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MODULE 1: SUBJECT-UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

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Introduction:
Before we even had to be in any formal institution of learning among the many things
that we were first taught as kids is to articulate and write our names. Growing up we were told
to refer back to this name when talking about ourselves. Our parents painstakingly thought
about our names. Should we be named after a famous celebrity, a respected politician or
historical personality, or even a saint? Were you named after one? Our names represent who
we are. It has not been a Custom to just randomly pick a combination of letters and number (or
even punctuation marks) like zhjk756!! to denote our being. Human beings attach names that
are meaningful to birthed progenies because names are supposed to designate us in the world.
Thus, some people get baptized with names such as precious, beauty, or lovely. Likewise, when
our parents call our names, we were taught to respond to them because our names represent
who we are. As a student, we are told to always write our names on our papers, projects, or
any output for that matter. Our names signify us. Death cannot even stop this bond between
the person and her name. Names are inscribed even into one’s gravestone.
A name is not the person itself no matter how intimately bound it is with the bearer. It is
only a signifier. A person who was named after a saint most probably will not become an actual
saint. He may not even turn out to be saintly! The self is thought to be something else than the
name. The self is something that a person perennially molds, shapes, and develops. The self is
not a static thing that one is simply born with like a mole on one’s face or is just assigned by
one’s parents just like a name. Everyone is tasked to discover one’s self. Have you truly
discovered yours?
Perform Learning Task: Activity 1-Below

UNIT 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE

The history of philosophy is filled with thinkers who wonders into the fundamental
nature of things. Along with the question of the primary substratum that defines the
multiplicity of things in the world, the inquiry on the self has preoccupied ancient thinkers.
Questions such as “Who am I?” continuously arise as one of the basic questions in finding a
deeper understanding about the self and of being a person.
How does Philosophy view “Self” across the different era? This unit highlights how
classical, modern and post-modern philosophical models defined the concept of Self. The
evolution of these philosophical frameworks from ancient to contemporary times and the
relevance of the philosophy of Self shapes how the younger generation defined their own sense
of self.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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-at the end of the lesson the students are expected to:
a. Differentiate various philosophical perspective of the “Self” from different philosophers.
b. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing the development of one’s self and
identify by developing a theory of the Self.
c. Express how a personal concept of Self is "compatible or against" a certain philosophical
view.
d. Perform practices that will promote respect and appreciation of the self.

LEARNING CONTENT:
Lesson 1: What is PHILOSOPHY?
Philosophy is derived from the Greek words “Philo” (love) and “Sophia”(wisdom) which
literally means “Love for Wisdom”. It is the study of acquiring knowledge through rational
thinking and inquiries that involves in answering questions regarding the nature and existence
of man and the world we live in. As such, it is imperative to look into the various explanations
from different philosophers their notion of what the “Self” its nature and how it is formed in
order to have a better picture on how people develop their behaviors, attitude and actions and
to be able to identify and understand who we are and how we came to be.

What is the concept of Self in Ancient Philosophy?

The Greeks were the ones who seriously questioned myths and moved away from them
to understand reality and respond to perennial questions of curiosity… including the question of
the Self.
The following are discussions of different perspectives and understandings of the Self according
to its prime movers. From philosophers of the ancient times to the contemporary period.
THE PRE-SOCRATICS
The Pre-Socratics (Thales, Pythagoras, Parmenides, Heraclitus, Empedocles, etc.) were
concerned with answering questions such as
• what is the world really made up of?
• why is the world the way it is?
• what explains the changes that happen around us?

