Understanding the self

• Philosophy from ancient to contemporary times sought to describe the essential qualities that compose a person's uniqueness
• Sociology sees the self as product of social interaction, developed over the time through social activities and experiences
• Anthropology vies the self as a culturally constructed entity, and the self is a social construct.
• British philosopher Allan Watts(known for his interpretation of eastern philosophy and mythology) talked about the great myths of the self(a means to interpret reality
• Watts, the pervading myth in the west is that the world is an Artefact (There is a distinction between the creator and creation. The self has an internal distinction from external environment.)
• In the east, the world is a DRAMA and all things are actors with specific parts to play. There is no distinction between the creator and the creation as all that exist is immersed in one and the same existence.
• The self in the East is seen through the eyes of a COMMUNITY, rather than a detached, single identity.
• Socrates

  • The soul is immortal
  • The state of your inner being(soul/self) determines the quality of your life
  • The care of the soul/self is the task of philosophy true self knowledge
  • "THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING"
  • The goal of life is to be happy. And being virtuous will make you a happy person
  • Visible-changing such as body
  • Invisible-unchanging such as soul
• Plato

  • "GOOD ACTION GIVE STRENGTH TO OURSELVES AND INSPIRE GOODS ACTIONS IN OTHER"
  • Has method called "collection and division"-the philosopher would collect all the generic ideas that seemed to have common characteristics and then divided them into different kinds until the subdivision of ideas became specific
• • Plato's THEORY OF FORMS- physical world is not really the really the "real" world because the ultimate reality exist beyond the physical world. For example, a "table" or a "chair" is a real and perfect in the WORLD OF FORMS/IDEAS and the chairs or tablet that you see at home is just an imperfect copy of the chair or table in the WORLD of FORMS or ideas
• 3 parts of soul according to Plato: appetitive(sensual)-the element that enjoys sensual experiences such as food, drink, sex. Rational(reason)- element that forbids the person to enjoy the sensual experiences. Spirited(feeling)- element that enjoys the sensual experiences but also enjoys the rational element.
• St. Augustine

  • "ALL KNOWLEDGE LEADS TO GOD"
  • He used plato's view that the self is an immaterial (but rational) soul
  • He used Plato's Theory of Forms and asserted that these forms were concepts existing within the perfect and eternal god where the soul is belonged
  • For him, THE SOUL HELD THE TRUTH AND WAS CAPABLE OF SCIENTIFIC
  • His concept of "self" was an inner immaterial "I" that had a self knowledge and self awareness
• Human beings through the senses of the body could sense the material and temporal objects as we interacted with the material world(St.Austine)
• Aspects of soul according to St.Austine are:

  • it recognizes itself as a holistic one
  • it is able to be aware of itself
  • it is aware of its unity
  • If you only concern yourself with the body you are like an animal. But if you focus on the mind(rational soul) you will have lasting happiness
• RENE DESCARTES- said "CAOGITP ERGO SUM"( I think therefor i am). He is often regarded as the first thinker to emphasize the use of reason to describe, predict and understand natural phenomena based on observational and empirical evidence
• Descartes used the hyperbolical/metaphysical doubt or methodological skepticism-a systematic process of being skeptical about the truth of one's belief in order to determine whether or not it is true.
• Descartes asserted that everything perceived by the senses could not be used as a proof of existence because human senses could be fooled. There was only one thing we could be sure of in this world, and that was everything could be doubted. And doubting is thinking hence when you think or doubt you exist.
• The Soul - it is conscious , thinking substance that is unaffected by time. It is only to itself(only you know your own mental event and others cannot correct your own mental states. It is made of parts , it vies entirely itself with no hidden or separate compartments, it is both conscious and aware of itself at the same time
• The body - it is material substance that changes through time. It can be doubted; the public can correct the claims about the body. It is made up of physical, quantifiable, divisible facts
• John Locke believed that the self is identified with consciuosness and this self consist of sameness of consuiousness. This usually interpreted to mean that the self consist of memory; that the person existing now is the same person yesterday because he/she remembers the thoughts, experiences or actions of the earlier self.
• According to Locke since you are the same "self" in the passing of time(because you can recall your memories), you can be held accountable for your past behavior. However, Locke insisted that a person could be held accountable for behaviors he/she can remember
• For John Locke, the human mind is a tabula rasa(blank sheet) which means that knowledge is derived from experience
• Locke believed that the self is identified with consciousness and this self consist of sameness of consciousness. This is usually interpreted to mean that the self consists of memory; that the person existing now is the same person yesterday because he/she remembers the thoughts, experiences or actions of the earlier self.
• According to Locke since you are the same "self" in the passing of time (because you can recall your memories), you can be held accountable for past behavior. However, Locke insisted that a person could only be held accountable for behaviors he/she can remember.
• David Hume opposed Descartes' rationalism. Rationalism is the theory that reason, rather than experience, is the foundation of all knowledge
• Hume was an Empiricist. Empiricism is the idea that the origin of all knowledge is sense experience. It emphasized the role of experience and evidence (especially sensory perception) in forming concepts, while discounting the notion of innate ideas.
• The bundle theory of Hume assumed that the "self" a person (which Hume assumed to be the 'mind') as a bundle or a collection of different perceptions that are moving in a very fast and successive manner.
• 2 groups of the mind's perceptions for Hume:

  Impressions- These are perceptions which are the most strong. It enters the senses with most force. These are directly experienced; they result fram inward and outward sentiments.

  Ideas - The less forcible and less lively counterpart of impressions. These are mechanisms that copy and reproduce sense data formulated based upon the previously perceived impressions.
• Hume did not believe on the existence of the "self". He stressed that your perceptions are only active for as long as you are conscious.So that when you are asleep, you cease to exist.
• For Immanuel Kant -REASON is the final authority of morality. Morality is achieved only when there is absence of war because of the result of enlightenment.
• Kant's view of the "self" is transcendental which means the "self" is related to a spiritual or nonphysical realm. The self is outside the body and it does not have the qualities of the body.
• Kant stressed that the body and its qualities are rooted to (based on) the "self". It is knowledge that bridges the "self" and the material things together.
• Two kinds of consciousness of self (rationality) for Kant:1.Consciousness of oneself psychological states in inner sense and one's2.Consciousness of oneself and one's states by performing acts of apperception.
• Apperception is the mental process by which a person makes sense of an idea by assimilating it to the body of ideas he or she already possesses.
• How do you perceive the outside world for Kant? You perceive the outside world because there is already an idea residing within you.
• Two components of the "self" according to Kant:Inner self - The "self" by which you are aware of alterations in your own state. This includes your rational intellect and your psychological state such as moods, feelings, and sensations, pleasure, and pain.Outer self -includes your senses and the physical world. It is the common boundary between the external world and the inner self. It gathers information from the external world through the senses, which the inner self interprets and coherently expresses.
• Kant proposed that the "self" organizes information in three ways:1.Raw perceptual input2.Recognizing the concept3.Reproducing in the imagination
• Many philosophers (such as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Descartes) think that the "self" is the topic and doer of the actions (physical and mental).
• Sigmund Freud did not accept the existence of any single entity that could be put forward as the notion of the self.
• Freud is the father of PSYCHOANALYSIS, a practice of treating mental illnesses through dialogue. Psyche means the totality of the human mind, both the unconscious and conscious.