Concept and

Nature of Self
MODULE 1- Who Am I?
Objectives:
At the end of this
module, you will be able
to:

1. Identify the role of

philosophy in
understanding the
self.
2. Determine the
different concepts of
the self from the
philosophical view.
3. Define the relevance
of the philosophy of
the self to how the
youth define their
What is Philosophy?
• is often called the mother of all
discipline simply because all
fields of study began as
philosophical discourses.
• Philo comes from the Greek word
meaning “love of” and the Latin
word Sophia meaning “wisdom”
Philosophy then means “love of
wisom” and the search for truth.
The Philosophical View of
Self
1) Socrates: Know
Yourself
• Socrates Socrates
was a Greek
philosopher.
• Self is synonymous
with the soul.
• Socrates believed
that the real self
is not the
physical body, but
rather the psyche
(or soul).
The core of Socratic
ethics is the concept of
virtue and knowledge:
• Virtue is the
deepest and most
basic propensity
of man and Self-
knowledge is the
source of all
wisdom, an
individual may
gain possession
of oneself and
be one’s own
master through
knowledge.
Some Socratic ideas
were:
• “the worst thing
that can happen to
anyone is to live
but die inside.”
• “every person is
dualistic”
• “the true task of
the philosopher is
to know oneself.”
• Body + soul =Man
• imperfect/permanen
t (body) + perfect
& permanent
(soul)=Individual
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
2) Plato: The Ideal Self, the
Perfect Self
• Plato is another Greek
Philosopher who
elaborates Socrates’
concept of the soul.
• He is best known for his
Theory of Forms that
asserted the physical
world is not really the
“real” world because the
ultimate reality exists
beyond the physical
world.
Three-part soul/self- 1)
reason, 2) physical
appetite, and 3) spirit or
passion.
• REASON- is the divine
essence that enables
us to think deeply,
make wise decisions
and achieve the true
understanding of
eternal truths.
• PHYSICAL APPETITE-
includes our
biological needs such
as hunger, thirst, and
sexual desires.
• SPIRIT or PASSION-
composes the basic
emotions like love,
anger, ambition,
aggressiveness, and
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
3) Reñe Descartes: “I think,
therefore I am”
• René Descartes was a
French philosopher,
mathematician, and a
scientist and
considered as the
father of modern
philosophy.
• The Latin phrase
Cogito Ergo Sum –“I
think therefore I am”
is the keystone of
Descartes’ concept of
self.
Descartes’ claims about
the “self” are:
• It is constant;
it is not prone
to change; and
it is not
affected by
time.
• Only the
immaterial soul
remains the same
throughout the
time.
• The immaterial
Some distinctions between
the soul and body as
pointed out by Descartes
are:
THE SOUL THE BODY

• It is a conscious, • It is a material
thinking substance that substance that changes
is unaffected by time. through time.
• It is known only to • It can be doubted; the
itself (only you know public can correct claims
your own mental event and about the body.
others correct your
mental states).
• It is not made up of • It is made up of
parts. It views the physical, quantifiable,
entirely of itself with divisible parts.
no hidden or separate
compartments. It is both
conscious and aware of
itself at the same time.
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
4) John Locke: Personal Identity
• John Locke is an English
philosopher and
physician. For Locke, the
human mind at birth is
Tabula rasa or a blank
slate.
• He expanded the
definition of the “self”
that includes the
memories of that thinking
thing.
• He also interpreted that
to mean the “self”- it
must consist of memory;
meaning the person
existing today is the
same person yesterday
(Natsoulas, 1994; Fuchs,
2017).
Some of John Locke’s
ideas about the “self”:
• Believed that at
birth human mind
is a blank
slate; a tabula
rasa (empty of
ideas).
• All ideas are
based on
sensation–
arriving at
explanation by
observing
The Christian or Biblical View
of Self
1) The Holy Bible

• “God created man in His image; in the divine

image He created him; male and female He created
them. God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile and
multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have
dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds in
the air, and all the living things that move on
the earth.”

