Understanding the Self

Socrates

Father of Western Philosophy

Socrates

Timeline: 469/470 - 399 BCE

Socrates

I know that I know nothing

Socrates

Unexamined life is not worth living

Socratic Method

Cooperative argumentative dialogue that stimulates critical thinking

Socrates

Virtue is knowledge and that ignorance is the root of all wrongdoings

Ethics: Virtue

More important than wealth, reputation, or fame

Divine Influence - Socrates

Benevolent divine that operates with standards of rationality

Plato

Theory of Forms

Plato

Timeline: 428 - 348 BCE

Theory of Forms

The world of forms is perfect and beyond the material world

The Material World

Perfect imitation of the ideal world

Plato’s Academy

Founded the first institution of higher learning in the Western world

Plato’s Concept of the Soul

Rational, Spirited, Appetitive, Virtue and Vice

Rational

Driven by wisdom

Spirited

Driven by courage

Appetitive

Driven by desires

Virtue and Vice

Each part of the soul is associated with these

Aristotle

Father of Western Logic

Aristotle

Timeline: 384 - 322 BCE

Nature of the Soul

Every living thing has a soul

Eudaimonia (The Good Life)

Fulfillment of one’s potential and purpose leads to true happiness

Aristotle’s Influence

His work laid the foundation for formal logic and numerous scientific fields

Virtue Ethics

Moral virtue is achieved through habitual practice

-Aristotle

Community and Self

The self cannot be fully understood without considering its role within the community

Socrates

Focus on ethics, virtue and self knowledge

Plato

Emphasis on ideal forms and the duality of reality

Aristotle

Focus on empirical observation, logic, and the natural world

Introduction to the Medieval Period

Christian Philosophical Era

Medieval Period

Philosophers sought to harmonize faith and reason

Medieval Period

Focused on understanding the self, soul, and the relationship with God

St. Augistine of Hippo

Timeline: 354 - 430

St. Augustine of Hippo

Philosopher, theologian, and bishop of Hippo

St. Augustine

Converted to Christianity, influenced by his mother, Saint Monica

The Confessions - St. Agustine

A reflection of sin, and conversion

St. Augustine

Emphasized the transformative grace of God and introspection

Freedom of the Will

Man has the power to choose between good and evil and that Personal responsibility in shaping one’s moral character

Platonic Influence

Followed platonic traditions, especially the Theory of Forms

Tripartite Self

Memoria, Intellectus, and Voluntas

Memoria

More than memory, encompasses past experiences and identity

Intellectues

The faculty of reason, understanding, and seeking the Truth

Voluntas

The will to decide and act based on reason or temptation. Represents the inviolable gift of free will

St. Thomas Aquinas

Timeline: 1224 - 1274

St. Thomas Aquinas

Doctor of the Church, philosopher and theologian. Christianized Aristotelian philosophy

St. Thomas Aquinas

Authored the “Summa Contra Gentiles” and “Summa Theologica”

View of the Self -St. Thomas

Man is a unity of body and soul

Soul

Immortal and created by GodP

Purpose of Life

Achieve union with God through virtue and morality

Intellect

Helps in contemplating the truth

Will

Aligns moral decisions with spiritual maturity

Reason

Provides insights into the natural world

Faith

Guides understanding of ontological truths

St. Augustine

Focused more on introspection

St. Thomas

Focused on faith and reason

Rene Descartes

The Cartesian Self and Methodic Doubt

Rene Descartes

Timeline: 1596 - 1650

Rene Descartes

Father of Modern Philosophy

Methodic Doubt

Questioning everything until certainty is found

Rene Descartes

I think, therefore I am

Dualism

The mind and body as separate but interdependent

Mind

Thinking Substance

Body

Material Substance

Knowledge - Rene Descartes

Begins with self-awareness and rational inquiry

David Hume

Timeline: 1711 - 1776

David Hume

The Bundle Theory

Self - Hume

Collection of perceptions and experiences

David Hume

Rejected the idea of innate knowledge, emphasizing learning through experience

Bundle Theory - David Hume

The self is a bundle of sensations and ideas, with no underlying substance

Perceived Personality and Self-Identity

Merely perceptions of the mind

John Locke

Timeline: 1632 - 1704

John Locke

The Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa

Mind begins as a blank state and that knowledge comes from sensory experiences

John Locke

Rejected innate ideas, emphasizing the role of experience in shaping knowledge

Self - John Locke

Collective consciousness formed by past experiences

Understanding Personal Identity

Reason and experience

Immanuel Kant

Timeline: 1724 - 1804

Immanuel Kant

The Unity of the External and Internal Self

Knowledge - Immanuel Kant

Gained through both experience and rational thought

Transcendental Idealism

The self is an organized process of external and internal knowledge

External Experiences

Processed by the senses but require rational interpretation

Self - Immanuel Kant

Transcends empirical reality, integrating sensory input with rational structures of the mind

Descartes’ Dualism

Set the stage for mind-body interaction

Hume’s Skepticism

Questions the very basis of personal continuity

Locke’s Focus

Influenced later theories of selfhood and consciousnessK

Kant’s Synthesis

Provides a comprehensive framework for understanding knowledge

Rene Descartes

Cogito ergo sum

Modern Philosophy

Introduced significant shifts in understanding knowledge

Post-Modern Existentialism

Explores the human existence, focusing on whether man has an inherent purpose

Gabriel Marcel

Primary and Secondary Reflection

Gabriel Marcel

Christian Existentialism

Gabriel Marcel

“The Mystery of Being”

Primary Reflection

Focuses on analyzing abstract objects and perceptionsS

Secondary Reflection

Seeks a deeper understanding and unity beyond the superficial

Emmanuel Levinas

The Face of the Other

Emmanuel Levinas

Ethical Responsibility and the Other

Emmanuel Levinas

“Totality and Infinity”

The Ego

Represents the self'-centered aspect of identity that focuses on individual advantage

“Other’s” Presence

Imposes a moral obligation on the self

Maurice Merleau Ponty

Embodied Subjectivity

Maurice Merleau Ponty

Knowledge is both objective and subjective