DEFINING THE SELF: PERSONAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVES ON SELF AND
IDENTITY
Lesson 1: THE SELF FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
Research the Different notions of the SELF from the points-of-view of the various
philosophers:
VALIENTE, CRISTY MAE A.
BSBA-HRM 1B
1. Socrates and Plato
Socrates believed that the “self” exists in two parts: physical and soul. Physical is the
tangible part of us or the one called as “body”, it is mortal and can/is constantly changing.
The soul, on the other hand, is believed to be immortal and is the part that is varying across
all realms. To explain further, Socrates believed that in physical realm, both of our body and
soul are attached when we are still alive. When we die, the physical self or body will stay in
the physical realm and the soul will then leave the body, travels to the ideal realm,
considering the soul immortal,
Same as Socrates, Plato believed that the “self” exists in two parts, and even
supported it by saying that man is dual in nature. He also added that the soul has
components: 1) rational soul ; 2) spiritual soul ; 3) appetitive soul
2. Descartes
Descrates belived that the self can be correctly considered as either a mind or a
human being, wherein the self’s properties are accordingly. From his famous saying “I think,
therefore, I am”, provides the concept that whenever a person thinks, it proves that he
himself exists.
3. Hume
Hume simply believed that the self is nothing else but a bundle of impressions, a
collection of various perspective which succeed with an unbelievable rapidity. In other
words, this concept implies that self is a collection of all experiences with a particular being.
4. Kant
According to him, the human person has a two-fold nature; 1) homo noumenon or
the non-empirical part & 2) homo phaenomenon or the empirical part. Kant’s view and
notion are dependent to his idealism.
5. Ryle
Ryle says that self is just a convenient name that is used to refer to all experiences
that a person has, and is not an entity one can locate and understand
6. Merleau-Pont
His philosophy of the self comes between the modernist self of the Cartesian
tradition, Pont insisted that the mind and the body are so intertwined to each other. He sees
self as an embodied subjectivity and contradicts the concept of rationalism and empiricism.