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A. Socrates
Socrates’ work was never published, we were only able to know who Socrates is and his
works because of his illustrious students spoke generously and in detail about his knowledge,
wit, wisdom and intellect. His student Plato for example included Socrates in some of his work
as a pivotal character. He could be considered as the first martyr of education, knowledge and
philosophy. For lighting up the minds of his students, he was literally charged with corruption of
minors. He was made to choose between exile and death via the intake of hemlock. Socrates
chose the latter, thus dying as a martyr that fights against ignorance and narrow-mindedness.
The philosophy of Socrates underlies in the importance of the notion “knowing oneself”
for him, men’s goal in life is to obtain happiness and such goal motivates us to act towards or
avoid things that could have negative repercussions in our lives. As such, by fully knowing
oneself a person will be able to achieve happiness. Socrates also posited that possession of
knowledge is a virtue and that ignorance is a depravity, that a person’s acceptance of ignorance
is the beginning of acquisition of knowledge. So, one must first have the humility to
acknowledge one’s ignorance so as to be able to know what he is lacking and what he needs to
know.
Socrates believe that the answer to our pursuit in knowing ourselves lies in our own
abilities and wisdom, and that the only way for us to understand ourselves is through internal
questioning or introspection. This method of questioning oneself, where the person assumes
the role of both the teacher and the student is known to the world as the Socratic Method or
Socratic Conversation. By continuously asking and evaluating who we are we as a person will
also be able to understand our strengths and weaknesses, the things that we like and dislike,
how we want people to treat us and how we want ourselves to be treated, so by knowing these
things we can act in accordance to what we know we are and live our lives following our
knowledge of ourselves.

Review of important points:

- Socrates philosophy underlies in the importance of the notion of “knowing oneself”
- for him, men’s goal in life is to obtain happiness
- happiness motivates us to act towards or avoid things that could have negative effects in our
lives
- as such, by fully knowing oneself a person will be able to achieve happiness
- possession of knowledge is a virtue; ignorance is a depravity (evil, corruption, wickedness)
- a person’s acceptance of ignorance is the beginning of acquisition of knowledge
- knowing ourselves, lies in our own abilities, and wisdom
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- understanding ourselves is through internal questioning or introspection (understanding our
strengths and weaknesses, like vs. dislike)
- use Socratic method or Socratic conversation (asking and answering questions to stimulate
critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions)

B. Plato
Plato One of the most prominent thinkers of his time, Plato included in his work the
learnings and ideas shared to him by his teacher Socrates. He wrote several literatures that
tackles politics, human nature, and established the idea of virtue and intelligence. Plato is
historically known to be the father of the academy a place where learning and sharing of
knowledge happens, that later became one of the pillars and basis of what schools and
education is now in the present. Plato generally followed his teacher and the idea of knowing
thyself although from his works such with the notable ones’ such as the allegory of the cave,
the apology, and his work on a perfect government and societal system, “the Republic” where
he said that the world can only be led by a Philosopher king, a person who is virtuous as well as
intelligent.
According to Plato, a person who is a follower of truth and wisdom will not be tempted
by vices and will always be just. Plato also believed in the division of a person’s body and soul
which forms the person as a whole aside from the material things and that could be observed
and associated with a person, Plato presented the idea the ones’ soul is divided into 3 different
parts that has different views leading to different behaviors, these parts of the soul are known
as the Appetitive, Spirited, and Rational Soul.
Plato’s 3 parts of the soul Appetitive Soul –Plato’s idea of the appetitive soul is the part
of the person that is driven by desire and need to satisfy oneself. This satisfaction both involves
physical needs and pleasures and desires. As long as the person find an object or situation good
or satisfying, the Appetitive soul can drive the person to lean towards those objects and
situations. Spirited Soul – this part of the soul can be attributed to the courageous part of a
person, one who wants to do something or to right the wrongs that they observe. Spirited soul
is very competitive and is very active, his competitiveness drives one to expect positive results
and winning. Rational Soul – The last part of the soul could be said is the driver of our lives, this
is the part that thinks and plan 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.

