UTS 1

• Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines because all fields of study began as philosophical discourses
• Etymological definition of philosophy: Love of Wisdom, desire for truth by formulating never-ending questions to provide answers about the nature of human existence
• Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are key figures in philosophy
• According to Socrates, a person can only have a meaningful and happy life if they become virtuous and understand the value of themselves
• Socratic Method involves introspection, carefully examining one's thoughts and emotions to gain self-knowledge
• Plato suggested that the self can be viewed in two distinct dimensions: Physical Dimension and Ideal Dimension
• Plato's student introduced the idea of the three parts of the soul/self: Reason, Physical Appetite, and Spirit/Passion
• In Plato's Myth of the Cave, people see the world not as it really is, but as who they really are
• Aristotle believed that the pursuit of happiness is the search for a good life that includes virtuous actions
• Aristotle viewed the self as having an immortal soul, with the physical body being inferior to the soul
• Descartes, the father of Modern Philosophy, introduced the concept of dualism with the thinking self (soul) and the physical body
• Descartes' famous quote: "I think, therefore I am" (Cogito ergo sum)
• John Locke's philosophy emphasized that the self is constructed primarily from sense experience and conscious awareness
• Locke's principle of individuation states that the human mind at birth is a "Tabula Rasa" (Blank Slate)
• David Hume was known for his lack of self theory and held to empiricism, where all knowledge is derived from human senses
• Hume distinguished between impressions (sensory experiences) and ideas (thinking and reasoning based on impressions)
• Jean-Paul Sartre, an atheist philosopher and existentialist, believed that man is condemned to freedom
• Simone de Beauvoir, a feminine philosopher, protested the negation of self and emphasized that the act of selfishness is a moral act
• Formal education is essential for building good character and moral attitude according to philosophical perspectives
• An evil society is seen as the cause of man's evil deeds in some philosophical views
• Love of self should be valued above all human values according to certain philosophical perspectives