THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
THE SELF IN WESTERN AND
EASTERN THOUGHTS
INDIVIDUALISM VERSUS A often compare cultures using the
COLLECTIVISM East-versus-West idea, where
individualism East is like Asia, and West is like
Europe and North America
A stresses, or places great
emphasis, on individual goals and
the rights of the person
A individualist is motivated by IN THE SEARCH FOR THE SELF:
personal rewards and benefits EASTERN VERSUS WESTERN
A individualist people set personal PERSPECTIVES
goals and objectives based on
self
A individualistic workers are ALAN WATTS’ PERSPECTIVE ON
comfortable working with THE MYTHS OF THE SELF
autonomy and not a part of a opening statement
team
A Alan Watts begins by stating that
A geographic clusters of
the most fascinating problem in
individualism may be found in
the word is “Who am I?” and the
Anglo countries, Germanic
deeper meaning and feeling
Europe, and Nordic Europe
behind the word “I-I, myself”
collectivism
interpretations of the self
A focused on group goals, what is
A watts explored two significant
best for the collective group, and
myths about the self, explaining
personal relationships
that the term “myth” is not about
A collectivist is motivated by
falsehood by serves as a means
groups goals, long-term
to interpret and understood one’s
relationships are essential
reality
A collectivistic persons readily
sacrifice individual benefits or western perspective (myth of the world
praise to recognize and honor the as an artifact)
team’s success. being singles out
and honored as an individual A in the west, there is a distinct
from the rest of the group may be difference between the creator
embarrassing to the collectivistic and the created, similar to the
person relationship between a potter and
A geographic clusters for their pots or a carpenter and
collectivism are often located in their constructions
Arab countries, Latin America, A the godhead (creator) is distinct
Confucian Asia, Southern Asia, from the godhead’s creations
and Sub-Saharan Africa
eastern perspective (myth of the world as
a drama)
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
A in the east, the world is seen as a
drama, where everything is
“acted” rather than made, similar three main Confucian conceptions of the
to a player acting different parts self
A there is no distinction between
A the universal self
the creator and the created; both
A the organismic self
are seen as part of the same
A the relational self
existence
limitations of current conceptions
religious implications
A these three understanding are
A according to watts, these myths
still influenced by Indo-European
shape the religious of the west
metaphysical traditions and do
(Hebraism, Christianity, Islam)
not fully capture the unique
and those originated from India
Confucian idea of self
(Hinduism, and to a lesser extent,
A they may not provide a complete
Buddhism)
or accurate understanding of the
clarification Confucian conception of self
A watts clarifies that these myths genealogical self as an alternative
are expressions at a popular
A the genealogical self offers a
level, meaning they are how
deeper understanding of the
things seem, not necessarily how
Confucian self, rooted in Chinese
they are
social, cultural, and linguistic
A he notes that more sophisticated
traditions
followers of these religious have
A it goes beyond the shadow of
a deeper and more profound
Indo-European metaphysical
understanding of the self and
influences and aligns more
reality
closely with Confucianism’s
unique spirit
GENEALOGICAL SELF AND A
CONFUCIAN WAY OF SELF- TAOISM: DECEPTIVENESS OF
MAKING LANGUAGE
moral philosophy in different cultures taoism and language
A in both the Anglo-European West A Taoism reveals how language can
and East Asia, moral philosophy deceive us, with the Tao Te Ching
begins with understanding the (Classic of the Way and of
self’s true nature Potency) beginning by stating:
A different views on the self, such
as “what am I?” and “how do I A “the way that can be
become ‘way’ -ed is not the
constant way. the name
myself?” influence how that can be named is not
individuals live a moral life and the constant name”
answer the question “what ought A the tao is timeless and all-
I do to live my life?” encompassing, yet nameless and
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
indescribable. any attempt to evolution of buddhism
express it through language is
inherently false A buddhism has developed into
many sects, each departing in
philosophical implications various ways from the original
teachings of gautama (the
A Berkeley later argued that words buddha)
impede thinking, an idea already
present in Taoism, which predates diagnosis of suffering
20th-century linguistic analysis
A the Taoist idea is summarized in A buddhism identifies the
the phrase, “the knower does not attachment to the illusion of
say, the sayer does not know” individual selfhood as the root
cause of suffering
A this presents a paradox for
prescription for enlightenment
Taoists: they cannot articulate
what the tao is, but, being A self-renunciation is seen as the
