The Self from Philosophical Perspectives

Vocabulary flashcards covering key philosophers and their views on the nature of the self.

Socrates

Ancient Greek philosopher who emphasized self-knowledge and introspection; 'Know thyself' leads to wisdom and personal development.

Plato

Self is immortal and independent of the body; knowledge from contemplating the Form of the Good; tripartite soul: reason, spirit, and appetite.

Aristotle

Self is a composite of body and soul; inseparable; hylomorphism; a unified creature rather than a body or soul alone.

Saint Augustine

Self intertwined with God; original sin; inner conflict between selfish desires and moral convictions; grace leads to self-fulfillment.

René Descartes

Dualism: mind and body are distinct; 'Cogito, ergo sum' proves self-awareness and existence; self located in the mind.

John Locke

Self based on consciousness and memory; Tabula rasa; personal identity persists through memory and continuity of experience.

David Hume

Bundle theory: self is a collection of perceptions; no fixed enduring self; sense of self is an illusion created by the mind.

Immanuel Kant

Inner (transcendental) self and outer (empirical) self; self includes the thinking subject ('I think') and the observable body.

Sigmund Freud

Ego as mediator between id and superego; self shaped by the dynamic interplay of conscious and unconscious processes.

Gilbert Ryle

Critique of Cartesian dualism; 'ghost in the machine'; self is shown through actions and behaviors, not an inner essence.

Paul Churchland

Self as a product of brain activity; neurophilosophy; self and mind explained through physical brain processes.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Self is embodied and shaped by the body and senses; development through interaction with the world; rejects mind-body dualism.