Unit 2 – THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES

The self has been conceptualized in a variety of ways by European and American theorists who have
addressed a number of different contexts of human behavior. For example the term self has been used in reference
to a basis for prosocial interaction (Adler), to an unconscious architype (Jung), to a personal construct (Kelly), and to
a basis for the organization of perceptions (Combs and Snygg). Freud’s association of the system “ego” with the
organization and direction of impulses and drives has had a wide impact on Western culture. Models of the self that
have been influenced by Freud’s concept of an energy-directing system within the person include those of Berne,
Hartmann and Kohut.
– Richard C. Page and Daniel N. Berkow, Concepts of the Self: Western and Eastern
Perspective
 Lesson 2: The Philosophical Self

Auguste Rodin, Le Penseur (The Thinker) in the Musée Rodin in Paris

In This Lesson

 To describe and discuss the different notions of the self from the points of view of various philosophers
across time and space.

The idea of a self plays a central role in Western philosophy and other major traditions...
It is in the seventeenth century, with Descartes, that the idea of the self takes a central place in the Western
tradition. Descartes stressed the autonomy of the first person: I can realize that I am existing regardless of what the
world I live in is like. In other words, for Descartes the cognitive foundation of my own thinking is independent of its
ecological relationships; factors such as gender, race, social status, upbringing, are all irrelevant to capture the idea
of the self. This perspective on the topic will have crucial consequences for the centuries to come.

The author that developed the Cartesian perspective in the most radical and appealing way is Kant.
According to Kant, each person is an autonomous being capable of envisaging courses of action that transcend any
ecological relationship (customs, upbringing, gender, race, social status, emotional situation …) Such a conception
of the autonomy of the self will then play a central role in the formulation of human rights: each and every human
being is entitled to such rights precisely because of the respect that each human self merits in as much as it is an
autonomous agent. Kantian perspectives have been declined in several different version over the past two
centuries; they constitute one of the strongest and most interesting theoretical core attributing a central role to the
self.
– Andrea Borghini, “The Self in Philosophy”
Who am I? A philosophical inquiry
by Amy Adkins

Amy Adkins (born 1976) is a Senior Program Manager, Producer and Writer. She has extensive
creative writing, narrative design and copywriting experience with enterprise software, AAA
games, and various types of digital content, commercial websites and feature films.

Throughout the history of mankind, three little words have sent poets to the blank page, philosophers to
the agora, and seekers to the oracles: "Who am I?" from the ancient Greek aphorism inscribed on the temple of
Apollo, "know thyself," to the who's rock anthem, "Who Are You?" philosophers, psychologists, academics,
scientists, artists, theologians and politicians have all tackled the subject of identity.

Their hypotheses are widely varied and lack significant consensus. These are smart, creative people, so
what's so hard about coming up with the right answer? One challenge certainly lies with the complex concept of
the persistence of identity.

Which you is “who”? The person you are today? Five years ago? Who you'll be in 50 years? And when is
"am"? This week? Today? This hour? This second? And which aspect of you is "I"? Are you your physical body? Your
thoughts and feelings? Your actions? These murky waters of abstract logic are tricky to navigate, and so it's
probably fitting that to demonstrate the complexity, the Greek historian Plutarch used the story of a ship.

How are you "I"? As the tale goes, Theseus, the

mythical founder king of Athens, single-handedly slayed
the evil Minotaur at Crete, then returned home on a ship.
To honor this heroic feat, for 1000 years Athenians
painstakingly maintained his ship in the harbor, and
annually reenacted his voyage.

Whenever a part of the ship was worn or

damaged, it was replaced with an identical piece of the
same material until, at some point, no original parts
remained. Plutarch noted the ship of Theseus was an
example of the philosophical paradox revolving around the
persistence of identity.

How can every single part of something be

replaced, yet it still remains the same thing? Let's imagine
there are two ships: the ship that Theseus docked in
Athens, ship A, and the ship sailed by the Athenians 1000
years later, ship B.