Review of important points:

- student of Socrates

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- wrote several literatures that tackles politics, human nature, and established the idea of virtue
and intelligence
- father of academy (a place where learning and sharing of knowledge happens;
later became one of the pillars and basis of what schools and education is now in the present)
- followed the idea of Socrates in knowing thyself
- notable works are:
1. Allegory of the cave
2. The apology
3.Perfect government and societal system,
4. The republic (here he said that the world can only be led by a philosopher king, a person who
is virtuous, as well as intelligent)
- according to him, a person who is a follower of truth and wisdom will not be tempted by vices
and will always be correct/moral/ethical
- he believed in the division of a person’s body and soul which forms the person as a whole
aside from the material things and that could be
observed and associated with a person
- believed that the soul is divided into 3 different parts that has different views, leading to
different behaviors

1. Appetitive soul – the part of the person that is driven by desire and need to satisfy oneself.
This satisfaction involves physical needs and
pleasures and desires, objects and situations
2. Spirited soul – courageous part of a person. One who wants to do something or to right the
wrongs that they observe. This is very competitive and is very active. Competitiveness drives
one to expect positive results and winning.
3. Rational soul – the drive of our lives. The part that thinks and plan 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.

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C. St. Augustine
St. Augustine A Saint and a Philosopher of the church, St. Augustine follows the idea that
God encompasses us all, that everything will be better if we are with God. His work’s focal point
is on how God and his teachings affects various aspects in life, he follows the belief that
everything is better if we devote ourselves in mending our relationship with God. His idea of a
man and how to understand who we are as a person is related to our understanding of who we
are and how we question ourselves, though St. Augustine also relates our existence to God
being modeled in his likeness though being alive means that we are still far from God and has
yet to be truly with him.
St. Augustine also rejected the doubtfulness of the academy in which one cannot or
should not accept ideas from others. He emphasized that we may not be able to give our
agreement to everything other people tell us but we can still agree to those who we, from our
own perception, think is right or wrong based from our perception. He believes that our notion
of ourselves and our idea of existence comes from a higher form of sense in which bodily
senses may not perceive or understand, and the more one doubts and question his life means
that, that person is actually living.
St. Augustine while integrating the teaching of the church in his philosophy and
establishing our sense of self with God which we cannot achieve with our bodies since the
limitation of our senses in truly understanding the essence of our existence and role in the
world is limited. So people is in need to establish their relationship with god through being
virtuous, but at the same time, to be able to stand by on what we think is true, who we think
we are that are from our own understanding and solely defined by us alone although people
may say differently, by continuously questioning and finding the truth will we be able to find
the best answer to who we are and what our role is in the world.

Review of important points:

- a saint and a philosopher of the church
- follows that idea that god encompasses us all, that everything will be better if we are with god
you'll also like
- believed that god and his teachings affect various aspects in life (that everything is better if we
devote ourselves in mending our relationship with god.
- his idea of a man and how to understand who we are as a person is related to our
understanding of who we are and how we question ourselves

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- relates our existence to god being modelled in his likeness though being alive means that we
are still far from god and has yet to be truly with him
- rejected the doubtfulness of the academy in which one cannot or should not accept ideas
from others
- emphasized that we may not be able to give our agreement to everything other people tell us
but we can still agree to those who we are from our own perception
- think is right is right or wrong based from our perception
- our notion of ourselves and our idea of existence comes from a higher
form of sense in which bodily senses may not perceive or understand and the more one doubts
and question his life means that, the person is actually living
- teaching of the church and establishing our sense of self with god identifies the essence of our
existence and role in the world (the reason for this is because our bodies are limited)
- we need to establish relationship with god through being virtuous

