UNDERSELF - Lesson 1: Philosophical Perspective of the Self

Socrates

• born in Athens

• also known as the Market Philosopher

• “An unexamined life is not worth living”

• claimed to be a “midwife”

• Self = soul existing before the body

Ignorance

lack of knowledge

Socratic Method

• way to rediscover forgotten knowledge

• is an exchange of questions and answers that aims to make the person remember all the knowledge that he has forgotten, including his former omniscient self.

• it pertains to a particular way of addressing a conversation or discussion

• encourages critical thought

Plato

• founded the Academy, considered prototype of modern university

• most significant ideas include Theory of Forms

Theory of Forms

states that everything that exists is based on a concept that can only be understood in the mind

World of Forms

permanent, unchanging reality, eternal

Material World

• what we see around us

• this is where we live, and is just a replica of the real world found in the world of forms

Dichotomy

Plato believed that human beings are composed of a body and soul.

Soul

is the true self, the permanent, and the unchanging self

Body

is not the real self but only a replica of the true self

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave

• aimed to communicate that we can occasionally have a completely incorrect perception of the world around us

• we must be willing to change our perception, if we are to come in contact with reality

Saint Augustine

• greatly inspired by Plato

• influenced by neo-platonism

• Earth is temporary; real home is with God

• Believed in moral law from Eternal Reason (Universal) - Truth, Love, Justice

Rene Descartes

• “Cogito, ergo sum” - I think therefore, I am

• Self is continuous through thought, identity is maintained by mental activity

• mind over matter

Mind-Body Dualism

Body - is a material substance that is subject to physical laws

Mind (or soul) - purely mental and not subject to the same physical laws of the body.

Thinking Substance

where the essence of self is captured.

John Locke

• father of Classical Liberalism

• Locke’s Theory of Personal Identity

• Self = memory and consciousness

• Continuity of identity is not based on soul/body substance

Paul and Patricia Churchland

views on the self are heavily influenced by neuroscience and biological processes

Self as a Construct of the Brain’s Neural Networks

• set of processes

• operationalized

• revolving in the nervous system

Eliminative Reductionism

The self can be explained by neurons and brain structures

Neurophilosophical Framework

The self is seen through brain’s cognitive construct from the brain’s complex network of neurons

Consciousness and the Self

The self is understood through self awareness and meta-cognition, products of the brain’s representational systems

Social and Evolutionary Factors

• The self is deeply interconnected with social cognition, memory, and the brain’s ability to interact with others and navigate complex social environments

• survival of the fittest

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

• existentialist

• Self is the result of one’s conscious experiences

• Self is grounded by the experiences from the past, present, future

Embodied Self

self as a continual flow of movement and expression, self is always tied to the body

Perception

• key to understanding the self

• active process where the body plays a central role in how we understand our surroundings

I can

explains how the self interacts with the world

Socrates

Soul & Socratic Method

Plato

World of Forms & Allegory of the Cave

Saint Augustine

Immortal Soul & Moral Law

Rene Descartes

Cogito & Dualism

John Locke

Memory Theory of Identity

Churchlands

Neurophilosophy & Brain-based Self

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Embodied Self & Perception