Very simply, our question is this: does A equal B? Some would say that for 1000 years there has been only
one ship of Theseus, and because the changes made to it happened gradually, it never at any point in time stopped
being the legendary ship.

Though they have absolutely no parts in common, the two ships are numerically identical, meaning one
and the same, so A equals B. However, others could argue that Theseus never set foot on ship b, and his presence
on the ship is an essential qualitative property of the ship of Theseus.
 It cannot survive without him. So, though the two ships are numerically identical, they are not qualitatively
identical. Thus, A does not equal B. But what happens when we consider this twist? What if, as each piece of the
original ship was cast off, somebody collected them all, and rebuilt the entire original ship? When it was finished,
undeniably two physical ships would exist: the one that's docked in Athens, and the one in some guy's backyard.

Each could lay claim to the title, "the ship of Theseus," but only would could actually be the real thing. So
which one is it, and more importantly, what does this have to do with you? Like the ship of Theseus, you are a
collection of constantly changing parts: your physical body, mind, emotions, circumstances, and even your quirks,
always changing, but still in an amazing and sometimes illogical way, you stay the same, too.

This is one of the reasons that the question, "who am I?" is so complex. And in order to answer it, like so
many great minds before you, you must be willing to dive into the bottomless ocean of philosophical paradox.
Name ______________________________________________________________________ Score _____________
Subject and Section ___________________________________________________________ Date _____________

Essay: Crash Course Philosophy : Batman & Identity Video Evaluation Chart

Watch the video Crash Course Philosophy : Batman & Identity hosted by Hank Green during your free
time. Use this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TFCMK4i2lo and then read the instructions below carefully
and answer the following questions cogently.

I. Reaction (Check the blank below)

____Very Favorable
____ Favorable
____Unfavorable
____Uncertain

II. Your response to the video in six words:

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III. In just six words, explain the purpose/theme/aim of the video as you see it.

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IV. Make a summary of the video in ten words.

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V. In ten words, what are the values you learned from this video?
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RUBRIC
3 - Full Participation - Students wrote their reflections about the video in a clear and consistent manner.
2 - Substantial Participation - Students wrote their reflections about the video and do so in a somewhat consistent
manner.
1 - Little or Partial Participation - Students have difficulty writing their reflections about the video consistently.

Name ______________________________________________________________________ Score _____________

Subject and Section ___________________________________________________________ Date _____________

Activity: Step into the Circle

Introduction: This collaborative activity is an opportunity to investigate factors that can impact students’ self-
esteem, and begin discussing ways to develop their positive personal identities.

Objectives: The objectives of the activity are as follows: (1) to take notice of the diversity in the room; (2) to better
know one another individually while showcasing the commonalities they share; and (3) to encourage students to
share facts about themselves.

Material Needed: Sample prompts/statements

Methods

1. Before doing the activity, inform students to do the activity silently and only the facilitator reading the
prompts/statements should be speaking.
3. Instruct them not to ask or talk to each other why they did or did not step in for certain statements.
4. Arrange students in a large circle, standing.
5. Read a series of sample prompts/statements below to them. Instruct students that if this statement is true for
them, silently step forward into the circle. If it is not true, remain standing still.
6. Here are some sample prompts/statements to read to students:
 Step into the circle if you identify yourself as LGBTQ+
 Step into the circle if you struggle to define your sexual orientation/gender identity
 Step into the circle if you are adopted
 Step into the circle if you were a product of a broken family
 Step into the circle if you or someone close to you have suffered from a mental health issue
 Step into the circle if you’ve ever heard homophobic comments in school
 Step into the circle if you’ve ever experienced or witnessed bullying
 Step into the circle if you’ve felt judged because of the size or shape of your body
 Step into the circle if you’ve been discriminated against because your family was poor
 Step into the circle if you or someone you know has been sexually molested
 Step into the circle if your parents were never married
 Step into the circle if your family is dysfunctional
  Step into the circle if you have recently been in a fight or argument with your parent(s)
 Step into the circle if you or someone close to you have a family member in jail
 Step into the circle if you or someone you know has skipped a meal because there wasn’t enough
money to buy food in the family
 Step into the circle if you put others before yourself
 Step into the circle if you come from a blended family
 Step into the circle if the members of your family don’t speak or converse with each other
 Step into the circle if you or someone close to you have been involved in illegal drugs
 Step into the circle if you have a close family member who identifies himself/herself as lesbian, gay,
bisexual, or transgender