D. Rene Descartes
Descartes Rene Descartes is a French Philosopher known to be the father of modern
philosophy because of his radical use of systematic and early scientific method to aid his ideas
and assumptions. Though his works were often compared or said to be similar to the concept of
St. Augustine which could be traced back to the works of Plato, what his ideas sets him apart is
on his belief in modern dualism or the existence of body and mind and it’s implication to one’s
existence were presented with the evidences from experiments as well as philosophical
reasoning, he also known to be the proponent of the “Methodical Doubt” which simply meant
of a continuous process of questioning what we perceive and accepting the fact that doubting,
asking questions are a part of ones’ existence. As such he has defined the roles of the mind and
body to the notion of one’s existence and sense of self.
Descartes is known for the statement “Cogito Ergo Sum” which means in English as “I
think therefore I am”. According to him a person is comprised of mind and body, the body that
perceives from the different senses and the mind that thinks and question or doubt what the
body has experienced. For him, the body and its perceptions cannot fully be trusted or can
easily be deceived, for instance there are times that we feel that a dream is real before actually
waking up or having different perception of size based on an objects distance from the viewer.
Descartes explained that because we cannot always trust our senses and in turn what
we perceive as who we are or the essence of our existence, we as a rational being should focus

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on the mind and 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. He also implies that being in a constant doubt regarding one’s existence is proof
that a person actually exists.

Review of important points:

- French philosopher known to be the father of modern philosophy because of his radical use of
systematic and early scientific method to aid his ideas and assumptions
- believe in modern dualism or the existence of body and mind and its importance to one’s
existence were presented with the evidences from experiments as well as philosophical
reasoning
- known to be the proponent of the “methodical doubt” (continuous process of questioning –
what we perceive and accepting the fact that doubting, asking questions are part of one’s
existence
- defined the roles of the mind and body to the notion of one’s existence and sense of self
- known for the statement “cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am)
- according to him, a person is comprised of mind (thinks and question or doubt what the body
has experienced) and body (perceives from the different senses)
- body and its perceptions cannot fully be trusted or can easily be deceived (for example: there
are times that we feel that a dream is real before actually waking up or having different
perception of size based on an objects distance from the viewer)
- we should focus on the mind in order to perceive as who we are or the essence of our
existence because we cannot always trust our senses
- 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
- being in constant doubt regarding one’s existence is proof that a person actually exists

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E. John Locke
Locke John Locke is an English Philosopher, Physician, He is considered to be the father
of Classical liberalism some of his works on this subject matter paved the way to several
revolutions to fight the absolute powers of monarchs and rulers of his time that led to the
development of governance, politics and economic system that we now know. His work on the
self is most represented by the concept “Tabula Rasa” which means a Blank Slate. He believed
that the experiences and perceptions of a person is important in the establishment of who that
person can become.
Unlike what the other Philosophers view on human experiences and senses, John Locke
does not disregard the experiences of the person in the identification and establishment of who
we are as a person. He stated that a person is born Impressions loving Cold approachable sad
warm happy with knowing nothing and that is susceptible to stimulation and accumulation of
learning from the experiences, failures, references, and observations of the person. Considering
this, the process of the mind to absorb information and accumulate knowledge may imply that
as a person to be able to be whom we want to be, with the right stimulations, enough
experiences, as well as awareness that by primarily knowing nothing will enable one to be open
to any kind of learning and does not limit any possibilities for growth implies that the
opportunity for one person to develop to anything he wants to be is limited only to the
environment, experiences, and the choices of the person.

Review of important points:

- English philosopher and physician
- considered to be the father of classical liberation
- his works paved the way to several revolutions to fight the absolute powers of monarchs and
rulers of his time that led to the development of governance, politics and economic system that
we now know.
- work on the self is most represented by the concept “tabula rasa” (blank slate).
- the experiences and perceptions of a person is important in the establishment of who that
person can become
- he does not disregard the experiences of the person in the identification and establishment of
who we are as a person

