UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF

Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how various philosophical models define the “self.”
2. Effectively communicate one’s beliefs and views regarding the different conceptualizations of the self from
Western and Eastern philosophical perspectives.
3. Develop a deeper appreciation towards life

Watch the Trolley Problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOpf6KcWYyw

PHILOSOPHY
“Philos” and “Sophia” which means love for wisdom.
The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence, especially when considered as an
academic discipline. (Definition from Oxford Languages)

ESSENTIALIST VIEW / AVOCADO VIEW

- Uses the “avocado” metaphor in its view of humanity
- The seed at the center contains all the essential information about what makes an avocado an avocado. Each
and everyone of us has a core or center that makes us human
1. The Judaic & Christian Traditions
- Humans are made in the image and likeness of God
- Animals have instincts, but they are not made in God’s likeness
- We are self-conscious
- We have the capacity to love
- We have a fleshy outward appearance, but inside we share the divine nature
- The center/core is our soul
2. The Greek Rationalist Tradition (Plato and Aristotle)
- Reason is at the core of our being ; A life dominated by reason is ideal.
- Our reasoning ability sets us apart from other terrestrial beings
- Reason controls emotions and appetites
- We may act like animals at times, but only because we are not using reason to control the other parts
of our being
- The center/core is our intellect or rationality
a. Socrates
- A scholar, teacher and philosopher born in ancient Greece. He was accused for corrupting the
youth of Athens and sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning in 399 B.C
- His philosophy underlies in the importance of the notion “Knowing Oneself” which lies in our
abilities and wisdom
- It is man’s goal to obtain happiness for it motivates us to act towards or avoid things that could
have negative effects in our lives. By fully knowing oneself, a person will be able to achieve
happiness
- He embodies his spirit of questioning every assumption about virtue, wisdom and the good life
- Socratic method: Uses questions to stimulate critical thinking and examine the values, principles
and beliefs of students ; A question oriented dialogue ; Understanding ourselves is through
internal questioning or introspection (Understanding our strengths and weaknesses, likes and
dislikes)
- “The unexamined life is not worth living