Genesis 1:24-28
 The Christian or Biblical View of
Self cont…

Religiou
Emotiona
s
l Aestheti
c

Physical
Moral Figure 1.
The self
Rational The Crown as a
Sentimen
Creation of Self t crown of
creation
Spiritua
Sensual
l and
Sexual
Politic
al
Intellect Economic
Social
ual
The Christian or Biblical View of Self
cont…
2) St. Augustine: Love and
Justice as the Foundation of the
Individual Self
• The African
philosopher,
Augustine, is regarded
as a saint (St.
Augustine of Hippo) in
the Catholic Church.
• He adopted Plato’s
view that the “self”
is an immaterial (but
rational) soul.
• He believed that the
human being was both a
soul and body, and the
body possessed sense,
such as imagination,
memory, reason, and
mind through which the
soul experienced
the world.
The aspects of the
self/soul according to
St. Augustine’s are:
• It is able to be
aware of itself.
• It recognizes
the self as a
holistic one.
• It is aware of
its unity.
St. Augustine believes
...
• St. Augustine believes
that a virtuous life
is dynamism of love.
It’s the constant
turning point towards
life.
• Loving God means
loving one’s
fellowmen; and loving
one’s fellowmen
denoted never doing
any harm to another or
as the golden rule of
justice denoted, doing
unto others as you
would have them
do unto you.
Notable Different Philosophical
Perspectives on Self
PHILOSOPHER ORIENTATION PHILOSOPHY DESCRIPTION

Classical
Antiquity
Socrates Idealism Socratic -Knowledge is the
Philosophy personification of good
while ignorance is that of
evil.
-Self-knowledge is the
ultimate virtue. As the
virtue, it will lead to
ultimate happiness.
Plato Idealism Dualism and -Moral virtue is rooted in
Idealism the intellect and leads to
happiness.
-Wisdom and knowledge leads
to virtue which will lead to
happiness.
Middle Ages
St. Platonism Neoplatonism -All knowledge leads to God
Augustine -Only the pure in heart can
see God.
-Love of God, Faith in Him
 Renaissan
ce
Rene Rationali Mind- -“I think, therefore I
Descartes st Body am”
Dualism -The mind and soul can
exist without the body.
-There is a distinction
between man and the
person.
-The soul may change,
but consciousness
remains intact.
John Locke Empirici Theory -It is consciousness
st of alone that identity
Personal exists, not in the body
Identity and soul.
-There is a distinction
KEY POINTS
• Socrates • Descartes
suggests that suggests that
the self is the act of
synonymous with thinking about
the soul.
the self or
• For Plato, the being self-
three elements conscious is
of the soul/self
are reason, proof that there
physical is a self.
appetite and • Locke believes
spirit or that conscious
passion.
awareness and
• Augustine memory of
suggests that previous
the body is
End of Module 1
 Concept and
Nature of Self
MODULE 1- Who Am I?
Objectives:
At the end of this
module, you will be able
to:

1. Identify the role of

philosophy in
understanding the
self.
2. Determine the
different concepts of
the self from the
philosophical view.
3. Define the relevance
of the philosophy of
the self to how the
youth define their
What is Philosophy?
• is often called the mother of all
discipline simply because all
fields of study began as
philosophical discourses.
• Philo comes from the Greek word
meaning “love of” and the Latin
word Sophia meaning “wisdom”
Philosophy then means “love of
wisom” and the search for truth.
The Philosophical View of Self
1) David Hume: Bundle Theory of
Mind
• 18th century,
Scottish
Philosopher,
Empiricists.
• There is no self
• What people
experience is
just a bundle or
collection of
different
perceptions,
impressions,
1) David Hume: Bundle
Theory of Mind
• There is no past
nor future, only
the present
stimulation
provided by the
environment.
• The idea of
personal
identity is a
result of
imagination.
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
2) Immanuel Kant: We Construct
the Self
• German
Philosopher,
theorized that
consciousness is
formed by one’s
inner and outer
sense.
• Inner sense is
comprised of
one’s
psychological
state and
intellect.
• The outer sense
consist of one’s
senses and the
3) Sigmund Freud:
Psychoanalysis
• Rationalists
• Self is multi-
layered.
Provinces of the
mind:
• Id
• Ego
• Superego
Sigmund Freud:
• Id- exists since
birth,
pertaining to
instinct.
• Ego- operates
according to the
reality
principle.
• Superego- it
operates
according to the
morality
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
4) Gilbert Ryle: “I act, therefore
I am”
• Empiricists
• The way we do
things, defines
the self.
The Philosophical View of Self
cont……
5) Paul Churchland: “The Self is
the Brain”
• Empiricists
• The self is the
brain.
• All we have is
the brain and so
if the brain is
gone, there is
no self.
6) Maurice Merleau-Ponty: “The
self is embodied Subjectivity”

• The self is
embodied
subjectivity.
• All knowledge of
ourselves and
our world is
based on
subjective
experience.
• The self can
never be truly
objectified or
In Summary
• Is the knowledge • What is more
of oneself important, who
coming from you are now, or
within or coming who you want to
from the be?
outside? • Which philosophy
• Are you the are you most
person you think comfortable
you are or are with?
you the person • Which philosophy
other people are you most
think you are? disturbed by?
End of Module
1.2