THE PHILOSOPHICAL

PERSPECTIVE EXPLANATION
OF SELF
PRESENTERS: BARIMBAO, IGLESIAS, PAGUNTALAN, SALAZAR &
YORONG
ARRANGE IT
TALOP
PLATO
TOTALSIER
ARISTOTLE
COSETRAS
SOCRATES
LIPYHOSPO
PHILOSOPHY
SOPHLIHREPO
PHILOSOPHER
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
- Is from the Greek word philo – (loving)
and sophia – (knowledge, wisdom)

- As its simplest, philosophy means

“loving knowledge” or “loving
wisdom”

- The term philosophy as originally used

by the Greeks meant “the pursuit of
PHILOSOPHERS DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE IN THE
EXPLANATION OF SELF
 SOCRATES
- Greek Philosopher and one of the very few
individuals who shaped Western thought.

- Unlike other philosophers during his time,

Socrates never wrote anything. Knowledge
about him is through second – hand
information from the writings of his student
“I know that I don’t know”
Plato and historian Xenophon.

- He was known for his method of inquiry – the

Socratic method which involves testing the
idea by asking series of questions to determine
underlying beliefs and the extent of knowledge
to guide the person towards better
understanding (Maxwell, 2015).
SOME OF SOCRATES’ IDEAS:
• The soul is immortal
• The care of the soul is the
task of philosophy
• Virtue is necessary to
attain happiness
 SOCRATES - He believed that philosophy had a very
important role to play in the lives of the
people.

- Socrates quoted that “the unexamined life is

not worth living” because according to him,
self – knowledge or the explanation of one’s
“The unexamined life is self and how one ought to live his life are very
not worth living” important because knowing yourself can bring
hope to improve your life.

- He believed that a person should analyze the

true nature and values that are guiding their
lives.

- In fact, a persons’ real self is not even their

 TWO KINDS OF EXISTENCE:
• Visible
Existence
- this existence change and the body
belongs to this realm.
• Invisible Existence
-this existence remains constant
and the soul belongs to this realm
that is meant to rule over the body
HOW DOES ONE BECOME HAPPY?
- According to Socrates, the goal of life
is to be happy. For him, a virtuous man is a
happy man, and that virtue alone is the one
and only supreme good that will secure
happiness.
WHAT IS VIRTUE?
- Is defined as of the moral excellence,
and an individual is considered virtuous if
his/her character is made up of the moral
qualities that are accepted as virtues, i.e.,
courage, temperance, prudence and justice.
 PLATO
- He was the student of Socrates and wrote the
Socratic Dialogue where Socrates was the main
character and speaker.

- He identified his philosophical method as

“collection and division” in which the
philosopher would “collect” all the generic
“Good actions give ideas that seemed to have common
strength to ourselves
and inspire good
characteristics and then divided them into
actions in others” different kinds until the subdivision of ideas
become specific.

- He is best known for his Theory of Forms that

asserted the physical world is not really he
“real” word because the ultimate reality exist
 PLATO
- He is perhaps the single most
important influence of the
Western concept of “self”.

- According to him, the “soul” is

“Good actions give
strength to ourselves indeed the most divine aspect of
and inspire good
actions in others”
being.

- The self/soul/mind according to

him is the aspect of the human
beings by which the forms
 THREE PARTS
Appetitive (sensual)
OF SOUL:
The element that enjoys sensual experiences
such as food, drink, and sex.
Rational (reasoning)
The element that forbids the person to enjoy the
sensual experiences; the other parts of the soul
through the use of reason.
• Spirited (feeling)
The element that is inclined toward reason but
understands the demands of passion; the part that
loves honor and victory.
ST. AUGUSTINE
- Also known as St. Augustine of
Hippo, is one of the Latin Fathers
of the Church, one of the Doctors
of the Church, and one of the most
significant Christian thinkers.
“All knowledge leads to
God”
- His written works are among the
foundations of medieval and
modern Christian thought.

- He was deeply influenced by

Plato’s view that the “self” is
ST. AUGUSTINE
- He adapted Plato’s Theory
of Forms into a Christian
perspective, teaching that
forms exist eternally in
God.
“All knowledge leads to
God”
- He believed the soul holds
the truth and is capable of
thinking.

