PSYCH 100

MODULE 1
- he was the first thinker to focus on the
Philosophical Perspective of the Self full power of reason on the human
self (who we are, who we should be,
PHILOSOPHY and who will we become)
o came from the Greek words “philos” - he believed that the essence of the
and “sophia” that means love for self/soul is the immortal entity
wisdom - the soul strives for wisdom and
o the study of the fundamental nature of perfection and reason is the soul’s
tool to achieve this exalted state but
knowledge, reality, and existence
as long as the soul is tied to the body,
specially when it comes to academic
the quest for wisdom is inhibited by
discipline
the imperfection of the physical will
o employs the inquisitive mind to
- he believes that an unexamined life is
discover the ultimate causes, reasons,
not worth living (the individual can
and principles of everything
have a meaningful and happy life only
o it goes beyond scientific investigation
if he becomes virtuous and knows the
by exploring all areas of knowledge value of himself that can be achieved
through soul-searching)
DIFFERENT VIEWS OF PROMINENT
PHILOSOPHERS REGARDING THE suggests that the self has two dichotomous
NATURE OF THE SELF: realm: one realm is changeable, transient and
imperfect for us and the other realm is
PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHERS unchanging, eternal and immortal
- concerned with inquiring into the world,
the way the world works, and the PLATO
invincibility of the “arche” - believes that the self is synonymous
- concerned with answering questions such with the soul that the soul/self can be
as: explained as a process of self-
What is the world really made up of? knowledge and purification of the
Why is the world the way it is? soul
What explains the changes that happen - believes that there are 3 PARTS OF
around us? THE SOUL:
“arche”
1. the self/reason
- origin or source/the “soul”/the primal - the divine essence that enables us to
matter think deeply, make wise choices, and
 they believe that the soul’s achieve a true understanding of
movement is the ultimate arche of all eternal truth
other movements and it has no origin
outside itself and cannot be destroyed
- explains the multiplicity of things in 2. the physical appetite
the world - includes our biological needs
(hunger, thirst, etc.)
3. the spirit/passion
SOCRATES - includes emotions such as love,
- believes that the self is an immortal anger, ambition, aggressiveness, and
soul empathy
- he believed that every human
possessed an immortal soul that these parts of the soul have a dynamic
survived the physical body relationship with one another
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ex. when there is conflict, he believes that it is  suggests that the rational nature of the
the responsibility of our reason to sort things self is to lead a good flourishing and
out and exert control restoring a harmonious fulfilling life (the pursuit of happiness
relationship among the three elements of is search for good life that includes
ourselves doing virtuous actions)

 he believes that genuine happiness suggest that the rational nature of the self is to
can only be achieved by people who lead a good, flourishing, and fulfilling life
considerately make sure that their
reason is in control of their spirits and ST. AUGUSTINE
their appetites - integrated the ideas of Plato and
 this harmonious integration under the Christianity
control of reason is the very essence - believes that a man is of a bifurcated
of Plato’s concept of justice nature
-> part of man dwells in the world
the 3 elements of the souls are: and the other part is capable of
REASON (divine essence that enables people reaching immortality
to think deeply, make wise choices, and -> when the body dies on the earth,
achieve a true understanding of the eternal the soul lives in spiritual bliss with
truth) God
PHYSICAL APPETITE (includes the basic  described that humankind is created
biological needs) in the image and likeness of God,
SPIRIT/PASSION (includes the basic everything created by God, who is all
emotions) good, is good (the human person
being a creation of God is always
ARISTOTLE toward the good)
- believes that the soul is merely a set - convinced that the self can only be
of defining features and did not known through knowing God
consider the body and the soul as
separate entities believed that the body is united with the soul,
- suggested that anything with life has so the man may be entire and complete
soul and that is the essence of all
living things = the soul is the essence ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
of the self - believed that man is a combination of:
- believed that there are 3 KINDS OF “hyle”/matter (common stuff that
THE SOUL: makes up everything in the universe)
1. the vegetative + “morphe”/form (essence of a
- includes the physical body that substance or thing)
can grow - the soul makes humans different from
2. the sensitive animals
- includes sensual desires, - in the case of the human person, the
feelings, and emotions body of the human person is
3. the rational something that he shares even with
- it what makes man human the animals
- includes the intellect that makes - he believed that the cells in man’s
one know and understand things body are more or less akin to the cells
of any other living or organic being in
the world
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 what makes a human person a human - the idea of personal identity is a result
person and not a dog or a tiger is the of imagination because we are
soul which is his essence exposed with different types of
 the soul is what animates the body, it impression and ideas
is what makes us humans
the idea of personal identity is a result of
the soul makes humans different from animals imagination because there is no such thing as
self

IMMANUEL KANT
RENE DESCARTES - agrees that everything starts with
- Father of Modern Philosophy perception, where the mind is the one
- believed that a human person is who regulates these impressions
composed of body/”extenza” + the - believes that the self is the product of
mind/”cogito” reason, a regulative principle, because
- he proposed that there is so much that the self regulates experience by
we could doubt except the existence making unified experiences possible
of the self, believing only something - the self transcends experience because
which is so clear and lucid the mind can grasp aspect of reality
- he used the methodical doubts in which is not limited to the senses
understanding the self - through rationality, people are able to
“I think, therefore I am” understand certain abstract ideas that
- the cogito (the thing that thinks) and have no corresponding physical object
the extenza (the extension of the mind or sensory experience
and the body)
 the mind that makes the man believed that the self constructs its own
believing the body is attached to the reality, actively creating a world that is
mind familiar and predictable
“I am a thinking thing. A thing that
doubts, understands, affirms, denies, GILBERT RYLE
refuses, imagines, and perceives” - “I act therefore I am”
- believed that the self is the way
suggests that the acts of thinking about the people behave and considers the mind
self or being self-conscious is the proof that and body intrinsically links in
there is a self complex and infinite ways
- the self is the same as bodily
DAVID HUME behavior; the mind is the totality of
- there is no self human dispositions that is known to
- believed that the self is a collection of the way people behave
different perception, that our self is
nothing but a bundle of impressions believes that the self is best understood as a
and ideas, and if we only think about pattern of behavior, “I act therefore I am”
and carefully examine ourselves, we
will know that there is no such thing MERLEAU-PONTY
as self (we have no experience of a - bifurcation is an invalid problem
simple and individual impression that - the mind and the body are inseparable
we can call the self) where the latter is the opening
towards existence to the world and the
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living body, thoughts, emotions, and
experiences are all one

believed that all knowledge is based on

Sociological Perspective of the Self

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF
THE SELF
o purely based on the assumption that
human behavior is influenced by
group life, a particular view of oneself
is formed through interactions with
other people, groups, or social
institutions