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- stated that a person is born with knowing nothing and that is susceptible to stimulation and
accumulation of learning from the experiences, failures, references, and observations of the
person
F. David Hume
Hume The Scottish Philosopher David Hume, focused his work in the field of Empiricism,
Skepticism, and naturalism. Being an Empiricist which believes in concrete evidences and
observable experiences that meld a person, his notion on the self contradicts to the ideas of the
philosophers before him which said that at the notion of self, one’s identity and behavior does
not exceed the physical realm and that the “Self” is only the accumulation of different
impressions.
According to him, there is no permanent “self”, that since our impressions of things
based from our experiences and from such impressions we can create our ideas and knowledge
which leads to the argument that since our impression and ideas change, it may improve or
totally be replaced means that one change occurred the same phenomenon of will happen to
ones idea of who he is and what he can do. That is the idea that Hume reiterated when saying
that there should be no permanent concept of the self. He said when a person is asked the
question “who you are? “That person tends to answer different impressions such as good,
happy, optimistic, contented, sad, etc. generally they apply to who you are now but at the same
time these characteristics might change from time to time. If the neighbor you knew your entire
life to be happy and have a positive outlook suddenly looked sad and discontented can we say
that the person you seeing is not your neighbor anymore?

Review of important points:

- Scottish philosopher
- focused his work in the field of empiricism, skepticism, and naturalism
- self is accumulation of different impressions, and does not exceed the physical realm
- there is no permanent self because impressions of things are based from our experiences
where we can create our ideas and knowledge. Thus, it may improve or totally be replaced
- example: if the neighbor you knew your entire life to be happy and have a positive outlook
suddenly looked sad and discontented can we say that the person you seeing is not your
neighbor anymore?

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G. Immanuel Kant
Kant Immanuel Kant, a German Philosopher that is known for his works on Empiricism
and Rationalism. Kant responded to Hume’s work by trying to establish that the collection of
impressions and different contents is what it only takes to define a person. Kant argued that the
awareness of different emotions that we have, impressions and behavior is only a part of our
self. He said that to fully understand who we are, a certain level of consciousness or sense that
uses our intuition which synthesizes all the experiences, impressions and perceptions of
ourselves will pave the way to define and know who we really are.
Kant argued that the sense called “Transcendental Apperception” is an essence of our
consciousness that provides basis for understanding and establishing the notion of “self” by
synthesizing one’s accumulation of experiences, intuition and imagination goes. Which means
that this idea goes beyond what we experience but still able to become aware of. For example,
the idea of time and space, we may not be able to observe the movement of time and the
vastness of space but we are still capable of understanding their concept based from what we
can observe as their representation. With that in mind and following the idea of Kant about
Self, we can say that we are not only an object that perceives and reacts to whatever it is that
we are experiencing, we also have the capabilities to understand beyond those experiences and
be able to think and have a clear identification who we are and establish a sense of self that is
unique and distinct from others.

Review of important points:

- German philosopher that is known for his works on empiricism and rationalism
- establish that the collection of impressions and different contents is what it only takes to
define a person
- awareness of different emotions that we have, impressions and behavior is only a part of
ourself
- to fully understand the self, a certain level of consciousness or sense that uses our intuition
which synthesizes all the experiences, impression and perceptions of ourselves will pave the
way to define and know who we are really are.
- argued that the sense called “transcendental apperception” is an essence of our
consciousness that provides basis for understanding and establishing the notion of self by
synthesizing one’s accumulation of experiences, intuition and imagination
- we experience but still be able to become aware of
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- for example: the idea of time and space, we may not be able to observe the movement of
time and the vastness of space but we are still capable of understanding their concept based
from what we can observe as their representation
- the idea of self are not only an object that perceives and reacts to whatever it is that we are
experiencing; we also have the capabilities to understand beyond those experiences and be
able to think and have a clear identification who we are and establish a sense of self that is
unique and distinct from others.

