UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Course Introduction
Welcome to the course Understanding the Self! Who am I? How will I know
myself more? Why do I exist? Well, for many of us, these have always been
questions of interest. Even during the times of ancient philosophers, they have
started asking these questions. In this course, we will begin on a journey to help you
understand yourself better by looking at the intricacies of our being — our
self. Excited? First, please take the time to read the course description, learning
outcomes, and an overview of the six modules that comprise this course. Enjoy and
have fun learning.

Course Description
It deals with the nature of personal identity, factors, and forces that affect its
maintenance and development. This course is intended to facilitate the exploration of
the issues and concerns regarding self and identity to arrive at a better
understanding of one's self. It strives to meet this goal by stressing the integration of
the personal with the academic — contextualizing matters discussed in the
classroom and the everyday experiences of students — making for better learning,
generating a new appreciation for the learning process, and developing a more
critical and reflective attitude while enabling them to manage and improve
themselves to attain a better quality of life.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, you, my dear students, are challenged to:
1. Discuss the different representations and conceptualizations of the self
from various perspectives.
2. Compare and contrast how the self has been represented across the
different disciplines and perspectives.
3. Acquire an understanding of the different influences, factors, and
forces that shape the self.
4. Demonstrate critical and reflective thought in analyzing and integrating
the development of one's self.
5. Explore the different aspects of self and identity.
6. Identify the different forces and institutions that impact the development
of various aspects of self and identity.
7. Acquire, hone, and apply new skills and learning for a better quality of
academic and personal life.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
MODULE 1: Philosophical Perspective of the
Self
Introduction
     Human beings have been progressing on this earth since ancient times. Human
beings have been into research since time immemorial, due to this; there were
various discovery modes; as a result of this world has become quite accessible. We
can say that the world has become a smaller place for us. But desires are unlimited
despite all the luxury we have. In search of fulfillment of this vicious circle, we leave
behind mental peace; consequently, our heart cries for peace.
     Our ultimate aim in life is to bring peace, happiness, and satisfaction in our life.
To get this satisfaction and joy in our life, we have to be entirely adjustable. Self-
awareness is necessary for sound adjustment. Self-awareness is closely concerned
with self-concept. Self-concept helps everybody to grow appropriately and adjust
properly. Positive self-concept always strengthens the ability of reasoning, problem-
solving, and efficiency of a child. High self-esteem leads a person towards great
success.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the module, the student should be able to:
1. Describe the different notions of the self from the various philosophers;
2. Explain why it is essential to understand the self, and
3. Apply the different philosophies in life.

Advance Organizer
To guide you to the flow of this module, below is the graphic organizer:
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
LESSON 1: The Self from Various Perspectives

Philosophy offers a ton of philosophers offering a ton of perspective with just about
any topic. But for this endeavor, some philosophers were collected who directly
talked about the self. Philosophically, discussion of the self is a basic search for
meaning and purpose of life.
Determination, rationalization, and identification of self; set the direction from which
an individual journey to fulfill his identified purpose in life. The inability to define
oneself leads to a lot of contradiction in life, later on, hence, it is of the many
imperatives of life to know oneself right away and to go on with the business of
leading a life chartered by oneself.
The Philosophy of Socrates, Plato, St. Augustine, Descartes, Hume, Ryle, Merleau-
Ponty — all to answer the basic question, who are you?
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
Lesson 2: Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Descartes

Socrates
Now there are no historical documents that Socrates as
a person existed. We only know Socrates because his
illustrious students (from Plato to Aristotle) spoke
eloquently and generously about his knowledge, wit,
wisdom, and intellect. Socrates left no known writings;
his highly regarded student Plato, wrote extensively
about Socrates. Socrates simple technique of asking
essential questions such as "who am I," "what is the
purpose of my life?", "what am I doing here?" "What is
justice?" we're all questions predicated on the fact that
humans must be able to define these simple things to
move forward and act accordingly based on what is the
definition of the said individual.
          For Socrates, every man is composed of body and soul. This means that
every human person is dualistic; that is, he is composed of two essential aspects of
his personhood. For Socrates, this means all individuals have an imperfect,
impermanent part to him and the body while maintaining that there is also a soul that
is perfect and permanent. Historically, Socrates is known as the first martyr of
education, knowledge, and philosophy. For lighting up the minds of his students, he
was charged with corruption of minors. He was made to choose between exile and
death via the intake of hemlock. Socrates chooses the later, thus earning him the
unofficial consideration as the first martyr for the elusive fight against ignorance and
bigotry.

Plato
          He is the author of the "The Republic," and this book
emphasizes that justice in the human person can only be
attained if the three parts of the soul are working
harmoniously with one another. The rational soul, forged by
reason and intellect, has to govern the affairs of the human
person, the spirited part, which is in charge of emotions,
should be kept at bay, and the appetitive soul in order of
base desires like eating, drinking, sleeping, and having sex
is controlled as well. When this ideal state is attained, then
the human person's soul becomes just and virtuous.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

St. Augustine
          St Augustine's view of the human person reflects
the entire spirit of the medieval world when it comes to
man. Augustine agreed that man is of a bifurcated
nature. An aspect of man dwells in the world and is
imperfect and continuously yearns to be Divine, and
the other is capable of reaching immortality. The body
is bound to die on earth, and the soul is to anticipate
living eternally in a realm of spiritual bliss in
communion with God.

René Descartes
          He is the Father of Modern Philosophy,
conceived of the human person as having a body and a
mind. Descartes thought that the only thing that one
cannot doubt is the existence of the self, for even if one
doubts oneself, that only proves that there is a doubting
self. Thus, his famous cogito ergo sum, "I think;
therefore, I am." The fact that one thinks should lead
one to conclude without a trace of doubt that he exists.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Lesson 3: Hume, Kant, Merleau-Ponty

David Hume
To David Hume, the self is nothing else but a bundle of
impressions. What are the impressions? If one tries to
examine his experiences, he finds that they can all be
categorized into two: impressions and ideas.
Impressions are the primary objects of our experience
or sensations. They, therefore, form the core of our
thoughts. When one touches an ice cube, the cold
sensation is an impression. Impressions, therefore, are
vivid because they are products of our direct
experience with the world. Ideas, on the other hand,
are copies of impressions. Because of this, they are
not as lively and vivid as our impressions. When one
imagines the feeling of being in love for the first
time, that still is an idea.
          What is the self then? Self, according to Hume, is "a bundle or collection of
different perceptions, which succeed each other with an inconceivable rapidity, and
are in a perceptual flux and movement.

Immanuel Kant
          Thinking of the "self" as a mere combination of
impressions was problematic for Immanuel Kant. Kant
recognizes the integrity of Hume's account that
everything starts with the perception and sensation of
impressions. For Kant, there is necessarily a mind that
organizes the impressions that men get from the
external world. Kant, therefore, suggests that it is an
actively engaged intelligence in man that synthesizes all
knowledge and experience. Thus, the self is not just
what gives one his personality. Also, it is the seat of
knowledge acquisition for all human persons.
UNDERSTANDING THE SELF

Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Merleau-Ponty says that the mind and body are so
intertwined that they cannot be separated. One cannot find
any experience that is not an embodied experience. All
experience is represented. One's body is his opening
toward his existence to the world. Merleau-Ponty
dismisses the Cartesian Dualism that has spelled so much
devastation in the history of man. For him, the Cartesian
problem is nothing else but an understandable
misunderstanding. The living body, his thoughts,
emotions, and experiences are all in one.