-
ASPECTS OF THE SELF/SOUL:
• It is able to be aware
of itself
• It recognizes itself as a
holistic one
• It is aware of its unity
RENE DESCARTES
- He was a French philosopher,
mathematician, and scientist.

- He is considered as the father

of modern Western Philosophy.

“I think, Therefore I - He was the first to emphasize

am”
the use of reason to describe,
predict and understand natural
phenomena, relying on
observation and empirical
evidence.
RENE DESCARTES
- He believed that doubt was a key tool for
disciplined inquiry.

- His method, called

hyperbolical/metaphysical doubt or
methodological skepticism, involved
systematically questioning the truth of
“I think, Therefore I
am” all beliefs which one could be known
with certainty.

- His famous line “Cogito ergo sum”

translated as “I think, therefore I am”
became foundation of Western
DESCARTES’ CLAIMS ABOUT THE SELF:
• It is constant; it is not prone to
change; and it is not affected by
time.

• Only the immaterial soul remains

the same throughout the time.

• The immaterial soul is the source of

our identity.
DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE SOUL AND BODY ARE:

THE SOUL THE BODY

It is a conscious, thinking substance that is It is a material substance that changes through

unaffected by time. time.

It is known only to itself (only you know your own It can be doubted. The public can correct claims
mental event and others cannot correct your about the body.
mental states).

It is not made up of parts. It views the entirety of It is made up of physical, quantifiable, divisible
itself with no hidden or separate compartments. It parts.
is both conscious and aware of itself at the same
time.
 JOHN LOCKE
- He was a philosopher and physician and
was one of the most influential
Enlightenment thinkers.

- He expanded Descartes’ idea of the “self”

by including memories as part of the self.

“Human mind at birth is - He believed that the “self” is identified

a tabula rasa, which
means that knowledge with consciousness and this “self”
is derived from consists of sameness of consciousness.
experienced”

- He claimed that the “self” consists

largely of memory- is a person today
remembers the thoughts, experiences, or
 JOHN LOCKE
- He also viewed the human
mind at birth as tabula
rasa (blank slate), meaning
that all knowledge comes
“Human mind at birth is
a tabula rasa, which
means that knowledge
from experience. This
is derived from
experienced”
theory of personal identity
also supports his view that
individuals are accountable
DAVID HUME
- He was a Scottish philosopher,
economist, and historian of the
Enlightenment.

- He opposed Descartes’ Rationalism,

“All knowledge derived
from human senses” instead he was a leading figure od
British Empiricism – the view that
knowledge originates from sense of
experience and not from innate ideas.
DAVID HUME
- He is identified with the bundle theory
wherein the “self” or person (mind) as
a bundle of or a collection of different
perceptions that are moving in a very
fast and successive manner therefore it
“All knowledge derived is a “perpetual flux”.
from human senses”

- He argued that human intellect and

experience are limited, so the self
cannot be attributed to an independent,
enduring entity.
DAVID HUME
- He held that the self cannot be
directly observed – what we know are
only our sensory experiences

- He claimed that our perceptions only

“All knowledge derived exist when we’re conscious – like a
from human senses” light bulb that turns off when we’re
asleep. When we die, the self is
completely gone.
- According to him, the “self” is the
passive observer that watches life
happen like watching a play or movie
GROUPS OF PERCEPTIONS:
• Impressions
These are the perceptions that are the most
strong. They enter the senses with most force.
These are directly experienced, --; they result from
inward and outward sentiments.
• Ideas

These are the forcible and less lively

counterparts of impressions. These are the
mechanisms that copy and reproduce sense data
formulated based upon the previously perceived
impressions.
IMMANUEL KANT
- 18th century German philosopher
- He said we construct the self.

BIG IDEA
“Reason is the final
authority of morality. Immanuel Kant believed that the
Morality is achieved
only when there is human mind creates the structure of
absence of war because
of the result of our experience.
enlightenment”
What is the self for Kant?
- The self for Kant is transcendental (non physical, not in the
body), but the body and its qualities are still connected to the self
through knowledge.
ex. Your body feels pain (body). You say “Ouch, that hurts” and
understand what it means (self/mind).

