What is the Nature of the Self?

PLATO: 
“The Self is an Immortal Soul”
 Philosophical Perspective
 Sociological Perspective  Plato supported the idea of duality and added that there are three
 Anthropological Perspective concepts of the soul. His philosophy can be explained as a process of
 Psychological Perspective self-knowledge and purification of the soul.
 The Western and Eastern Concepts  He introduced the idea of a three-part soul/self:
Philosophical Perspective 1. Reason
2. Physical Appetite
The etymological definition of Philosophy “love of wisdom” could pertain to the 3. Spirit or Passion
desire for truth by formulating never ending questions to provide answers to  Reason
every inquiry about the nature of human existence. Example: When you are able to justify why you need to continue pursuing a
SOCRATES:  college degree to your parents, that is the reason helping you out.
 Physical Appetite
“An unexamined life is not worth living”
focus on it, that is your physicalappetite taking charge of your needs.
 Socrates believed that every man is dualistic, composed of body  Spirit or Passion
and soul. All individuals have imperfect and impermanent aspect Example: When you are able to contain your feelings and argue on the topic with
which is the body. On the other hand, there is a perfect a logical perspective, that is your spirit or passion taking charge of your
and permanent aspect which is the soul. emotions.
 The world is composed of physical and mental things. This is 
the basis of the concept of duality in the self. The body is a physical
thing which is imperfect and impermanent.  ARISTOTLE: 
 It may be physically present today, but changes through the years and “The Soul is the essence of the Self”
will decay upon death. It will be gone from the face to the earth forever. 
 The soul is a mental thing and is permanent. It exists and manifests in  He believes that the soul  is merely a set of defining features and
the body today but separates when the body leaves the face of the Earth. does not consider the body and soul as separate entities. Aristotle 
This is one reason why there is a belief that one continues to be present holds that the soul is the essence of all living things. Thus, the soul
even after death. is the essence of the self.
Since the soul is mental, it can exist even without the physical body.  He introduced the three kinds of soul:
1. Vegetative soul
2. Sentient soul
For Socrates, the self is synonymous with the soul. He believes that every 3. Rational soul
human possesses an immortal soul that survives the physical body. He was the ST. AUGUSTINE:
first to focus on the full power of reason on the human self: who we are and who “The Self has an Immortal Soul” 
we should be.
The African Philosopher, Augustine is regarded as a saint in the Catholic
Socrates suggests that man must live an examined life and a life of purpose Church. He integrates the ideas of Plato and teachings of Christianity. Augustine
and value. The individual person can have a meaningful and a happy life only if believes that the physical body is radically different from and inferior to its
he becomes virtuous and knows the value of himself that can be achieved inhabitant, the immortal soul. As his thinking matured, he developed a more
through soul-searching.  unified perspective on the body and soul. He ultimately came to view the body
as spouse of the soul, both attached to one another by a “natural
appetite”. He believes that the body is united with the soul, so that the man may
be entire and complete. Nevertheless, as a religious philosopher, he contemplates person. Consciousness is what makes identity of a person similar in
on the nature of man with emphasis on the soul. different situations.
 He is proposing that people could use the power of reason to
 as an important element of a man. He believes that the soul gain knowledge and consequently use this knowledge to understand
is govern and defines a man. experience. Knowledge is based on careful observation.
 In his work, Confessions, Augustine describes that humankind is DAVID HUME:
created in the image and likeness of God. Everything created by God “There is no Self”
who is all good is good. Therefore, the human person, being a
creation of God is always geared towards the good. He highlighted Philosopher David Hume suggests that if people carefully examine their sense
the significance of reflection, as well as the importance of experience through the process of introspection, they will discover that there is
prayers and confessions to arrive at a justification for the existence no self. According to Hume, what people experience is just a bundle or
of God. collection of different perceptions. He argues that it cannot be from any of these
RENE DESCARTE impressions that the idea of self is derived and consequently, there is no self.
“ I think therefore I am” IMMANUEL KANT:
French philosopher Rene Descartes is the father of modern philosophy.  He has “We construct the Self”
brought an entirely new perspective to philosophy and the self. He wants to
German Philosopher Immanuel Kant, it is the self that makes experiencing an
penetrate the nature of reasoning process and understand its relationship to the
intelligible world possible because it is the self that is actively organizing
human self. For him, the act of thinking about the self- of being self-conscious and synthesizing all of our thoughts and perceptions. The self, in the form of
--- is in itself proof that there is a self. He is confident that no rational person consciousness, utilizes conceptual categories which he calls transcendental
will doubt his or her own existence as a conscious, thinking entity. deduction of categories, to construct an orderly and objective world that is stable
 He contends that if man reflects thoughtfully, he will realize that and can be investigated scientifically. Kant believes that the self is an organizing
there are two dimensions of human self: principle that makes a unified and intelligible experience possible. 
