Philosophical Perspective on the Self

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering the various philosophical perspectives on the self as presented in Lesson 1, including major philosophers and their core theories.

Philosophy

Finding answers to serious questions about ourselves and the world we live in, derived from the Greek words for 'Love of Wisdom'.

Pythagoras

The first person to use the term philosophy.

Philo

The Greek word for love.

Sophia

The Greek word for Wisdom.

Socrates

Philosopher who believed that 'An unexamined life is not worth living' and that self-knowledge is a prerequisite to a happy life.

Physical Realm (Socrates)

One of Socrates' two dichotomous realms, characterized as changeable, transient, and imperfect; the body belongs to this realm.

Ideal Realm (Socrates)

One of Socrates' two dichotomous realms, characterized as unchanging, eternal, and immortal; the soul belongs to this realm.

Rational Soul (Plato)

The part of the soul involving reason and intellect; the divine essence that enables deep thinking and understanding of eternal truths.

Spirited Soul (Plato)

The part of the soul involving emotions and passion, including love, anger, ambition, empathy, and aggressiveness.

Appetitive Soul (Plato)

The part of the soul involving basic biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire.

Aristotle

Student of Plato who believed the soul is the essence of the self and is the form of the body, incapable of existing without it.

Vegetative Soul (Aristotle)

A kind of soul that includes the physical body that can grow; associated with reproduction and growth in plants.

Sentient Soul (Aristotle)

A kind of soul that includes sensual desires, feelings, and emotions; associated with mobility and sensation in animals.

Rational Soul (Aristotle)

The kind of soul that makes man human, including the intellect that allows for thought and reflection.

St. Augustine

Philosopher who integrated the ideas of Plato and Christianity, believing the self is known only through knowing God.

Rene Descartes

Philosopher known for the statement 'I think therefore, I am,' who viewed the self as consisting of two distinct entities: Cogito and Extenza.

Cogito

The 'thing that thinks' or the mind, according to Rene Descartes.

Extenza

The 'extension' or the body, according to Rene Descartes.

John Locke

Philosopher who argued the self is consciousness and that the human mind at birth is a 'tabula rasa'.

Tabula rasa

A 'blank slate'; John Locke's theory that the mind begins empty and learns everything through experience.

David Hume

Philosopher who argued there is no self and that the idea of personal identity is a result of imagination.

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher who suggested 'we construct the self' and that the self is the seat of knowledge acquisition that transcends sense experience through rationality.

Gilbert Ryle

Philosopher who proposed 'the self is the way people behave' rather than an entity one can locate and analyze.

Paul Churchland

Philosopher who claimed 'the self is the brain' and that the mind does not really exist.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Philosopher who stated 'the self is embodied subjectivity' and that all knowledge is based on subjective experience.