GENERAL EDUCATION 1- UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

MODULE 2- WHAT PHILOSOPHY SAYS ABOUT THE SELF

Intended learning outcomes

At the end of this section, you are expected to:

1. Discuss the different philosophical standpoints about the self
2. Explain how philosophical models have transformed from classical to contemporary times

This section highlight how classical and modern philosophical models defined the self, the
evolution of these philosophical frameworks from ancient to contemporary times and the
relevance of the philosophy of the self to how the youth define their own sense of self.

Philosophy of the Self

Philosophy is often called the mother of all disciplines simply because all fields of study began with philosophical
discourses. Ancient philosophers attempted to explain natural and social phenomena, coming up with their own
definition of how the world works and what factors contribute to such phenomena. Thus, it was inevitable to come up
with various conception of what it means to be human and in so doing, the different definition of the self.
The self has been defined as “a unified being. essentially connected to consciousness, awareness and agency.”

Classical Antiquity
The ancient philosophy of the self can be traced back from Greek aphorisms---Know thyself Socrates’s guiding
principle that he imparted to his students. Socrates was more concerned with another subject, the problem of the self.

Socrates (/ˈsɒkrətiːz/;[2] Ancient Greek: Σωκρᾰ́της Sōkrátēs [sɔːkrátɛːs]; c. 470 – 399 BC) was a
Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as one of the founders of Western
philosophy, and as being the first moral philosopher of the Western ethical tradition of
thought.

He was the first philosopher who ever engaged in a systematic questioning about the self. To
Socrates, and this has become his life-long mission, the true task of the philosopher is to
know oneself. Plato claimed in his dialogues that Socrates affirmed that the unexamined life
is not worth living. For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul.
This means that every human person is dualistic, that is, he composed of two important
aspects of his personhood.
For Socrates, this means all individuals have an imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and the body, while maintaining
that there is also a soul that is perfect and permanent.

Plato (/ˈpleɪtoʊ/ PLAY-toe;[2] Greek: Πλάτων Plátōn, pronounced [plá.tɔːn] in

Classical Attic; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was an Athenian philosopher
during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, founder of the Platonist school of
thought, and the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western
world.

He is widely considered the pivotal figure in the history of Ancient Greek and
Western philosophy, along with his teacher, Socrates, and his most famous student,
Aristotle

Plato, Socrates’s student, basically took off from his master and supported the idea that man is a dual nature of body
and soul. In addition to what Socrates earlier espoused, Plato added that there are three components of the soul:
the rational soul,
the spirited soul,
and the appetitive soul.
In his magnum opus, “The Republic” (Plato 2000), Plato emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be
attained if the three parts of the soul are working harmoniously with one another.
The rational soul forged by reason and intellect has to govern the affairs of the human person,
the spirited soul in charge of emotions should be kept at bay,
and the appetitive soul in charge of base desires like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex are controlled as well.
When this ideal state is attained, then the human person’s soul becomes just and virtuous.

Aristotle (/ˈærɪstɒtəl/;[3] Greek: Ἀριστοτέλης Aristotélēs, pronounced [aristotélɛːs]; 384–322 BC)

was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by
Plato, he was the founder of the Lyceum, the Peripatetic school of philosophy, and the
Aristotelian tradition. His writings cover many subjects including physics, biology, zoology,
metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics,
economics, politics, and government

Plato’s idea of truth about the human self was even more expounded and formalized by his prized student, Aristotle.
Aristotle suggested that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena. Aristotle called the ideal as essence and the
phenomena as matter. He also emphasized that the two co-exist and are co-dependent; the essence provide meaning
and purpose to the matter and matter provide substance and solidity to essence.

The philosophy of the self has been defined through two distinct lens: empiricism and rationalism. For empiricism,
there is no such thing as innate knowledge; instead, knowledge is derived from experience either perceived with the five
senses or processed in the brain. On the other hand, rationalism argues that there is innate knowledge, from the
standpoint of what is “ideal” and “true”