mystics, they are not troubled by key to salvation, aiming to free
this limitation individuals not from social
conditions but from the self itself
chuang-tzu’s influence
view on life
A chuang-tzu’s aphorisms and
anecdotes challenge the idea A life is seen as inherently futile,
that language makes sense, with the ultimate goal being
including skepticism about the deliverance from the self, not
effectiveness of utterance worldly suffering
Taoism and paradox nirvana
A Taoism is full of contradictions, A nirvana is the ideal state to be
where the sage acts without attained, characterized by
action, and the ruler governs transcendence and the absence
without governing of self-reference
A being and non-being produce
each other, and each derives system of practice
meaning from the coexistence of
A buddhism has developed a
the other
detailed system a practices to
A taoism’s approach to language
achieve transcendence, with
and identity even predates
meditation being central to this
derrida’s 1978 critique of
path
logocentrism and his
deconstruction of western notions
HINDUISM
of identity and hierarchy
monistic metaphysics
A in Hinduism, the understanding of
BUDDHISM selfhood is deeply influenced by
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
monistic metaphysics, the beliefs
WEST
in the fundamental unity of all
existence eternal reality and self-liberation
Vedanta philosophy A the ultimate goal is self-liberation
through eliminating the false
A this conception of selfhood is “me” and discovering the true
particularly elaborated in “me”
Vedanta, one of the major
orthodox systems of Indian lifestyle and independence
philosophical thought
A western influence promote early
independence and self-expression
A individuals are responsible for
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF themselves, prioritizing personal
THE SELF IN WESTERN goals driven by materialistic
THOUGHT preferences, needs, and rights
Plato
relationships
A the first philosophers to assert
that the soul is eternal A tasks are prioritized over
A a man’s soul constitutes his relationships, and cognitive skills
enduring self, continuing to exist are viewed as separate from
after death social skills
Rene Descartes
A arranged marriages are
A Descartes proposed that uncommon; unions are based on
"thinking is an attribute of the love, with the belief that love
soul" and that the continuity of precedes marriage
one’s thinking mind is what
maintains personal identity child rearing
A he believed that consciousness,
which stems from the soul or A parents aim to make their
enduring self, defines one’s children independent and self-
existence. His famous assertion reliant
was "I think, therefore I am," A
meaning that thinking itself
constitutes the self A good parenting involves nurturing
latent abilities and encouraging
John Locke positive traits while discouraging
negative ones
A Locke argued that the self is
defined by memory
A he posited that memory allows us senior life
to recognize ourselves and thus
A elders are valued for their
form the idea of a self
independence and are free to
make their own decisions
education
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
A western education emphasizes
CONCEPT OF HARMONY
creativity and individual learning
styles A harmony between people and
A the system integrates various their environment (Tao) is a
elements but aims to enhance central value
individual approaches and A tao chi (yin-yang diagram) is an
encourages critical thinking example of the value of harmony
with the environment
leadership
A leadership is informal and
A applied to the concept of health
egalitarian, based on the belief
for energy (qi/chi), balance for
that all people are equal and
disease prevention, healing, and
deserve equal rights and
the development of human
opportunities
potential
A leadership involves leading by
A meditation is a way of managing
example, with a focus on
energy that is applied to reach
achieving goals and stopping
physical, emotional, mental, and
development when the goal is
spiritual harmony for individual
reached
holistic health
concept of beauty
historical impacts and modern
A men are attracted to women with reinterpretations
tanned skin and mature features,
A this core value of Confucianism
while women prefer muscular
had positive and negative effects
men with appealing personalities
on Chinese history; it became
like sassiness, wit, and strength
detrimental to women and
children
CONFUCIANISM: CONCEPT OF A contemporary Confucians
RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY recommended family conflict
A spiritual development comes resolution as a solution to this
after physical, emotional, and problem
mental development
A one must first learn to know, A
respect, and honor oneself as one
goes about daily business A younger generations are not
allowed to express their opinions
before their elders. according to
CONCEPT OF JEN AS A LOVING social standards, women and
RELATIONSHIP children who have been abused
A jen is a proper relationship are still expected to be
between two parties, that is, “a submissive. social workers and
loving and caring relationship to helping professionals must
