The Western and Eastern

concepts of self
Western thoughts
• The western thoughts conducted scientific investigations in
the effort to understand the self and have developed
theories and concepts to account for the similarities and
differences among them.
• They emphasized the importance of scientific methods of
investigations to provide satisfactory answers to
understanding the self.
• In the western thought, the emphasis is individualistic
rather than relational.
Eastern thoughts
• Many movements of Eastern thoughts raise
questions about the ultimate meaning of human life
and have developed theories of self insofar as they
have investigated what it means to be a human
being.
• Eastern thoughts aim at transformation in
consciousness, feelings, emotions, and one’s
relation to other people and the world.
Eastern thoughts
• In the eastern thought, the emphasis is relational
rather than individual. The self is considered not in
isolation bit in relation to others, society, and the
universe.
• Eastern theories are highly practical.
• They offer a variety of techniques for cultivating a
deeper understanding of the self. They do not utilize
the scientific techniques of investigation.
 Model and approaches of understanding the
selfDimensions Western Thoughts Eastern Thoughts
Frame of Reference There is separation Religion and philosophy
between philosophy and are intertwined
religion/ spirituality
Examples of school of Scholastic Hinduism
thought/ belief system Rationalism Buddhism
Empiricism Confucianism
Phenomenology Taoism
Notable Philosophers Socrates Confucius
Aristotle Lao Tzu
Rene Descartes Siddharta Gautama
John Lock Buddha
Source of knowledge Has made use of Has trusted intuition
reason rather than and is often
faith to pursue associated with
wisdom religious beliefs.
Modes of cognition Analytic and Synthetic and
deductive inductive
Emphasis Distinction and Commonalities and
oppositions harmonies
View of the universe Linear Circular
and life
View of the self Egocentric sociocentric
Subject-object Duality of self as Simultaneously
Distinction (Bipolar subject (knower) and subject and object
qualities of self) self as object (the experience of
(known) self as both the
knower and known)
Theological View Monotheistic Polytheistic
(Plurastic)
Ideal Self-actualization To achieve a
through personal balanced life and find
growth one’s role in society
Buddhism
• Siddharta Gautama known as Buddha is the founder of
Buddhism
• The root word of Buddhism is Budh meaning awake
• To be awake may imply that when the eyes are open, it would
lead to understanding more about the self and the world.
• According to the teachings of Buddhism, every person has the
seed of enlightenment, hence, potential to be a buddha. But
the seed should be nurtured.
• In buddhist philosophy, man is just a title for the
summation of the five parts (matter, sensation, perception,
mental constructs, and consciousness) that compose the
individual, however each of the parts distinctly is not man.
• There is no self (or no soul)
• There is only nothing and all else is an illusion
• There is nothing permanent, but change.
• In Buddhism, annica (impermanence) means that
everything in life is always changing, that nothing last
forever.
•The ignorance of the impermanence of
everything may lead to an illusion of
selfhood
•The ideal is to experience Nirvana, a
state of transcendence devoid of self
reference.
•This state of transcendence can be
achieved through meditation
Hinduism

•Law of Karma is the most important

doctrine of Hinduism
•All actions are subject to karma
•Individual actions will lead to either a
good or bad outcomes in one’s life
•Hindus believe that Atman being an
immortal soul continues to be
reincarnated from lifetime until it is
freed from the cycle of rebirth and reach
a state of nirvana or nonbirth.
•Karma does not end with a body’s
death, so its influence may extend
through incarnation of the soul.
Confucianism
• The core of Confucian thought is the Golden Rule of the
principle of reciprocity:
“ Do not do to others what you would not want others to do
to you”
• self-cultivation could be accomplished by knowing one’s
role in the society and act accordingly.
• Moral character is perfected through continuously taking
every opportunity to improve oneself in thought and action