Philosophical Perspectives of the Self

Vocabulary flashcards covering key philosophical concepts, definitions, and prominent thinkers regarding the nature of the self from Ancient to Modern and Existentialist eras.

Philosophy

Derived from the Greek word 'philosophia' meaning 'Love of Wisdom,' it is considered the mother of all disciplines and seeks truth through questioning human existence.

The Self

A unified being essentially connected to consciousness, awareness, agency, or the faculty of rational choice.

Socrates

Greek philosopher who equated the self with the immortal soul—the seat of intellectual and moral personality—and declared that 'an unexamined life is not worth living.'

Introspection (Socrates)

The Socratic method of carefully examining one's own thoughts and emotions to gain self-knowledge.

Know Thyself

Socratic principle emphasizing self-examination and identifying one's genuine motivations rather than blindly conforming to external expectations.

Plato

Prized student of Socrates who viewed the self as an immortal soul requiring Reason to govern physical desires and emotions in a balanced state.

Tripartite Soul

Plato's model dividing the soul into three distinct parts: Reason (mind/logic), Spirit (emotions/passion), and Appetite (physical urges).

Reason (Plato)

The divine essence of the soul, allegorized as the Charioteer, that enables deep thinking, logic, and wise decision-making.

Spirit (Plato)

The part of the soul, allegorized as the White Horse, that serves as the seat of emotions like courage, anger, honor, and social ambition.

Appetite (Plato)

The part of the soul, allegorized as the Black Horse, that drives physical urges for food, drink, comfort, and bodily pleasures.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Medieval philosopher who merged Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine, viewing the self as a bifurcated nature consisting of a mortal physical body and an eternal soul.

Introspection (Augustine)

The process of looking deeply into one's own thoughts and memories to find a reflection of God and divine truth.

Noli foras ire, in te ipsum redi; in interiore homine habitat veritas

Latin quote by Augustine meaning 'Do not go outward; return to yourself. In the inner man dwells truth.'

Si Fallor, Sum

Augustine's Latin phrase meaning 'If I am mistaken, I am,' demonstrating that even making mistakes proves one's existence.

Restless Heart

Augustine's concept that the self has an infinite longing for God that physical things cannot satisfy ('Our heart is restless until it rests in Thee').

René Descartes

Father of Modern Philosophy who used Methodical Doubt to demonstrate existence through thinking consciousness ('I think, therefore I am').

Methodical Doubt

Descartes' systematic approach of doubting all beliefs except the undeniable reality of his own active thinking.

Mind-Body Dualism

Cartesian theory positing that the self consists of two distinct substances: Res Cogitans (the non-physical thinking mind) and Res Extensa (the physical body).

Res Cogitans

Descartes' term for the non-physical, invisible 'Thinking Self' or mind/soul that doubts, understands, wills, imagines, and feels.

Res Extensa

Descartes' term for the physical 'Extended Self' or body, which operates mechanically according to the laws of physics.

John Locke

Empiricist philosopher who proposed that the mind begins as a Tabula Rasa and that personal identity is defined by consciousness and memory.

Tabula Rasa

John Locke's term meaning 'Blank Slate,' expressing that identity and knowledge are not innate but written through experience.

Personal Identity (Locke)

Locke's doctrine that a person's identity across time depends on the continuity of consciousness and memory connecting past actions to the present self.

David Hume

Radical empiricist and skeptic who rejected the concept of a permanent soul or fixed self, formulating the Bundle Theory of Self.

Bundle Theory of Self

David Hume's theory asserting that there is no fixed underlying self, but rather a rapidly changing bundle of fleeting perceptions and experiences.

The Theater Analogy (Hume)

Hume's metaphor describing the self as a stage where different sensations and emotions pass in rapid succession without an underlying core.

Immanuel Kant

Philosopher known as 'The Clockwork Philosopher' of Königsberg, Prussia, who combined Rationalism and Empiricism, arguing that the self is an active creator of world experiences.

Jean Jaques Rousseau

Philosopher who argued that man is born inherently good at birth but is vulnerable to corruption by an evil society.

Thomas Hobbes

Philosopher who claimed that acting in evil and aggressive ways is inherent in human nature, advocating formal education to instill moral character and rectitude.

Jean Paul Sartre

Atheist existentialist philosopher who declared that 'man is condemned to freedom,' meaning individuals must take full responsibility for defining their own destiny through choices.

Ayn Rand

Philosopher who advocated that the love of self should be above all human values and that an act of selfishness is a moral act.

Act of Selfishness (Rand)

According to Rand, a moral act based on the premise that one cannot truly give what one does not have, standing against the negation of self for the majority.