San Jose Community College
College of Business Administration
San Jose, Malilipot, Albay
GE 1: UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
PRELIM MODULE 1
This module was designed to engage you, dear students. Learning and retention improve
when you participate actively in the learning process. Remember that learning is not confined
to the four walls of the classroom. Hence, this module was created for you.
This module will guide you as you continue learning in the comfort of your home. To optimize
your learning experience using this module, please:
1. Take time to read the learning materials given to you.
Note: You are NOT allowed to upload or share any of the learning materials given to you
on the internet.
2. Answer all the learning activities.
3. Do culminating tasks. Be guided by the task prompts and the rubrics.
4. Submit all learning activities on time. These activities are designed such that you
should work on them sequentially. Hence, finishing a prior activity or learning tasks is
necessary before moving on to the next one.
5. Be mindful of the time allocated for each module.
6. Extend your knowledge by searching for additional learning resources online or in any
available medium.
Lesson 1: Philosophical View of the Self
At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
1. Explain the importance of knowing oneself;
2. Define the “self” according to the following philosophers:
a. Socrates;
b. Plato;
c. Rene Descartes;
d. John Locke;
e. David Hume; and
f. Immanuel Kant
3. Develop your own answer to the question, “Who am I?”
Activity 1: One-Minute Paper
Instructions: Before going deep, answer the following questions. (10 points)
1. How do you define the word “self”?
2. How do you define the word “body”?
3. Why do you think is the existing relationship between the self and the body?
LET’S CONTINUE LEARNING!
The word philosophy originates from two Greek words: philo (love) and sophia (wisdom). It
literally means “the love of wisdom”. A plethora of definitions are available, but philosophy is
broadly understood as the study of the most fundamental and profound matters of human
existence.
One of the most notable contributions of philosophy is its overaching inquiry into the
nature of human existence. Philosophy tries to identify the cardinal qualities of the “self” that
make one person distinct from others.
A ‘person’ could have different meanings to different minds. As you explore the differing
and contrasting views of these thinkers, emerge your ‘self’ with thoughts on the factual and
personal questions you have posed yourself about you as a person. In this lesson, you will
learn about the ideas of the self from six philosophers:
1. Socrates: The Soul is Dual in Nature
Socrates was an Athenian philosopher and is considered the Father of Western
Philosophy (Rattini 2019). “Know Thyself” this is the cornerstone of Socrates’ philosophy.
What does this mean? What is “self”? How do you know your “self”?
Socrates believed in the dualistic nature of a human being. That is, a person is
composed of body and soul.
Body – it is continuously changing.
o Scientific studies reveal that cells are dying and are replaced with new ones
spontaneously. This process is very evident in how our body deals with wounds.
Whatever is broken and lost on the surface of our skin gets replaced with new
ones, so the wound heals.
o The body is transient because it dies. Hence, it is temporary in nature.
o The body is just a vessel for the soul.
o It is essentially just a lump of earthly substance to which the soul gives life.
o Lastly, the body is imperfect because it is vulnerable to earthly pleasures, beliefs,
desires, and fears.
Soul – it is unchanging.
o The soul you had when you were born still the same soul you have now, up until
you die. But even after death, your soul remains.
o The soul, likewise, yearns for pleasure, but the kind of pleasure that transcends
physical boundaries. This includes the pleasures of learning and seeking out the
truth.
o The soul aspires for the divine (Alata 2018; Chafee 2016).
Because of this dualistic nature, humans are in a permanent struggle between these
two opposing sources of desire. The soul yearns for perfection and ultimate wisdom and
knowledge. At the same time, the body gravitates toward physical and material desires.
2. Plato: Three-Part Soul/Self
Plato is a Greek philosopher and one of the famous students of Socrates. Plato agrees
with the idea of his teacher, Socrates, on the concept of the soul/self. However, he elaborates
on his concept of the soul by introducing the three-part soul/self.
Plato’s three-part soul/self consists of (Chafee 2016):
Rational Self Reason enables us to make intelligent decisions,
(Reason) wise judgements, logical views, and an accurate
understanding of things around us.
Appetitive Self Appetite refers to our basic biological needs that
(Physical are very crucial for out survival. Some examples
Appetite) include food, water, air, and sexual reproduction.
Spirited Self Passion refers to our personal and emotional
(Spirit/Passion) relationships. Some examples include love,
anger, empathy, ambition, aggressiveness,
sadness, and fear.
Plato illustrates this concept of a three-part soul in his famous “charioteer” allegory,
where:
a. A noble horse represents Spirit (associated with the heart);
b. A wild horse embodies Appetite (associated with the belly/genitals);
c. The charioteer is Reason, who guides and controls the two independent-minded
horses (associated with the head/mind).
3. Rene Descartes: Human is a thinking being
Descartes is a French philosopher, mathematician, scientist. Descartes’ most famous
line is “cogito ergo sum,” which means, “I think; therefore I am.”
Descartes’ primary concern is the nature of the thinking process and how it is
related to the self. He gave emphasis on committing oneself to a methodical
doubting of all things, including your own existence (Chafee 2016).
4. John Locke: Self is the consciousness
Locke was an English philosopher and physician. Locke contended that the mind is born
tabula rasa, which means “blank slate.” Tabula Rasa is the notion that minds have no innate
ideas for processing information. For him, all knowledge originates from sensation (Azeris
2011). To be capable of populating this “blank slate” with knowledge from the information
being signaled by the senses, a human being needs to have “consciousness.” This
consciousness is the core of Locke’s view about the self.
For him, consciousness is what gives you a comprehensible concept of your “self”
because you are aware that you are thinking, feeling, and willing. Your memory of
your previous experiences is an indication of your awareness (i.e., consciousness) of
what was happening at that time. (Chafee 2016).
It is consciousness that goes along with thinking. Therefore, consciousness makes it
possible to identify that you are the same person irrespective of place and time.
5. David Hume: There is no self
Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, and economist. He adhered to Locke’s idea
that sensory system is the source of all knowledge. However, Hume contended that if you
carefully examine your experiences, you will discover that there is no permanent self.
Hume explained that impressions and ideas comprise our sensory experiences.
Impressions form part of our basic sensations, such as hot, cold, love, hate, etc.
Impressions are fleeting and momentary.
On the other hand, ideas are mere copies of impressions. These includes thoughts
and images as a result of your primary impressions (Chafee 2016).
The idea that the “self” is a constant and persisting thing is obtained from
impressions, which are transient and non-persisting.
Therefore, there cannot be an idea of a permanent self (Alata 2018).
It follows that the “self” is but a collection of different impressions and observations
characterized by fluidity and variability.
It is a collection of experiences.
6. Immanuel Kant: We construct the self
Kant was an influential German philosopher in the Age of Enlightenment.
Kant’s idea of the self was in response to Hume’s notion that the mind is just a
vessel of fleeting sensations.
Kant argued that it is the mind’s inherent characteristics to unify, classify, and
synthesize information. As a result, we gain insights and understanding of the world,
as well as knowledge about ourselves (Chafee 2016).
Assessment 1: LET’S CHECK YOUR PROGRESS!
Instructions: After exploring the conflicting views about the self by the different philosophers,
kindly answer the following questions. (15 points)
1. Discuss the salient features of the “self” according to the following philosophers in no
more that three sentences. (2 points each)
a. Socrates
b. Plato
c. Descartes
d. Locke
e. Hume
f. Kant
2. In no more than five sentences, deliberate on how the views of the different thinkers
influenced your understanding of your “self”. (3 points)