QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
MODULE 1
THE SELF ACCORDING TO PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Explain the development of the self from the different philosophical perspectives.
2. Construct a concept of self based on the philosophers’ perspectives (with the
inclusion of what they say regarding the influences to self).
3. Express students’ deeper understanding of who they are based on the different
philosophical perspectives.
Introduction
This module aims to tackle the self according to philosophical perspective. By
answering the question “who am “I, we will delve into the concepts of self according to
the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, St. Augustine, Rene Descartes, and John Locke. We
will expect you to know their main concepts and examine their ideas so that you will be
able to create your concept of the self based on the topic presented.
1. THE MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy derived from two Greek words, “philo” and “sophia,” which means
“love of wisdom”. Philosophy is a field of study that deals with the fundamental
questions of human existence which include the question “who am I.”
2. SELF ACCORDING TO VARIOUS PHILOSOPHERS
A. SOCRATES
“The Unexamined Life is not worth living” – Socrates
While the pre-Socratic philosophers were busy finding the origin of the nature of the
universe, it was Socrates who first study the problem of the self. The main venture of his
philosophy is found in his famous dictum “Know thyself”.
For Socrates, to know one’s self is an imperative and requirement. It is an
imperative or command to evaluate our strengths and limitations since knowing one’s
self is a requirement to live towards a good, virtuous, and happy life. By examining the
self means the evaluation of our customs, beliefs, and practices. But “what is Socrates’s
concept of the self?”
QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
For Socrates, “the soul is a person’s true self…It is the seat of knowledge and
ignorance, of goodness and badness of actions… the intellectual and moral personality
of humans” (PHILO-notes, YouTube, 2020). The soul as a thinking and willing subject is
where our personality is established. That is why Socrates wants us to take care of the
soul. But why? So that the soul can attain a good life. The good life for Socrates is the
soul’s acquisition of knowledge, wisdom, and virtue. To attain a good life, there is a
need to examine our life.
According to Socrates, we can only attain a good and happy life by examining
ourselves through the Dialectic or Socratic Method:
Socratic Method, also known as dialectic method is the foundation of critical
thinking, a method of questioning that challenges accuracy and completeness of
thinking in a way that acts to move people towards their ultimate goal. (UB
Psychology Department, 2020)
Socratic Method is a question and answers conversation. It is compared to a
teacher and students or the court hearing where lawyers are task to ask various
questions by clarifying certain things. The goal of this method is to arrive at the true
meaning of certain concepts such as virtue, justice, goodness, love, etc.
B. PLATO
Human behavior flows from three main sources: desire,
emotions, and knowledge. - Plato
Plato described his concept of self in his notion of the human psyche. For Plato,
the self, which is the soul is composed of three elements; reason, spirit, and appetite:
The appetitive element of the psyche includes one’s desires, pleasures, physical
satisfactions, comforts, etc. The spirited element of the psyche that is excited
when given challenges, or fights back when agitated, or fights for justice when
unjust practices are evident. The mind, however, is what Plato considers as the
most superior of all elements. He refers to this element as the nous which means
the conscious awareness of the self. It decides, analyses, thinks ahead,
proposes what is best, and rationally controls both the appetitive and spirited
elements of the psyche. (Villafuerte, 2018)
According to Plato, “human behavior flows from three main sources: desire,
emotion, and knowledge”. When the appetitive and spirit controlled the reason,
disharmony of our soul and lives occur. Reason must control the other two elements so
that ignorance may not occur and happiness can be attained
QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
The harmony or our behavior depends upon the harmony of these three elements.
Disharmony happens when the desire (appetite) and emotion (spirit) governed our
reason. Reason must control and prevail over others. Let’s say, for example, you are
attending UTS class at this moment. Your appetite tells you to go out and eat
something, while your emotion is motivated to do it. However, your reason tells you that
it is inappropriate to go out and eat something since the class is ongoing. If your reason
prevails, then harmony occurs. When these three elements work together harmoniously
will lead towards harmonious, virtuous, and just life.
C. ST. AUGUSTINE
Every man whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy. –Augustine
St. Augustine believed that a human person is bifurcated in nature. For him, a
human being is a dualistic view of the separation between the body and soul. A human
soul, which is imperfect, always yearns to be with the Divine, which is God. That is why
a human soul is restless until he/she finds rest in God.
St. Augustine’s development of the self is achieved through self-presentation and
self-realization. According to him, the “self is in search of happiness, because after all,
we, humans, are eudemonic characters: our satisfaction in this life is derived from
happiness.” (UB Psychology Department, 2020). There are two fundamental rules in
living a happy life; justice and love. To be happy is to love the things properly. The
improper love of things leads us to love things more than one’s self and forget the true
meaning ourselves. We can have proper love when we embrace our spiritual life deeply.