H. Sigmund Freud
Freud Sigmund Freud, an Austrian Psychologist and Physician, he is also known as the
father of psychoanalysis and is known for his work on human nature and the unconscious.
Freud believed that man has different constructs of personality that interacts with each other
and along with his concept of the different levels of consciousness provides an idea how a
person develops a sense of self. Aspects of Personality ID - also known as the child aspect of a
person, The ID’s attention is on satisfaction of one’s needs and self-gratification. It is driven by
the pleasure principle. SUPEREGO- is the conscience of the one’s personality, Superego has the
inclination to uphold justice and do what is morally right and socially acceptable actions. The
superego is involved in the notion of right or wrong that is imparted to us by our parents or
people that tool care for us during childhood. EGO - Sometimes known as the Police or the
mediator between id and superego. It operates within the boundaries of reality; primary
function is to maintain the impulses of the ID to an acceptable degree.
Freud also introduced the idea that the accumulation of the experiences of a person
helps build his personality although such information is not stored in a single area where we
can access them at any time. He introduced the levels of consciousness, The Conscious where
minority of our memories are being stored and the memories that are in the conscious is easier
to be tapped or accessed. The other one is the Pre-conscious, the middle part of the entirety of
our consciousness, the memories stored in this area can still be accessed but with a little
difficulty. And the last one is the Unconscious; this area is where majority of our memories
since childhood are deeply stored. It is very difficult to tap the memories in the unconscious, it
would need a trained professional and several special techniques in order to make some
memories resurface. Freud believed that we are a by-product of our experiences in the past.
And that are actions are driven by the idea of resisting or avoiding pain, and are molded from
our need for pleasure or being happy.

Review of important points:

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- Austrian psychologist and physician
- father of psychoanalysis
- known for his work on human nature and the unconscious
- believed that man has different constructs of personality that interacts with each other
- conceptualize about the different levels of consciousness that provides an idea how a person
develops a sense of self

Man has 3 aspects of personality

1. Id – the child aspect of a person; attention is on satisfaction of one’s needs and self
gratification. Driven by pleasure principle
2. Super ego – the conscience of one’s personality. Has the inclination to uphold justice and do
what is morally right and socially acceptable actions. Involved in the notion of right or wrong
that is imparted to us by our parents or people that took care for us during childhood
3. Ego – police or the mediator between id and super ego. Operates within the boundaries of
reality, primary function is to maintain the

impulses of the id to an acceptable degree

- introduced the idea that the accumulation of the experiences of a person
helps build his personality although such information are not stored in a
single area where we can access them at any time

Introduced the levels of consciousness:

1. Conscious – where minority of our memories are being stored and the memories that are in
the conscious is easier to be to be tapped or access
2. Pre-conscious – the middle part of the entirety of our consciousness; the memories stored in
this area can still be accessed but with a little difficulty
3. Unconscious – this area is where majority of our memories since childhood are deeply
stored. It is very difficult to tap the memories. It would need a trained professional and several
special techniques in order to make some memories resurface

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- he believed that we are a by-product of our experiences in the past and that are actions are
driven by the idea of resisting or avoiding pain, and are molded from our need for pleasure or
being happy

I. Gilbert Ryle
Gilbert Ryle with his Behavioristic approach to self, said that self is the behavior
presented by the person, his notion of dualism is that the behavior that we show, emotions and
actions are the reflection of our mind and as such is the manifestation of who we are. Ryle does
not believe that the mind and body, though some say can coexist, are two separate entities
which is said to be evident in the unexplainable phenomenon or abilities of the mind where the
soul is considered. To him, once we encounter others, their perceptions of what we do, how we
act, and the way we behave will then result to the understanding of other people and
establishing of who we are.
His explanation of self is further exemplified in his “ghost in the machine” view. This
view said the man is a complex machine with different functioning parts, and the intelligence,
and other characteristics or behavior of man is represented by the ghost in the said machine.
He gave further explanation using an example imagining that if you are touring a visiting friend
to the university that you are studying and you brought him to the athletic center, library,
buildings and classrooms, but then your friends ask “but where is the university? As such is the
point of Ryle, all those places, buildings and offices are the university which supports his idea
that the mind and body is not necessarily separate entities. So, considering that analogy, the
idea of Ryle is saying that the things that we do, how we behave and react and all other
components like the way we talk, walk, and look is generally who we are as a person.