7. Debrief and discuss the activity with students. Have them answer the following questions:
 How did you feel when you heard the statements? What came up for you?
 How did it feel to step into the circle, and how did it feel to be left standing?
 Did anything surprise you? Did you notice anything new or different about yourself or the group?
 What have you learned from this activity? Share any insights or reflections if you’re comfortable.
8. Write a feedback about the activity in the space provided below.

Feedback

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RUBRIC
3 - Full Accomplishment - Students participated in the activity seriously and silently in a clear and consistent
manner.
2 - Substantial Accomplishment - Students participated in the activity seriously and silently and do so in a
somewhat consistent manner.
1 – Little Accomplishment – Students have difficulty participating in the activity seriously and silently consistently.

Name ______________________________________________________________________ Score _____________

Subject and Section ___________________________________________________________ Date _____________

Project #1: The Philosophers Compilation Project

Introduction: While engaging in the processes of researching,
writing, and evaluating the biographies of numerous philosophers,
students will examine the different notions of the self from their
points of view to cover more perspectives about the topic.

Objectives: After the discussion of the philosophical self, students

are given individual philosopher to study and work on. The
objectives of doing this project are as follows: (1) discuss the
different notions of the self from the points of view of various
philosophers; and (2) compare and contrast how the self has been
represented in different philosophical perspectives.

Methods

1. Ask students to choose a philosopher from the list below.

Philosophers of Philosophers of Modern Philosophers Contemporary Philosophers

Antiquity the Middle Ages
Socrates St. Augustine Rene Descartes Theodore Adorno
Plato St. Thomas Denis Diderot Hannah Arendt
Aristotle Gautama Buddha Johann Gottlieb Fichte Mikhail Bakhtin
Epicurus Confucius Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Jean Baudrillard
Heraclitus Lao Tzu Hegel Pierre Bourdieu
Epictetus Avicenna Immanuel Kant Albert Camus
Marcus Aurelius Soren Kierkegaard Paul Churchland
Seneca Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Simone De Beauvoir
John Locke Daniel Dennet
Karl Marx Jacques Derrida
Michel de Montaigne Michel Foucault
Friedrich Nietzsche Sigmund Freud
Blasé Pascal Jürgen Habermas
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Martin Heidegger
Marquis de Sade Edmund Husserl
Arthur Schopenhauer Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Baruch Spinoza Derek Parfit
John Stuart Mill Paul Ricoeur
Voltaire Gilbert Ryle
John Paul Sartre
Aaron Sloman
Peter Sloterdijk
J. David Velleman
Dan Zahavi

2. Have students research about their chosen philosopher and let them do the following:
 One page, computerized, single-spaced, placed in a long bond paper, using a standard 11 point Calibri font
biography of the philosopher. Things that students might want to include on the biography are as follows: birth
and death (if deceased) of the philosopher, birthplace, brief introduction, educational background, description
of accomplishments, philosophical style or affiliation, important works, the philosopher’s view about the self
and your critique or analysis of the philosopher’s idea about the self. Students must also provide a picture of
the philosopher and the sources of information where the information about the philosopher was taken.
3. After accomplishing your philosopher’s biography, make students provide each member of the class a copy of
your work.
4. Compile the philosophers’ biographies chronologically or historically.
5. Have your compilation book bounded.
6. Submit your philosopher compilation project a week after the Midterm Examination.

RUBRIC
3 - Full Accomplishment - Students researched and created a compilation of all the philosophers’ biographies in a
clear and consistent manner.
2 - Substantial Accomplishment - Students researched and created a compilation of all the philosophers’
biographies and do so in a somewhat consistent manner.
1 – Little Accomplishment – Students have difficulty researching and creating a compilation of all the philosophers’
biographies consistently.