The Self in Western Philosophy

Plato (Ancient)

The Self: Immortal Soul — The self is an immortal soul that knows the eternal Forms, and is separate from the body.

Aristotle (Ancient)

The Self: Form of the Body — The soul is the form of the body, not a separate substance that could exist without it.

St. Augustine (Medieval)

The Self: Body and Soul United — The self is body and soul united, with the soul reaching toward God as its highest good.

St. Thomas Aquinas (Medieval)

The Self: Body-Soul Unity — The human person is body and rational soul working together as one whole.

René Descartes (Enlightenment)

The Self: Thinking Thing — The self is a thinking thing (the cogito), distinct from the body — this is mind-body dualism.

John Locke (Enlightenment)

The Self: Consciousness — Personal identity comes from continuity of memory and consciousness, not from the soul.

David Hume (Enlightenment)

The Self: Bundle of Perceptions — The self is just a 'bundle' of changing perceptions, with no fixed core underneath.

Immanuel Kant (Enlightenment)

The Self: Unifying "I Think" — The self is the unifying "I think" that organizes all of your experience into one coherent whole.

Sartre & Kierkegaard (Existentialism)

The Self: Created via Choice — The self is created through free choices, not given in advance.

Foucault & Derrida (Postmodernism)

The Self: Shaped by Language — The self is shaped and reshaped by language, discourse, and power, not fixed.