UNDERSTANDING THE SELF Was started by Socrates, with his
aphorism/principle of “know thyself” which is also
Understanding yourself is about learning why you
inscribed in the temple of Apollo at Delphi.
make the choices you make, learning what shaped
you into the person you are today. Sometimes our SOCRATES
behaviors Believed that the real self is not the physical body,
but rather the “psyche” or “the soul”
SECTION 1: SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND OTHER LIFE
PLATO
FACTORS (S.E.L.F)
A student of Socrates also studied and explained
NATURE VS NURTURE thoroughly what the true essence of self is, which is
Nature differs from Nurture, since Nature, a person then founded by his mentor. Plato suggested that
develops his/her characteristics biologically the “self is fundamentally an intellectual entity
(something that has developed starting from the whose nature exists independent from physical
birth of the child), while Nurture, a person develops world”
his/her characteristics through the external factors, ARISTOTLE
such as the environment and the society (family, Student of Plato explained thoroughly how we
friends, relatives, etc.) could see the essence of self. Aristotle suggested
IDENTITY VS SELF that the ideal is subsumed in the phenomena.
Identity also differs from Self, as what the readings Aristotle called the “the ideal as essence, and the
say Identities are “qualities, characteristics, beliefs, phenomena as the matter” he emphasized that
opinions, etc., that makes a person unique from these two co-exist and is dependent to one another
others.” Self on the other hand is the “person TWO LENS OF PHILOSOPHY OF SELF IN GREEK TIMES:
himself/herself,” meaning, it is what the others
RATIONALISM explains self from the standpoint of what
didn’t see in you, because this is personal character.
is ideal and true, and what is not rooted with senses.
DIMENSIONALITIES OF THE SELF/IDENTITY
EMPIRICISM according to it, there is no such thing as
THERE ARE 4 DIFFERENT DIMENSIONALITIES OF SELF
innate knowledge; all knowledge is derived from
1. Social Factor are the factors in the development of experience through five senses or what is perceived by
a person which includes all the person around us, our brain.
like our family member, relatives, friends and so on TOWARDS MODERN PHILOSOPHY:
that might create an impression to you or affects
IMMANUEL KANT: RESPECT FOR SELF
your actions and thoughts in life.
Man is the only one creature who governs and
2. Environmental Factor includes the environmental
directs himself and his actions, who sets up ends for
structure, events and such which might give an
himself and his purpose, and who freely order
impact on how a person could grow in all the
means for the attainment of his aims. In respecting
aspects of his/her life.
themselves as a person, people may recognize their
3. Hereditary Factor factors in the development of the
worth as persons (‘recognition’ self-respect) or
person that includes biological changes and events,
value the positive aspects of their character
such as growth in height, puberty that usually
(‘evaluative or ‘appraisal’ self-respect)
affects the physical characteristics of a person,
4. Person-volition Factor are the inclination of a RENE DESCARTES: I THINK THEREFORE I AM
person creates a social construct which sets him States that the self is the thinking entity distinct
apart to others. from the body. His first famous principle was
“Cogito, ergo sum” which means “I think therefore
SECTION 2: WHAT PHILOSOPHY SAYS ABOUT SELF
I am” although the mind and body are independent
SELF from each other and serve their own function, man
It is defined as “a unified being” essentially must use his own mind and thinking abilities to
connected to consciousness, awareness, and agency investigate, analyze experiment and develop
(or at least with the faculty of rational choice) himself.
GREEK PHILOSOPHY “If you think you can, you can. If you think you
can’t, then you’re right.”
JOHN LOCKE: PERSONALITY IDENTITY THE THREE “MJST BE” IN LIFE
“PERSONAL IDENTITY IS THE MATTER OF Boy Scout motto, give or take a few words that the
PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTINUITY” meaning of life is to: “DO GOOD, BE GOOD BUT
Locke’s treatment of personal identity is one of the ALSO TO RECEIVE GOOD” The foggy term in this
most discussed and debated aspects of his course. advice, of course is “good’; but I leave that to the
Locke’s discussion of persons received much intuitive powers that we all share.
attention from his contemporaries, ignited a heated THE THREE “MJST BE” IN LIFE
debate over personal identity, and continues to LIFE MUST BE VALUED and not be wasted because
influence and inform the debate over persons and it is precious to treasure memories on our daily
their persistence conditions. living. We get money, fame, family etc. But it can’t
DAVID HUME: THE SELF IS THE BUNDLE THEORY OF bring that after life because your body soul will only
MIND remain and the people who made their mission
Hume suggests that the self is just a bundle of accomplished. Life shows that it is survival and
perceptions, like links in a chain. Hume argues that every circumstance always have a replacement like
our concept of the self is a result of our natural problems; it is part of our life because it challenges
habit of attributing unified existence to any us to survive and get closer.
collection of associated parts. This belief is natural LIFE MUST BE PROTECTED at all costs because no
but there is no logical support for it. one can destroy it and man is created by God. We
ST. AUGUSTINE: LOVE AND JUSTICE AS THE say that it is one on the ten commandments and
FOUNDATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL SELF this is the statement “Thou shall not kill” and it
St Augustine believes that a virtues life is a painful to see people dying by killing each person.
dynamism of love. It is a constant following of and LIFE MUST BE RESPECTED because God creates us.
turning towards love while a wicked life is a According to Magliano (2013), respecting life means
constant turning away from love. Loving God means we should pray and work to protect unborn babies
loving one’s fellowmen denotes never doing any from abortion. Catholic church proclaims that
harm to another or as the golden principle of justice human life is a sacred and that the dignity of human
states “doing unto others as you would have them person is the foundation of a moral vision for
unto you” society.
THE BIBLE: THE CHRISTIAN OR BIBLICAL VIEW OF SELF SECTION 3: WHAT SCIENCE SAYS ABOUT SELF
Natural and social sciences encompass a number of
disciplines that have deliberated on and explained
the concept and nature of the self.
BIOLOGICAL/PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
NEUROPHILOSOPHY (attributed to Paul and Patricia
Churchland) is concerned with the association of
the brain and the mind.
PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGY describes the
shaping of the self as similar to how the human
immune system functions.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
PSYCHOLOGY defined as the study of human
behavior, sees the self as a theoretical construct.
PSYCHOANALYSIS (proposed by Sigmund Freud)
focuses on the “unconscious” as a core element of
the self.
SIGMUND FREUD’S PERSONALITY THEORY
Freud’s personality theory (1923) saw the psyche
structured into three parts the id, ego, and
superego. All developing at different stages in our
lives. These are systems, not parts of the brain or in
any way physical. According to Freud’s model of the
psyche, the id is the primitive and instinctual part of
the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives
and hidden memories. The super-ego operates as a
moral conscience, and the ego is the realistic part
that mediates between the desires of the id and the
superego.