D. RENE DESCARTES
“I think, therefore, I am”- Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes begins his conception of the self in his methodic doubt. His famous
dictum, “Cogito ergo sum” translated as “I think, therefore, I am,” becomes very
important not only in the field of philosophy but also to understand the self differently.
The “I” exist even you are doubting or dreaming. For Descartes, the self is a
“thinking thing” “a thing that doubts, that understands, that affirms, that denies, that
wishes to do this and does not wish to do that, and also that imagines and perceives by
the senses.” (Descartes, 2008). According to Villafuerte:
Descartes’ discovery of the cogito revolutionizes the way we view ourselves and the
world around us. It has also dramatically changed the way we evaluate ourselves.
The primary condition, therefore of the existence of the self, at least according to
Descartes, is human rationality. Simply put, we need reason in order to evaluate our
QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
thoughts and actions. We need reason in order to live fully the demands, challenges,
and call of our religion. We need reason in order to establish firm foundations for
universal truth and morals. We need reason in order to protect ourselves from being
savage to one another. We need reason in order to build and live out our peace.
(Villafuerte PhD, 2018)
E. JOHN LOCKE
“No man’s knowledge can go beyond his experience”- John Locke
John Locke, a British philosopher, physician, and politician formulated his idea of
the self in connection to personal identity. For Locke, the self is consciousness, and he
called it an intelligent being. Unlike Descartes, Locke does not believe in innate ideas,
or that reason alone is the source of knowledge. Locke’s knowledge of the self comes
from experience:
John Locke suggested another way of looking at the self. Locke opposed the
idea that only reason is the source of knowledge of the self. His proposition is
that the self is comparable to an empty space where every day experiences
contributed to the pile of knowledge that is put forth on that empty space.
Experience, therefore, is an important requirement in order to have sense data
which, through the process of reflection and analysis, eventually becomes sense
perception. (Villafuerte PhD, 2018)
John Locke asserts that our idea of the self begins with an empty sheet called
Tabula Rasa. For Locke, “no man’s knowledge can go beyond his experience”. We
acquire knowledge by sensation and reflection. The sensation passed through our
senses and by reflection, means “perceiving, thinking, doubting, believing, reasoning,
knowing, and willing”. Locke discussed three degrees of knowledge; intuitive,
demonstrative, and sensitive:
Intuitive knowledge involves direct and immediate recognition of the agreement
or disagreement of two ideas…For example, I know intuitively that a dog is not
the same as an elephant. Demonstrative knowledge is when we perceive the
agreement or disagreement indirectly through a series of intermediate ideas. For
example, I know that A is greater than B and B is greater than C, thus I know
demonstratively that A is greater than C. Sensitive knowledge is when our
sensory ideas are caused by existing things even when we do not know what
causes the idea within us. For example, I have known that there is something
producing the odor I can smell. (Clark, n.d.)
QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
Conclusion
The prominent philosophers are trying to answer the question who am I. They
provided us with their ideas about their concept of the self. Knowing oneself is very
significant in our lives. By these ideas of the self, our task is to evaluate these ideas and
make our concept of self so that we will be able to know who we are and like the
philosophers be able to define who we are as a human person.
Activities
Directions:
Video Clip. Formulate your own Philosophy of the Self. Create a minimum of a 1-
minute video clip that will briefly explain your concept. Provide examples and
illustrations.
Assessment
Directions: Answer the question with clarity. Do not rush, think before you write,
and use your time well in answering those questions.
1. Explain the philosophers’’ idea of the self.
2. Explain the importance of the philosophers’’ idea of the self into your life.
Reflection
Directions: Write a one-page reflection with a question: Who Am I?
Assignment
Directions: Make your concept of the self according to the idea of the
philosophers through a diagram.
QUEZON CITY UNIVERSITY
General Education Division – Social Sciences and Philosophy
References
Clark, D. (n.d.) John Locke – Defining Knowledge. NWLInk. Retrieved on
August 13, 2020 from
[Link]
Moriarty, M. (2008) RENE DESCARTES Meditations on First Philosophy with
Selections from the Objections and Replies. New York. Oxford University Press.
Salvacion, L. et al. (2018) Understanding the Self. Quezon City: Quezon City. Nieme
Publishing House
Socrates’s Concept of the Self – Philosophical Perspective of the Self (Understanding
the Self). PHILO – notes YouTube Channel. Retrieved on August 13, 2020 from
[Link]
UTS Chapter 1 – Self Philosophical Perspective / Philosophical Views of the Self. UB
Psychology Department YouTube Channel. Retrieved on August 13, 2020 from
[Link]