Two kinds of consciousness of self

1. Inner sense- being aware of your own thoughts/feelings.
2. Apperception acts- being aware of yourself as the one who is
thinking/doing.
What is Apperception?
-Its the mental process of making sense of a new idea by
connecting it to ideas you already have.
ex. A nurse sees a patient with pale skin and rapid heartbeat. She
recalls her previous cases of anemia and connects the signs, leading
her to suspect low hemoglobin.

Two components of the self

1. Inner self- rational intellect + psychological states
(moods, feelings, pleasure, pain).
2. Outer self- your sense + physical body
ex. Eyes see a patient sweating (outer), mind infers “possible
fever/anxiety” (inner).
How the self organizes information?
1. Raw perceptual input
2. Recognizing the concept
3. Reproducing in the imagination
Unified self
Kant says in his philosophy that self has a unified point of self-
reference, you are conscious of yourself as the same subject across
different experiences.
Kant teaches us that true strength comes from
reason and morality. By using our reason, we bring
together all our experiences into a unified self, a
self that knows its duty and acts with purpose. His
philosophy reminds us that when our mind and
conscience work as one, we live with dignity,
peace, and respect for others.
SIGMUND FREUD
- He studied how our mind works and created
psychoanalysis (a way to help people by talking).
- He believed most of our thoughts and feelings are
hiden in the unconscious part of our mind.
Three levels of the mind
1. Conscious- What you know right now
ex. “I feel hungry”
“Wish fulfillment is the
road to unconscious”.
2. Pre-conscious- things you can remember
if you try.
ex. Your birthday last year.

3. Unconscious- memories, feelings and

desires you don’t relize you have.
Three parts of personality
1. Id (pleasure now)- wants pleasure now, no rules.
ex. Nursing student is in the library studying, but the Id says,
“Let’s stop and watch TiktTok for an hour, it’s more fun!”.

2. Ego (reality principle)- the boss, decides what’s realistic.

ex. The same student thinks, “I’ll watch TikTok later, after I finish
reading two chapters, so I can still pass the quiz tomorrow.” The ego
is balancing fun with responsibility.

3. Superego (moral guide)- your moral voice.

ex. During a group project, the student notices a classmate copied
from the internet. The superego says, “We must tell the group and
fix it — plagiarism is wrong.”
Two sides of superego
1. Conscience- makes you feel guilty when you do
wrong.
2. Ideal self- your “perfect” version of yourself.
Freud reminds us that even our hidden thoughts
and dreams have meaning. By understanding the
unconscious, we can know ourselves better, face
our struggles, and grow stronger. It shows that
nothing inside us is useless, even our hidden
wishes can guide us to become better and more
aware of who we are.
GILBERT RYLE
- He was a British philosopher and
professor at the University of Oxford.
- He is best known for his work in the
philosophy of mind and his criticism
of Rene Descartes’ dualism.
WHAT IS SELF FOR RYLE?
“I act, therefore I am”
The self is not a hidden inner entity
like a soul or mind separate from the
body. Instead, the “self” is understood
through person’s actions, behaviors,
and dispositions.
RYLE’S POINTS AGAINST DESCARTES:
• The relation between mind and
body are not isolated
processes.

• Mental processes are

intelligent acts, and are not
distinct from each other.
 PAUL CHURCHLAND
- He was known for his studies in
neurophilosophy and philosophy of mind.
- He believed that if something can be
seen, felt, heard, touched, or tasted, then
it exist.
- His view called eliminative materialism,
“The physical brain and states that common – sense beliefs about
not the imaginary mind WHATthe mind
IS SELF like having a soul are false.
FOR CHURCHLAND?
gives us our sense of
self”
He believed that we don’t have a soul or
a separate mind. Instead, what we call the
“self” is just the brain and how it works.
The self is the brain – nothing more,
nothing less.
 MAURICE MERLEAU - PONTY
- He was a philosopher and author.

- He rejected Descartes’ mind – body

dualism and emphasized that the
mind and body are not separate but
“Physical body is an
deeply connected.
important part of the WHAT IS SELF FOR MERLEAU - PONTY?
self”
He sees the “self” as a living, embodied
being whose identity and consciousness are
inseparable from the body’s experience of
the world. Our body and mind are
inseparable in experiencing life.
THANK
YOU!