Review of important points:

- used behavioristic approach to self
- self is the behavior presented by the person
- behavior that we show, emotions, and actions are the reflection of our mind and as such is the
manifestation of who we are
- does not believe that the mind and body are two separate entities which is said to be evident
in the unexplainable phenomenon or abilities of the mind where the soul is considered;
however, to some they can co-exist

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- to him, once we encounter others, their perceptions of what we do, how we act, and the way
we behave will then result to the understanding of other people band establishing of who we
are
- self is exemplified in his “ghost in the machine” view (man is a complex machine with different
functioning parts, and the intelligence, and other characteristic or behavior of man is
represented by the ghost in the said machine
- his idea is saying that the things that we do, how we behave and react and all other
components like the way we talk, walk and look is generally who we are as a person
J. Paul Churchland
Paul Churchland Canadian philosopher whose focus is on the idea that people should
improve our association and use of words in identifying the self. He has this idea that the “self”
is defined by the movements of our brain. Churchland’s work revolves around challenging of
the notion and terms being used to explain behavior or to explain how a person feels, thinks,
and act with regards to physiological phenomenon that is happening in the body as well as
definitions brought about by emotions, this is one of the notion of the concept of Folk
Psychology also known as common sense psychology.
The main philosophy of Churhland built the idea of “eliminative materialism”. Basically,
eliminative materialism opposes that people’s common sense understanding of the mind is
false and that most of the mental states that people subscribe to, in turn, do not actually exist,
this idea also applies on the understanding of behavior and emotions. This leads to his idea of
Neurophilosophy, he believed that to fully understand one’s behavior, one should understand
the different neurological movement of the brain that pertains to different emotions, feelings,
actions and reactions and how such brain movements affect the body. With this in mind we can
eliminate the ambiguity of subjective and baseless identification of the mind, behavior and self
in general because by understanding the different neural pathways, how they work, and what
implications are those movements are to people, will we not only have proof that there is a
measurable classification on one’s behavior it can also be said that the constant movement of
the brain can be the basis of who the person is this is emphasized by Churchland and his wife in
the statement “The Brain as the Self”.

Review of important points:

- Canadian philosopher whose focus is on the idea that people should improve our association
and use of worth in identifying the self
- the self is defined by the movement of our brain
- his work revolves around folk psychology or common-sense psychology

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(the notion and terms being used to explain behavior or to explain how a person feels, thinks,
and act with regards to physiological phenomenon that is happening in the body as well as
definition brought by emotions.)
- main is philosophy is the idea of “eliminative materialism” (opposes that people’s common
sense understanding of the mind is false and the mental states that man are into are not
existing; applies the understanding of behavior and emotions)
- conceptualize about neuro-philosophy wherein he believed that to fully l understand one’s
behavior, one should understand the different neurological movement of the brain that
pertains to different emotions, feelings, actions and reactions and how such brain movements
affect the body
- understanding the different neural pathways, how they work, and what implications are those
movement to people is a measurable classification on one’s behavior
- constant movement of the brain can be the basis of who the person is (emphasized by
churchland and his wife in the statement “the brain as the self”)

K. Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty

Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty is a French philosopher that is known for his works
on existentialism and phenomenology. His idea of the self, regarded that the body and mind are
not separate entities, but rather those two components is one and the same. His idea that
follows the gestalt ideation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in which
pushed his idea on the unity of the function of the mind and body, this idea is called the
Phenomenology of Perception.
The idea of Phenomenology of Perception according to Merleau-Ponty is divided into
three (3) division, The Body, The Perceived World, and the People and the world. The body that
both receives the experience as well as integrates such experiences in the different perception.
The Perceived world, which are the accumulation of the perception as integrated by the
experiences of the body. And the People and the world that enable one to not only be able to
integrate the other objects in the world but also to be able to experience the cultural aspect
and relate to others. His idea of perception follows the idea of Gestalt psychology which gives
important on the whole than the sum of its part. For him, perception guides our action based
from what our experiences are, the body perceives while our consciousness provides the
meaning or interprets the various perception we have in the world and the self could be
established by the perceptions we have in the world, whereas one’s action, behavior and
language used could be said to be the reflection of our united perception of the world.