b. Plato
- Student of Socrates
 - Wrote the Phaedo which claims to recount the events and conversations that occurred on the day
that his teacher Socrates was put to death.
- Believed in the division of a person’s body and soul which forms the person as a whole aside
from the material things observed and associated with a person
- Believes that everything on our planet is just a copy of a perfect form that exists on a different
planet
- Asserts that there are 2 realms: (Allegory of the Cave)
• Physical Realm: the material stuff we see and interact with on a daily basis; this physical
realm is changing and imperfect
• Spiritual Realm: exists beyond the physical realm ; known as realm of forms – are abstract,
perfect concepts which never change unlike the physical realm (Concepts of beauty, justice,
goodness)
- Soul: 3 different parts, that has 3 different views, leading to different behaviors (Allegory of the
Charioteer)
• Appetitive Soul: The part of the person that is driven by desire and the need to satisfy
oneself. Satisfaction involves physical needs and pleasures and desires, objects and
situations.
• Spirited Soul: Courageous part of a person. Each person wants to do something or to
correct the wrongs they have observed. This is very competitive and active.
Competitiveness drives one to expect positive results and winning.
• Rational Soul: The drive of our lives. The part that thinks and plans for the future (the
conscious mind). It decides what to do, when to do it and the possible results one could
have depending on their actions.
c. Aristotle
- Student of Plato, but rejected Plato’s theory of forms because he believes that the form exists
within the object. He believes that the soul exists only in the body and when the body dies, the
soul dies with it. He was more empirically-minded.
- Combines logic with observation to make general, causal claims
- First developed formal system for reasoning: Deductive validity of any argument can be
determined by structure rather than content. (Ex: All men are mortal; Socrates is a man;
therefore, Socrates is mortal)
3. The Theocentric Tradition (St. Augustine)
- The center/core is our will
a. St. Augustine of Hippo
- Saint and philosopher of the Church
- Follows that the idea that God encompasses us all, that everything will be better if we are with
God
- Believed that God and his teachings affect various aspects in our lives (importance of nurturing a
relationship with God)
- The notion of ourselves and our idea of existence comes from a higher form
- Nature (behind which, of course, stands God) gives us a general sense of our duties. Social
institutions shape these to promote “socially useful” habits such as justice. But these efforts do
not truly suffice to make us good.
- The most important part of a person is the inner person
- The orientation of the will determines whether we love lower goods (such as bodily goods, wealth
and reputation) or higher goods (virtue and above all, God). Although originally, neither good nor
bad, the human will become corrupted so that it is in most cases inclined to love lower rather than
higher goods.
- Faith is a gift of grace that we cannot command, but only receive when it comes.
4. Self in the Modern Period (Rene Descartes, John Locke, Karl Marx)
- The center/core of what makes us human is both our emotionality and rationality
 - Our culture is basically a male dominated society
- Women (or anyone) who accept the value of emotions run the risk of being viewed as second class
citizens. We are learning; however, that suppressing emotions can be unhealthy.
- Rationalism may be important, but emotion is an important aspect of life as well.
- Feminism – “the theory that women should have political, economic and social rights equal to those of
men and should define their own roles”
a. Rene Descartes
- French Philosopher ; Father of Modern Philosophy because of his radical use of systematic and
early scientific method to aid his ideas and assumptions
- Believed in Modern Dualism or the existence of body and mind
- “If you should be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life, you doubt,
as far as possible, all things.”
- Doubting and asking questions is part of one’s existence
- “Cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am)
- According to him, a person is comprised of a mind (thinks and questions or doubts what the body
has experienced) and body (perceives from the different senses)
- Body, senses and perceptions cannot be fully trusted and can easily be deceived (Ex: Dreams
that feel real or different perceptions of size)
- Explained that the more we think and doubt what we perceived from our senses and the answer
that came from such thinking or doubting, leads to better understanding of ourselves
b. John Locke
- English Philosopher and Physician ; Father of Classical Liberation
- Personal identity is a matter of psychological continuity
- Work on the self is most represented by the concept of the “tabula rasa” or blank slate
- A person is born with knowing nothing and is susceptible to simulation and accumulation of
learning from experiences, failures, references and observations
- Experiences and perceptions of a person is important in the establishment of who that person can
become.
c. Karl Marx
- A revolutionary/activist
- Focused on self-estrangement or understanding of alienation – a distinct type of social ill whose
diagnosis looks to rest on a controversial account of human nature and its flourishing
- Developed historical materialism – centered around the idea that forms of society rise and fall as
they further and then impede the development of human productive power.