SIGMUND FREUD:
 - the self as a thinking entity (soul) “The Self is Multilayered”
 -the self as a physical body
 Austrian Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud is not a philosopher. But
JOHN LOCKE: his views on the nature of the self have a far-reaching impact on
“The Self is Consciousness” philosophical thinking as well as other discipline psychology and
sociology.
For English Philosopher John Locke, the human mind at birth is tabula  He holds that the self consists of three layers: conscious,
rasa which means blank slate. He feels that the self or personal identity is preconscious and unconscious.
constructed primarily from sense of experiences or more specifically GILBERT RYLE:
what people hear, see, smell, taste and feel. These experiences shape and mold “The Self is the way people behave”
the self throughout a person’s life. For Locke, conscious awareness and memory British philosopher Gilbert Ryle believes that the self is best understood as a
of previous experiences are the keys to understanding the self. pattern of behavior, the tendency or disposition of a person to behave in a certain
 He believes that the essence of the self is its way in certain circumstances. Ryle’s concept of the human self thus provides the
conscious awareness of itself as thinking, reasoning, and philosophical principle, “I act therefore I am”. He considers mind to be
reflecting identity. Self-consciousness is necessary to have intrinsically linked in complex and intimate ways. In short, the self is the
a coherent personal (self) identity or knowledge of the self as a same as bodily behavior. He concludes that the mind is the totality of human
dispositions that is known through the way people behave.
  Nevertheless, Ryle is convinced that the mind expresses the entire  Psychological Perspective
system of thoughts, emotions and actions that make up the human self.  The Western and Eastern Concepts
Sociological Perspective
PAUL CHURCHLAND:
“The Self is the Brain”  Sociology- a scientific study of social groups and human
relationships generates new insights into the
Canadian philosopher Paul Churchland advocates the idea of eliminative interconnectedness between the self and soul.
materialism or the idea that the self is inseparable from the brain and
the physiology of the body. All a person has a brain, and so if the brain is  This particular view of oneself is formed through interactions
gone, there is no self. For him, the physical brain and not the with other people.
imaginary mind, gives the people the sense of self. The mind does not really GEORGE HERBERT MEAD
exist because it cannot be experienced by the senses.   He supports the view that a person develops a sense of self through
MAURICE MERLEAU-PONTY social interaction and not the biological preconditions.
“The Self is embodied Subjectivity”  This theory explained that the self has two dimensions:
French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty argues that all knowledge about 1. I- the subjective element and the active side of the self. It represents the
the self (e.g., understanding the nature of self) is based on the “phenomena” spontaneous and unique traits of the individual.
of experience. The “I” is a single integrated core identity, a combination of
the mental, physical, and emotional structures around a core identity of the 2. Me- objective element of the self that represents the internalized attitudes and
self. He further articulates that when people examine the self as demands of other people and individual’s awareness of those demands.
the fundamental level of direct human experience, people will discover that  Mead details the development of the self in a three-stage process:
the mind and body are unified, not separate.
 1. Preparatory stage (0-3 years old)
He notes that everything that people are aware of is contained within
consciousness. Consciousness is a dynamic form responsible for - Children imitate the people around them, especially family members with
actively structuring conscious ideas and physical behavior. He is convinced whom they have daily interaction. But they copy behavior without understanding
that consciousness, the world and the human body are intricately intertwined underlying intentions, and so at this stage, they have no sense of self. During this
in perceiving the world. For him, perception is not merely a consequence of stage, children are just preparing for role-taking.
sensory experience. Thus, the self is embodied subjectivity.  2. Play Stage (3-5 years old)
- Children start to view themselves in relation to
others as they learn to communicate through language and other symbols. At this
stage, role-taking is exhibited; however, children do not perceive role-taking as
something expected of them. The self emerges as children pretend to take the
roles of specific people or significant others, those individuals who are important
agents of socialization. At this age, the self is developing.
What is the Nature of the Self?  3. Game Stage (begins in the early school years about 8 or 9 years
 Philosophical Perspective old)
 Sociological Perspective - children understand not only their own social position but also those of others
 Anthropological Perspective around them. At this stage, children become concerned about and take into
account in their behavior which refers to the attitudes, viewpoints, demands and
expectations of the society. This time, they have a more sophisticated look of
people and an ability to respond to numerous members of the social
environment. During this stage, the self is now present.
THE SELF AS A PRODUCT OF MODERN AND POST MODERN
SOCIETIES
 French Sociologist, Jean Baudrillard exposes the negative
consequences of postmodernity to individuals in the society. For him,
consumption structures the postmodern society. The postmodern
individuals achieve self-identity through prestige symbols that they
consume. The cultural practices of advertising and mass media greatly
influence individuals to consume goods not for their primary value and
utility but for the feeling of goodness and power when compared with
others.