Review of important points:

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- French philosopher
- known for his works on existentialism and phenomenology
- self- regarded that the body and mind are not separate entities but rather
those two components is one and the same

- coined the idea of phenomenology of perception (unity of the function of

the mind and the body) which is divided into three division:
1. The body – that both receives the experiences as well as integrates such experiences in the
different perception
2. The perceived world – the accumulation of the perception as integrated by the experiences
of the body
3. The people and the world – enable one to not only be able to integrate the other objects in
the world but also to be able to experience the cultural aspect and relate to others
- idea of perception follows the idea of gestalt psychology (gives importance on the whole than
the sum of its parts
- perception guides our action based from our experiences
- the body perceives while our consciousness provides the meaning or interprets the various
perception we have in the world and the self could be established by the perceptions we have
in the world
- one’s actions, behavior and language used could be said to be the reflection of our united
perception of the world.

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LEARNING TASKS:
Activity 1:
Instruction: Answer the following questions about yourself as precise and honest as you can.
Your answer should be concise with a maximum of two paragraphs each question.
1. How would you characterize yourself?
2. What makes you stand out from the rest? What makes you special?
3. How did you developed through a period of time? E.g. knowledge, character, talent, etc.
4. How is your self related to other selves? How do you relate to others?
5. What will happen to the self after your die? How does your religion view afterlife?

Activity 2:
Instruction: In your own words, state how “Self” is viewed by the following philosophers. Do
not copy and paste from the module. Cite some salient points of the philosopher and expound
it in your own words. Again, your answer should be concise with a maximum of two paragraphs
each question.

1.Socrates
2.Plato
3.Augustine
4.Descartes
5.Hume

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6.Kant
7.Ryle
8.Merleau-Ponty

LEARNING REFERENCES:
Beilharz, Peter, a Trever Hogan. 2002. Social Self, Global Culture: An Introduction to Sociological
Ideas. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chaffee. John. 2015. The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically about Profound Ideas. 5th Ed.
Boston: Pearson.
David, Randolph 2002 Nation Sett and Citizenship: An invitation to Philippine Sociology
Departp,1 of Sociology, College at Social Sciences and Philosophy University of the Philippines
Descartes, René 2008. Meditation on First Philosophy. With Selections from the Objections end
Replies. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ganeri, Jonardon, 2012. The Self Naturalism, Consciousness, and the First Person Stance. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Hume, David, and Eric Steinberg. 1992. An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding; (with) A
Letter from a Gentleman to His Friend in Edinburgh: (and) An Abstract of a Treatise of Human
Nature. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
Marsella, Anthony J., George A. Do Vos, and Francis L. K. Hsu. 1985. Culture and Self Asian and
Western Perspectives. London: Tavistock Publications.
Mead. George Herbert, 1934. Mind, Self, and Society: From the Standpoint of a Social
Behaviorist. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Plato. 2000. Plato: “The Republic.’ Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
_____. 2012. Six Great Dialogues: Apology. Critoo. Phaedo, Phaedrus. Symposium. The
Republic. Courier Corporation.
‘lato. 2017. The Republic. Germany: BookRix.
Rappe, Sara L. 1995. “Socrates and Self-Knowledge.” Apeiron: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy
and Science 28 (1):1—24.
Schlenker, Barry R. 1985. The Self arid Social Life. New York: McGraw-Hill,
Stevens. Richard. 1996. Understanding the Self. California: SAGE Publications.

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Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of personality. In Pervin and John (eds). Handbook of
Personality Theory and Research (pp 134 – 194) . 2nd ed. Guilford Press.
Chafee, J. (2013). Who are you? Consciousness, identity and the self. In the Philosopher’s Way.
Thinking Critical about Profound Ideas (pp 106 – 169). Pearson.

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