UNDERSTANDING THE SELF
MODULE 1
Ronnel Francia BSN-1D
OVERVIEW
How did you get your first name?
I got my first name from my mom's student. My mom was a teacher back then and she had a
student named Ronnel and he was kind. My mom also said that the name Ronnel is simple and
it sounded kind.
DISCUSSIONS AND SELF LEARNING ASSESSMENT
Do you agree that there is a difference between body and sou?
Yes, because these two are very different concepts. The body is the material part of a human
person and the soul is the immaterial part of us. Combine these two and we are a human
person.
Do you think you have both?
Yes, I do think that I have both because the fact that I am able to think means that I have soul
and the fact that I can physically answer these questions and send them to the google
classroom means that I have a body.
What's the difference between the two?
The difference between the two is that the body is the tangible aspect of the human person
while the spirit is the intangible aspect.
Do you believe in the concept of the soul coming to heaven after death?
In a religious perspective I do believe that a soul goes to heaven. It may not be true in some
Religion but in Islam it is believed that we are temporary beings here on earth meant to do good
things and after we died we are judged and decides if we'll go to Jannah which is the version of
heaven in Islam. Hinduism believes in reincarnation. If i were to be realistic, if we die, everything
fades away, it all goes down and all goes black.
What happens to a person who's three components of the soul are imbalanced?
If the three components of the soul is imbalanced a person isn't just and virtous
Their soul is in an imbalanced state and so he/she may not think rationally and he is just
different from animals.
What makes us people different from animals?
We're different from animals because we have a soul, our rationality. We think, judge, and
justifiy phenomena while animals rely on instinct alone.
Do you agree with the statements about the self so far?
YES.
What seems to be questionable about their conjectures?
I think there's nothing questionable about their conjectures because based on my judgement
and own experiences I can say that I believe them.
How do you feel about the discussion so far?
I feel fantastic and enlightened about the discussions so far because it is interesting.
SUMMARY/KEY POINTS
Can one know the self?
Yes, one can know the self and the only one who can know that is, yourself. I strongly believe
in the philosophy of Socrates. "He said that a human person is made up of two aspects the soul
and the body . Self is what you are, you are both soul and body. It is our mission to know the self
because as Socrates said: "An unexamined life is not worth living".
I first learned about the concept of soul and body at my grade 12 philosophy class. As my
teacher taught about the topic of human person, it changed my life. I realized that we all have a
self and that some things are what they are because of it. I became more emphatic to people
because of it. We are made up of body and soul. Just like Socrates philosophy I also
try to examine myself because I want to know what makes all of me. Most
importantly, everything must be justified and virtous.
END OF MODULE ASSESSMENT
1. SOCRATES
Yes, because the body is what we are materially or it is our tangilbe aspect. A soul is the
intangle aspect of a human person because we cannot touch it like our thoughts.
2. PLATO
When the three components of the soul are imbalanced, the human person may make unjust
and not very good decisions. The human person is not anymore just and virtous.
3. St. Agustine, St. Thomas, Descartes
Yes, because it all makes sense based on my personal experience and understanding of the
lessons.
4. Hume and Kant
Yes, everything starts with our impression that why we have this thing called "first impression
last" and the mind regulates these impression.
5. Ryle
It means to me that our behavior on a day-to-day basis is what we are. If we have just and
virtous behavior everyday that's is good and that's what really matters is the consistency.
6. Merleau-Ponty
Because a human person cannot be a human person if one of the aspect is not present. We
must have mind and body in order to function in this world. A dead body cannot be considered a
human person because although it may have a body, it doesn't have the mind.
LOOKING OVER
Activity: Who Am I
Do you truly know yourself?
1. Introvert, awkward, independent, logical, and gamer.
2. I stand out from the rest because I am have a big body or simply fat.
3. I am special because I enjoy my own company and I want to
improve myself.
4. I am most interested in making my life meaningful and helping in my own ways.
5. What's really important is myself. Because at the end of the day you have to rely on yourself
and your own spirit. You must be strong enough to face the cruel world.
Self and Module Evaluation
4 - I learned a lot from this module