UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Philosophy

comes from two greek words “philos” which means “love” sophia which means “wisdom”

Philos

Love

Sophia

Wisdom

Wisdom Connotes Knowledge

knowledge directed to the fundamental and pervasive concerns of existence

Wisdom in Philosophy

is in how you help yourself think more clearly, precisely, and systematically

Philosophy

It is the investigaion of normal and fundamental issues concerning matters, for example, presence, information, values, reason, psyche, and oralect

Thales, pythagoras, heraclitus

unsatisfied with mere mythological and supernatural explanation

Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclitus

focused on the composition and processes of the world around them

Thales, Pythagoras, Heraclitus

so called pre-socratic philosophers turned to observation, documentation and reasoning

Rationalism

looks at the reason as the chief source of knowledge as well as the test of knowledge

Socrates, Plato, Immanuel Kant and Rene Descartes

They are the Philosophers of Rationalism

Skepticism

refers to a questioning attitude and a mindset which doubts and does not accept ideas right away

Socrates and David Hume

Philosophers of Skepticism

Empiricism

States that all knowledge comes from sensory experience

Aristotle, John Locke, David Hume, Gilbert Ryle, Paul Churchland, and Maurice Merleau- Ponty

The Philosophers of Empiricism

Idealism

states that the nature of reality is based on ideas, perceptions, or consciousness rather than physical matter.

Socrates and Plato

They are the Philosophers of Idealism

Platonism

refers to the philosophical ideas and doctrines derived from the works of the Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato

Plato

The Philosopher of Platonism

Existentialism

emphasizes or personal experience and responsibility and the complexities of human existence

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

The Philosopher of Existentialism

Socrates

an unexamined life is not worth living

St Augustine

perseverance conquers all

Rene Descartes

I think, therefore I am

John Locke

The self is determined by consciousness

David Hume

The self is not a distinct entity

Immanuel Kant

the self is a rational being

Gilbert Ryle

the self is the way an individual behaves

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

the self is connected to the world through physical experience

Paul Churchland

the self is the brain

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

“The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing”

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

Pre-socratic philosopher focused on the external world as they sought to answer the question “who am i?”

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

His life and ideas documented by his students, the historian xenophon and the philospher Plato showed how Socrates applied “Systematic Questioning”

Socrates (469-399 BCE)

He believed that it is the duty of the Philosopher to know oneself.

Ironic process

this involves clearing the mind, letting go of any biases or false beliefs and admitting that one does not know everything. it is like having a clean mental state

Maieutic process

once the mind is clear, the teacher then helps the learner discover the truth by asking questions and having conversation with the latter instead of just giving answers, the educator guides the learner to find the answer for himself.

Plato (428-347 BCE)

“the soul of man is immortal and imperishable”

The Appetitive soul

is responsible for the desires and cravings of a person

The Rational soul

is the thinking, reasoning, and judging aspect

The Spirited soul

is accountable for emotions.

The Spirited soul

also makes sure that the rules of reason is followed in order for the person to attain victory and/or honor

The Republic Plato

emphasizes that all three parts of soul must work harmoniously to attain justice and virtue in a person

The Rational soul

must be well developed and put in charge

The Spirited soul

the emotions from this must be subdued and restrained

The Appetitive soul

the desires from this must be controlled and focused on activities that give life such as eating, drinking and sleeping among others

St. Augustine (354-430 AD)

“The good man, though a slave is free: the wicked, though he reigns, is a slave”

St. Augustine (354-430 AD)

is considered one of the most influential christian thinkers specially in the development of LATIN CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY

St. Augustine (354-430 AD)

his idea of the “self” merged that of Plato and then-new Christian perspective, which led him to believe in the duality of a person

Rene Descartes

“i think, therefore i am”

Rene Descartes

was a French Mathematician, Scientist, and Philosopher

Rene Descartes

he argued that a person should only believe the things that can pass the test of doubts

Rene Descartes

“discourse” and “meditations”

Rene Descartes

believed that to doubt is to think

Cognitive Aspect of Human Nature

Rene Descartes basis for the existence of the self

Cogito Ergo Sum The mind

the part that thinks is proof of human existence

Extenza

the extension of the mind, the body

John Locke

“personal identity depends on consciousness not on substance”

John Locke

was an English Philosopher and his work as a Physician provided him with an idea that deviated from the duality of the body or soul

John Locke (1632-1704)

for him a person’s mind is a blank slate (tabula rosa) at birth. it is through experience that his blank slate is filled and a personal identity or “self’ is formed

John Locke (1632-1704)

he viewed consciousness as the awareness of what is happening within one’s own mind

sensory perception

Locke viewed consciousness from _ which involves awareness of the external world. he saw consciousness as an internal sense, a way of perceiving the operations of one’s own mind

David Hume

“be a philosopher' but, amid all your philosophy be still a man”

David Hume

was a scottish philosopher and an empiricist who believed that all concepts and knowledge come from the senses and experiences

David Hume (1711-1776)

he argued that there is no self beyond what can be experienced

not fixed, unchanging self

according to David Hume this self is not _,_. the self is made up of changing thoughts and experiences that come and go very quickly, constantly shifting like a flowing stream

words, actions, and behaviors

for Hume our knowledge of other comes from _,_ ,_ not from any deep, invisible part of them

Impressions

these are real and actual experiences or sensations

Ideas

these come from or are derived from impression. _ are faint copies or “images’ om impressions, used in thinking and reasoning. they are the mental images we have when we remember or imagine things

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

“all our knowledge begins with the senses proceeds then to understanding, and ends with reason. there is nothing higher than reason”

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

one of the most influential philosophers in modern western philosophy

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

he thinks that reason, not only experience, is the foundation of knowledge

self

it organizes experiences into something meaningful. it can do such a thing because it is independent form sensory experiences

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

he stated that consciousness has inner and outer self

Inner self

is composed of the intellect and the psychological state of a person

Outer self

is made up of the senses and the physical self

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

“in searching for the self, one cannot simultaneously be the hunter and the hunted”

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

he stated that every human being has both a physical body and a non-physical mind. which are ordinarily harnessed together while a person is alive.

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

he does not believe that the mind and body are separate

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

he sees the self as made up of a person’s thought, feelings, and actions all of which can be seen in how they behave

Gilbert Ryle (1900-1976)

he focused on observable behavior in defining the self.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty ( 1908-1961)

“we know not through our intellect but through our experience”

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

is a leading French Existentialist and Phenomenologist

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

he stated that the mind and body are interconnected with each other and therefore cannot be separated. our body links us to everything around us people, places, and experiences.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty ( 1908-1961)

He believed that we do not just have a body, we are our body and that is how we understand life

Paul Churchland (1942- currently 83yrs old)

“the brain is not an empty vessel waiting to be filled with information; it is an active system that interprets, transforms and stores information based on its own structure and dynamics.

Paul Churchland

is a canadian philospher known for his studies in neurophilosophy

neurophilosophy

is the study of the philosophy of the mind, the philosophy of science, neuroscience, and psychology

Paul Churchland

he proposed the use of eliminative materialism or eliminativism

eliminative materialism

says many things we think of as mental states- likes beliefs, desires, or feelings- are not the real way we imagine them

eliminative materialism

argues that what people call the “mind” in everyday talk (called folk psychology) is outdated and does not reflect how the brain actually works