter paved the way to several revolutions to fight the absolute powers of monarchs and
rulers of his time that led to the development of governance, politics and economic system.
- the human mind at birth is “Tabula Rasa” which means a blank slate.
David Hume
- the Scottish Philosopher, focused his work in the field of
Empiricism, Skepticism, and naturalism
- According to him, “Self” is only the accumulation of different
impressions.
- Self is a combination of experiences of a person.
Immanuel Kant
- a German Philosopher that is known for his works on
Empiricism and Rationalism.
- Reason, not mere experience, is the foundation of knowledge.
- “Self” has an inner and outer, which form consciousness.
- Inner self: rational intellect
- Outer self: senses
Gilbert Ryle
- The Self is the way people behave.
- Gilbert Ryle with his Behavioristic approach to self, said that self is the
behavior presented by the person, his notion of dualism is that the
behavior that we show, emotions and actions are the reflection of our
mind and as such is the manifestation of who we are.
 Paul Churchland
- Materialism:
- Paul Churchland a Canadian philosopher whose focus is on the idea that
people should improve our association and use of words in identifying the self.
He has this idea that the “self” is defined by the movements of our brain.
- The Self is the Brain.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
- Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty is a French philosopher that is
known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology.
- The Self is embodied subjectivity
- His idea of the self, regarded that the body and mind are not separate
entities, but rather those two components is one and the same.