reach humanity understand the hidden cultural
A meditation is considered a dynamics to deal with the root
cornerstone to search for self, philosophies and beliefs as they
find the truth, and achieve help people
individual and collective goals
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
A certain things are beyond human
FAMILY CONFLICT RESOLUTION control, referred to as destiny
A contemporary Confucians employ
the yin-yang theory to address A destiny is seen as a design of the
family conflicts, integrating heavens beyond human
concepts such as love (jen), understanding
justice, freedom, and fidelity A humans should align the decree
A this model aims to balance and of heaven by promoting general
harmonize family dynamics, welfare
ensuring that conflict resolution A focus should not be on wealth,
processes and developmental status, or longevity, as these are
goals incorporate these values beyond control
A the approach seeks to foster
equitable roles and flexibility, tao
emphasizing both stability and
A the tao represents the way of
adaptability in leadership
sages and former rulers who
followed the decree of heaven
THEORY OF THE UNIVERSE A this adherence promotes the
A humanism or secularism, instead common good and social
of the supernatural cohesion
A Confucius cared about humans,
that is, the human condition and THEORY OF HUMAN NATURE
not metaphysics
A Confucius believed in the
A ‘worry about humans, not gods;
potential of people to become
worry about life, not death’
sages or wise individuals
A good government would promote
A sages reflect goodness of the
social harmony and general well-
heavens by being benevolent
being
A the result of being moral and
benevolent is joy
A Confucius was unclear who only a
morality few people achieve wisdom and
A morality is embedded in both the benevolence
universe and humans A he suggested that free will might
A essence of morality is concern for be a factor in why some choose
the general welfare not to be good
A shared by thinkers like plato, A the environment plays a
Aristotle, locke, hobbes, and significant role in shaping us
presidents like Jefferson and fdr A achieving moral perfection
A the “decree of heaven” does not requires being molded by a
support rulers governing for culture and social system that
personal gain instead of general supports moral growth
welfare
DIAGNOSIS
destiny
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
A social discord is caused by 2.
selfishness and ignorance of the o cultivating self leads to being
past a better family member
A human interaction becomes o being a good family member
marked by strife has positive effects throught
A rulers govern with attention to society
personal gain o kindness shown to parents,
A common people suffer from siblings, and children fosters
unjust burdens goodwill toward others
A social behavior is driven by o the transformation of self and
egoism and greed benevolenve begins in the
A Confucius identified five main family and spreads outward
causes for a bad life 3.
o profit motive (seeking o about lying, Confucius said
profit) that we need the word and
o lack of respect for deed to conform; ergo,
parents (disrespect) actions should reflect words
o lying o if we all lie, then trust will
o ignorance of the past disappear
o minimal benevolence o words are easy to generate; if
a person or government uses
PRESCRIPTION them thus to conceal truth,
then from this social chaos
A Confucius prescribed self- ensues
discipline for individuals and o trust is a key component of
rulers to address societal ills
all dependable social
A society improves when the
interaction
people within it improve
1.
4.
o do what is right for its own
o messerly asserts that the
sake, not for profit
answer to gnorance of the
o aligning with the natural
past is education, study, and
order and heaven’s decree scholarship
through moral action o for Confucius, the study of
o moral excellence is its own
the cultural legacy of our past
reward, regardless of to revealing how moral
recognition perfection can be achieved
o strive for righteousness, even o education is crucial for good
without external appreciation government
o moral virtue brings joy, even o leadership should be
is full success isn’t achieved reserved for those who have
o destiny plays a role, but received a solid education
moral excellence is within our
control
o focus on self-discipline rather BENEVOLENCE
than seeking fame or fortune
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THE SELF IN WESTERN
AND EASTERN THOUGHTS
FIRST SEMESTER: GEC 1 MIDTERM
A benevolence refers to kindness,
goodwill, charity, compassion,
generosity, and philanthropy
A main means of moral perfection
A the process of becoming
benevolent involves three
elements
o clinging to and adhering
to benevolence at all
times
o the golden rule: treating
others as you would like
to be treated and not
doing to others what you
do not want to be done to
you
o habituating our action
according to moral rules
that we learn from
studying the classics
A benevolence is achieved by living
according to moral rules that
align with “the way of the
heavens”