PHILOSOPHER CONCEPT OF SELF
“Who we are, who we should be, and who we will become” – Socrates
According to him, all of us individuals have immortal soul that survives even
after our death. He believes that our body is just from a physical realm and
that it changes, its imperfect and has limitations or an end to it. But the soul
Socrates inside the body is immortal and unchanging that Socrates said belongs to the
ideal realm.
Souls strive for wisdom and perfection; and reason is the tool to improve and
develop the power of it.
Plato’s concept of self is very similar to Socrates’. He elaborated it and he
introduced the idea of three components of the soul. First is Reason, which
Plato was mentioned by Socrates, and for Plato, it is the divine essence that enables
people to think. Second, Physical Appetite, it includes the basic biological
needs of humans. E.g., Food, water, sexual activity for desires. Third and lastly
is Spirit or Passion, these are the basic emotions or feelings of humans. E.g.,
love, anger, empathy, ambition, aggressiveness etc.
Cogito, ergo sum – “I think therefore, I am” – Descartes
According to Descartes, the self is a “thinking thing” A conscious being that is
fully aware of it thinking oneself on its own.
Descartes He also believes that the self is a combination of Cogito or the mind that thinks
and Extenza which is the extension of the mind or the body.
“Self is consciousness” – Locke
According to Locke, to understand the self, you must have self or conscious
awareness and memories of previous experiences and by that you will have
your own personal identity by being aware or your thoughts, feelings and
Locke decisions.
He also states that to be a person, is to have consciousness or being aware of
your own thinking and thoughts, and to have intelligence and knows how to
reason and reflect.
According to Hume, Self is just a bundle of perceptions a man has. And that
man has no clear and intelligible idea of the self. No single impression of self-
exist known by man. In short, He believes that there no such thing as “Self” but
Hume just a result of habits and human nature.
Kant’s concept of self is similar to Locke’s. He believes that it is a unifying
subject that organizes consciousness to make intelligible experience possible
which was also mentioned by Locke that the self is about consciousness and
Kant experience of the inside intelligence and outside physical sense.
“The self is the seat of knowledge acquisition” – Immanuel Kant
According to Gilbert Ryle, the self is what people call to refer the behaviors of
men manifest in a day-to-day life. He believes that locating or analyzing the
entity of self is impossible but it could be referred to as what different
Ryle behaviors people have and make.
Paul Churchland is a modern-day philosopher who studies the brain therefore
he argues that the self is the brain. He holds on to materialism, nothing but
matter exist different than the others belief of dualism of the brain and body.
Churchland For him its only the brain.
SAQ1 (SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTION)
An experience in my life where I experienced a vigorous conflict between
the three dimensions of self by Plato was when I just got off my flight from Japan
and I don’t know where to live or stay because my grandma who raised me was
left in Japan to permanently live there. I had two choices at that moment, to live
with my second family aunt which is near where me and my grandma used to
rent an apartment or to live with my first family uncle in province. I chose none
and I lived on my own. I stayed in my aunts for a couple of days while searching
for room for rents or dorms because I’m planning to enroll. And eventually I moved
to a shared condo with other women who study or working. That’s for my Reason.
For my Physical Appetite, I experienced the hunger and thirst by not having
enough money because I lend it to someone or to a friend swearing, she will pay
it back the next morning but it took 2 months. And that was my allowance for the
first month. I got my second allowance but I’m still short for my rent because I
haven’t paid for the last month’s balance and also for my food or everyday
expenses. And because of that I experienced the dimension of spirit and passion,
I was angry because I’m the one who was troubled even though I just helped a
friend, I felt stupid and a joke. And at the same time, I also felt sad because friends
are important to me and I cannot believe that one of my friends can throw away
our friendship just for money problems which we can easily solve by talking but
she ignored me and even paid her balance through online and bank transfer just
to not see me.