Discussion Question:
In your own understanding, what makes you human? Which philosophical perspective do you relate with the most?
PROTEAN VIEW / ARTICHOKE / CABBAGE
- The term Protean is from the shape-shifter of Greek mythology Proteus
- “Protos” means “first” in Greek. According to legend, Proteus is the son of Poseidon and Tethys and his official
job is as the herdsman of Poseidon’s seals on the island of Lemnos. He is capable of seeing the future, but can
only tell this future to someone who was able to capture and hold him. Several Greek heroes went to him for
various problems.
- Uses the “cabbage/artichoke” metaphor
- It has no central core as layers are removed ; We are nothing but layers which is reasonable and healthy
- This is also consistent with the idea there are no moral absolutes or no certain absolute truths
- Humans have many layers that function at various times in life
- Life is such that we need to be able to react in many different ways
- We have no fixed essence as human beings
- We live in the moment and create ourselves moment by moment
- As we choose our path, we are accountable for the choices
- “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley (Invictus, 19th Century)
- Life has no inherent meaning – no core to give purpose or difrection. You can be anything you want to be. But
you have no one to blame but yourself (Mitchell 134)
1. Oriental Philosophy / Non-western views of the self
a. Hinduism & Atman (Essentialist)
- World’s oldest religion and third-largest religion behind Christianity and Islam
- There is a core within each of us
- Atman: Belief in the soul. Living creatures have a soul and part of the supreme soul. The goal is
to achieve “moksha” or salvation, which ends the cycle of rebirths to become part of the absolute
soul.
- Brahman: A single deity being worshiped, but also recognize other gods and goddesses
- Samsara: A doctrine on the continuous cycle of life, death and reincarnation
- Karma: Universal law of cause and effect
- Dharma: Code of living emphasizing good conduct and morality
- Revere living creatures and consider the cow as a sacred animal
- Don’t eat beef or pork.
- Swastika symbol is one of good luck and good fortune
- 4 main castes: Brahmin (intellectual/spiritual leaders), Kshatriyas (protectors and public servants
of society), Vaisyas (skillful producers) and Shudras (unskilled laborers),
- Subcategory: Untouchables (lowest level of social hierarchy)
b. Buddhism & Anatman (Protean)
- Founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha – means enlightened)
- Advocates the impermanence of everything
- Anatman: the idea that there is no permanent, separate, individual, ego-self
- We are a collection of various elements called “Skandhas” temporarily united
- Form, feeling/sensation, perception, impulse/volition, consciousness
- Reincarnation
- When we die, we continue in many forms
- Path to enlightenment by utilizing morality, meditation and wisdom to awaken the truth
- 4 Noble Truths: (Explain why humans hurt and how to overcome suffering)
• Dukkha: Truth of Suffering (life is suffering) (continual change)
• Samudaya: Truth of the Cause of Suffering (desire causes suffering)
• Nirodha: Truth of the Ending of Suffering (ending desire ends suffering)
• Magga: Truth of the Path (following the 8-fold path ends desire)
- 8 fold path: RIGHT understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and
concentration
 c. Taoism (Protean)
- Conscious living in accordance with your true nature, with nature itself, balancing your desires
and needs, finding peace and strength in yourself and harmony with your environment
- Ch’i: The energy of life force that flows through us
- Acupuncture: Eliminates any obstructions of the ch’I flowing through us
- Tao means the way or the path
- Tao is indefinable—each person can discover the Tao in their own terms
- Here and now: How to live a pleasant life without unnecessary commotion or distress
- Taoism is to simply accept oneself, live life and discover who you are
d. African Model
- Community is extremely important
- A person born into a culture or social group that is the source of his/her being
- A person becomes a fully realized person through a life lived well in support of a community
2. The Self-created Self (Jean Paul Sartre)
Existentialism
- Emphasizes individual existence, freedom and choice
- Views that humans define their own meaning in life
- Views that man is able to make rational decisions despite his existence in an irrational universe
- Mitchell indicates that pluralism (diversity of views) is important to modern thinking
- It fits with the notion of no moral absolutes
- Encouraging authentic responses to the world and the commitment to being responsible for your
life
3. Post-Modernism / Western views
- James Hillman (psychologist) argues that each is born with an innate character that calls us to what we
are meant to be
- As we get older, we become more ourselves
- Our final years have an important purpose: the fulfillment and confirmation of our own character
a. Neuroscience and the Self
- The self is a memory
- Our mind, its contents and the organization of those contents are key for understanding what the
self is.
- Losing one’s memory leads to irrevocable changes in one’s personality, behavior and ability to
achieve goals

ESSENTIALIST VIEW / AVOCADO PROTEAN VIEW / ARTICHOKE / CABBAGE

Enduring, stable self is seen as existing at the core of a No enduring or stable core, self as constantly changing
person
Hinduism Eastern Perspectives
Buddhism – the meaning of life is to reach
enlightenment (seeing what actually is)
Taoism – the meaning of life is found in aligning oneself
with the wisdom of nature
African Model – purpose of life is creativity (children
and relationships)

Discussion Question:
Have you thought about the meaning of your life? If you found out you only have 24 hours to live, how would you like
to spend the remaining hours of your worldly existence?