Towards the Modern Philosophy

The varying philosophical standpoints can thus be summarized as follows:
Philosopher Orientation Philosophy Description
Classical Antiquity
Socrates Idealism Socratic Philosophy ●Knowledge is the personification of good while
ignorance is that of evil.
●Self- knowledge is the ultimate virtue. As the
ultimate virtue, it will lead to ultimate
happiness.
Plato Idealism Dualism and Idealism ●Moral virtue is rooted in the intellect and leads
to happiness.
●Wisdom and knowledge lead to virtue which
will lead to happiness.
Aristotle Empiricist Aristotelian Philosophy ●Idea is found inside the phenomena and the
universals inside the particulars.
●Ideals are ESSENCE and Phenomena is
MATTER.
●Matter has no form. Essence has no mass.
●Matter and essence need each other.
Philosopher Orientation Philosophy Description
Middle Ages
St. Augustine Platonism Neoplatonism ●All knowledge leads to God.
●Only the pure in heart can see God.
●Love of God, faith in Him, understanding of His
Gospel will ultimately lead to happiness.
St. Thomas Aristotelian ●Matter, or hyle in Greek, refers to the
Aquinas “common stuff that makes up everything in the
universe.”
Man’s body is part of this matter.
●Form on the other hand, or morphe in Greek
refers to the “essence of a substance or thing.”
It is what makes it what it is.
●To Aquinas, just as Aristotle,
the soul is what animates the body;
it is what makes us humans.
 Philosopher Orientation Philosophy Description
Renaissance
Rene Rationalist Mind-Body Dualism ●” I think, therefore, I am”
Descartes ●The mind and soul can exist without the body.
●Establishing the distinction of soul from the
body can make people believe in the afterlife
and the soul’s immortality.
John Locke Empiricist Theory of Personal ●It is in consciousness alone that identity exists,
Identity not in the body and soul
●There is a distinction between man and person
●The soul may change but consciousness remain
intact
David Hume Empiricist Skeptical Philosophy ●All knowledge passes through the senses.
●separate ideas can be joined in the mind.
●there is no self, only a bundle of perceptions.
Immanuel Rationalist/Empiricist Metaphysics of the Self ●Reason is the final authority of morality.
Kant ●There is inner self and outer self.
●The inner self includes rational reasoning and
psychological state
●The outer self includes the body and physical
mind, where representation occurs.
Philosopher Orientation Philosophy Description
Modern Times
Gilbert Ryle Empiricist The Concept of Mind ●” I act, therefore, I am”
●The mind is not the seat of self. It is not a
separate, parallel thing to our physical body.
●the mind is a category mistake, brought about
by habitual use. The only way it can affect the
other is through the external world.
Patricia Empiricist Neurophilosophy ●A fully matured neuroscience will eliminate the
Churchland need for belief since “they are not real.”
●the physical brain gives us a sense of self.
Maurice Existentialist Phenomenology of ●Both empiricism and intellectualism are flawed
Merleau- Empiricist Perception in nature
Ponty ●” We are our bodies”
●our bodily experiences do not detach the
subject/object, mind/body, rational/irrational.
The table shows how philosophers view the self from different standpoints. It must be remembered that in studying the
theories about the self, one should take into account the philosophers’ orientation and historical background.

Nota Bene:
EMPIRICISM  Empiricists share the view that there is no such thing as innate knowledge, and that instead
knowledge is derived from experience (either sensed via the five senses or reasoned via the brain or mind). 

RATIONALISM:  Rationalists share the view that there is innate knowledge; they differ in that they choose
different objects of innate knowledge.  Plato is a rationalist because he thinks that we have innate knowledge of the
Forms
Name: Lea V. Narvato Section: BEED 1B

EXERCISE 1
Instruction: if you think the statement is correct, write agree, otherwise, write disagree.

Agree1. Different philosophers hold the same views about self.

Agree2. Philosophers used empirical and rational lens in explaining the self.
Agree3. Philosophy of the self as explained by modern philosophers is more relevant than that of ancient philosophers.
Agree4. Philosophical views of the self are a useful guide to having a better life.
Disagree5. Philosophy of the self should only be studied by older individuals and not by younger generations.

EXERCISE 2
Instruction: Read the different statements below and answer the succeeding question. In answering,
take note of the three discerning points between empiricism and rationalism.

Rationalism
The primary and most superior source of knowledge
about reality is reason
Sense experience is unreliable and in adequate to route
knowledge
The fundamental truths about the world can be known a
priori: either innate or self-evident to our minds
Empiricism
The only source of genuine knowledge about the world is
sense experience
Reason is unreliable and inadequate route to knowledge
unless it is grounded in the solid bedrock of sense
experience
There is no such thing as innate knowledge because
knowledge is derived from experience. The mind before
experience is a tabula rasa, a blank slate

1. When you are studying or reviewing lessons, are you more likely to take rationalist viewpoint or empiricist
viewpoint? Why?

I more likely to take empiricist viewpoint because it comes from my experience,

I’m motivated to develop myself and learn new things so I more likely to take it, and it
will have you more confident to speak up because it comes from your own experience.

2. How do you apply empiricism and/or rationalism in studying your lessons? Be specific and concrete. Try to
remember your study habits and how you make sense of the lessons.

When I’m studying I am motivated because of many experiences I’d already faced. By doing
some things that you already knew what will be the outcome and it will be your guide for you
not to make mistakes again. So you will do what is right and as yourself proving that will have
a great outcome.