UTS

• Philosophy was born in Athens, Greece approximately 600 BCE
• Etymology:

  • Philo means love
  • Sophia or Sophos means wisdom
  • Philosophy means love of wisdom
• Self:

  • "a unified being, essentially connected to consciousness, awareness, and agency"
• Formal definition of Philosophy:

  • "certa scientia per ultima causas"
  • Means certain knowledge through ultimate cause acquired by the use of human reason alone
• Technical definition of Philosophy:

  • Philosophy is the science of science
  • Unifies all sciences and criticizes and defends the conclusions of other sciences
  • Positive state is scientific
  • Theological state uses god's/goddesses
• Popular definition of Philosophy:

  • Can be regarded as a private wisdom giving the person the ability to look things on a positive note
  • Gives man the opportunity to be optimistic especially in times of misfortune
• Classical Antiquity:

  A. Socrates:

  • Orientation: Idealism
  • Philosophy: Socratic Philosophy
  • "Know yourself"
  • Self-knowledge is the ultimate virtue and leads to ultimate happiness
  • "An unexamined life is not worth living"

  B. Plato:

  • Orientation: Idealism
  • Philosophy: Dualism & Idealism
  • Shadows and Forms
  • 3 Components of the soul: Reasons, Spirited, Appetites

  C. Aristotle:

  • Orientation: Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Aristotelian Philosophy
  • Happiness depends upon us
  • Ideal is found inside the phenomena and the universals inside the particulars
• Middle Ages:

  A. St. Augustine:

  • Orientation: Platonism
  • Philosophy: Neo-Platonism
  • All knowledge leads to God
  • Love of God should come first
  • Realms of Human Nature: God as the source of reality and truth, Sinfulness of man
• Renaissance:

  A. Rene Descartes:

  • Orientation: Rationalist
  • Philosophy: Mind-Body Dualism
  • "Cogito ergo sum" - I think therefore, I am
  • Powers of the human mind: Intuition, Deduction
  • 2 parts of the self: Body, Mind

  B. John Locke:

  • Orientation: Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Theory of Personal Identity
  • Identity exists in consciousness alone, not in the body and soul
  • Mind is a tabula rasa (blank state)
  • 3 Laws: Opinion, Civil, Divine

  C. David Hume:

  • Orientation: Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Skeptical Philosophy
  • Self is a product of imagination
  • 2 types of perception: Impressions, Ideas
• D. Immanuel Kant:

  • Orientation: Rationalist/Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Metaphysics of the Self
  • Reason is the final authority of morality
  • 2 types of the self: Inner self - rational reasoning & psychological state, Outer self - body and physical mind
• • The self helps the person tune into the realities of the brain and the extant reality

  D. Maurice Merleau-Ponty:

  • Orientation: Existentialist/Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Phenomenology of Perception
  • "We are our bodies"
  • Man cannot separate himself from his perceptions of the world
• Modern Times:

  A. Sigmund Freud:

  • Orientation: Psychoanalyst
  • Philosophy: Product of the Past
  • Structure of Mind: Id - pleasure, Ego - reality, Superego - morality
  • 2 Minds of Instincts: Eros - life instincts, Thanatos - death instinct

  B. Gilbert Ryle:

  • Orientation: Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Concept of the mind
  • "I act, therefore, I am"
  • Types of knowledge: Knowing - That, Knowing - How

  C. Patricia Churchland:

  • Orientation: Empiricist
  • Philosophy: Neurophilosophy
  • The physical brain gives us a sense of self
  • Man's brain is responsible for the identity known as the self
• Eastern thoughts aim at transformations in consciousness, feelings, emotions, and one's relation to other people and the world
• Western thought emphasizes individualism rather than relational aspects
• Most philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Karl Marx, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, John Locke fall under Western thoughts
• In Eastern cultures, the concept of self includes:

  • Collective self: the individual is seen as part of the group
  • Individualistic self: viewing the ego as a separate, independent being
• Geographically, Eastern cultures are represented by Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, while Western cultures are represented by Europe, North America, and Oceania
• In Western cultures, individuals talk more about their personal attributes and achievements, while in Eastern cultures, they talk about their social roles and keep a low profile
• Eastern cultures value collectivism, where social relations are more important than individual needs, while Western cultures are individualistic and focused on the person
• In Confucianism:

  • Emphasis on righteousness, generosity, and filial piety
  • Self-cultivation and self-realization are seen as the ultimate purpose of life
  • Important relationships include father-son, ruler-subject, older-younger brother, husband-wife, and friend-friend
• Taoism values simplicity, humility, and peaceful coexistence to understand a deeper sense of self in harmony with nature
• Buddhism teaches that the self is not permanent and is a source of suffering, with the ultimate goal of enlightenment or Nirvana
• Buddhism focuses on realizing impermanence, interconnectedness, and reducing suffering through understanding the dynamic nature of the self
• Buddha's teaching of self involves understanding the Five Skandhas or Five Heaps: form, sensation, perception, mental formation, and consciousness
• The Four Noble Truths in Buddhism:

  • Suffering (dukkha)
  • Origin of suffering (samudāya) from desire (tanha)
  • Cessation of suffering (nirodha) and achieving enlightenment
  • Path to the cessation of suffering (magga) through the Middle Way
• Hinduism believes in Brahman as an absolute reality and Atman (soul/spirit) as identical to Brahman, with the goal of knowing the true reality
• The Law of Karma is essential in Hinduism, where individual actions lead to good or bad outcomes in life