LESSON 1 – PHILOSOPHICAL THEORIES OF THE SELF

In this lesson, you will now get to know the ideas proposed by renowned philosophers about the
self. Over the centuries, there has been quite a number of philosophers whose thoughts
regarding the self stood out and were considered to be rudimentary in understanding the self.
To get into a somewhat similar state the philosophers were possibly in while conceiving their
ideas about the self, do the activity below.

Gaining Attention

Who are you?

You may have been asked the above question a lot of times by different people. Whenever
classes start, your teachers ask you to introduce yourself. Whenever you meet someone new
who would like to be friends with you, the same question is raised. What do you usually say?
Recall for a moment. Were your answers always the same? Do you think that the information
you gave accurately captures who you are as a person? Maybe yes. Maybe not. Let these
questions float around your head for a while. These are some the fundamental questions that
we will be dealing with in this entire module. But before we get to deep answering those
questions, get to know the objective you have to achieve in this specific lesson by reading the
section below.

Informing Learner of Objectives

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to analyze philosophical theories of the self.
Analyzing the theories proposed by philosophers about the self will give you an idea as to how
they conceptualized the self; what constitutes it, how it develops, what is its nature, etc. Through
exploring their ideas you can determine what rings true for you as a person which you can
integrate to the theory that you will be making at the end of this module. You are expected to
finish this lesson within 1-2 weeks.
Now that you have grasp what you need to achieve in this lesson, let’s move on to an activity!

Activating Prior Learning

Watch on YouTube the video entitled “What Makes you you?” The link for the video is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx1gdadWvTc .
After watching, briefly answer below:
Questions:

1. What questions raised in the video have you similarly asked yourself before?
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2. What questions new to you that were asked in the video would you like to be
answered?
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Whatever questions you have similar to those in the video and also the new questions that you
just came across with are all valid questions. And while you might not know the exact answers
 to those questions, there is no need to fret because even the wisest philosophers of different
times were not able to give us absolute answers. However, dealing with these questions are still
very important. You will see later why as you continue.

Presenting Content

Centuries ago, a philosopher claimed, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” What then is a
life worth living? What is a good life? The compelling statement came from the Father of
Western Philosophy, Socrates. It is compelling in a way that it challenges us to be critical and
mindful about ourselves because it is the only way to have a satisfying life. To not question
things inside and outside ourselves is to dwell in ignorance. According to Socrates, ignorance is
the root of all evil while wisdom is the key to happiness.
While Socrates lived, he acted as a gadfly. What is a gadfly? It literally refers to an insect that
bites or annoys livestock. Figuratively, a gadfly refers to someone who annoys. Socrates, in the
same manner, is known to have annoyed people with a bunch of questions that challenges
people’s way of thinking and behaving. Those who were already biased to believe in one way
felt uncomfortable whenever they run out of logical arguments to support their claims. He liked
gathering young people and posing interesting questions to them and through such endeavor
gained him some followers. Some of the questions he raised, however, apparently threatened
the validity of the powers enjoyed by people in politics which eventually led to his execution. But
if Socrates were to be asked, his death was not a tragedy because he has served his purpose,
he lived his life meaningfully, in pursuit of wisdom. Through Socrates’s brilliant mind,
philosophy, was born. What is philosophy? Philosophy is literally defined as “love for wisdom”
based on its epistemology. The word came from its Greek roots philein, which means “love” and
sophia which means “wisdom.” One of the interesting topics included in his pursuit of wisdom is
about the self. What is the self, according to Socrates? That’s what you will discover in this
lesson as well as the ones that followed after him.
Before delving into philosophy, however, Chaffee (2016) cautions us that philosophy is not
merely a collection of ideas from renowned thinkers but that it is an “activity that reflects
passion, commitment, and intellectual ambition.” Therefore, it requires patience and the drive to
grasp various ideas which may be conflicting at some point. It may get confusing and frustrating
trying to get to the bottom of the question “what really is the self?” for example. However, as
Karl Jaspers said, who is also a philosopher, it’s not about the answers but the question.
Raising questions about the self tend to let us see ourselves in creatively different ways. Thus,
to continue asking the question even without fixed answers, still matters because it may lead to
us to quite interesting revelations along the way. However, it does not mean merely absorbing
the ideas of these philosophers and taking their ideas to be absolutely true. On the other hand,
it also does not mean discarding outright their ideas to be false. What it means is to gain insight
from their ideas and apply or use any relevant knowledge to life as much as you can.
Read more about Socrates and other philosophers specifically on their ideas about the self.
Read Corpuz, Estoque, and Tabotabo (2019) pp. 1-16. For a more detailed explanation, read
Chaffee (2016) 89-147.
 Providing Guidance

To help you make sense of what you are reading, bear in mind the following questions below:
1. What time period were the ideas of the philosophers developed?
For example, Socrates’s idea of the self was developed during the Antiquity period which
happened around 469/470-399 BCE.
2. What is the basis for “selfhood” according to the philosophers?
Example: For Socrates, the basis for the self is the soul. Your soul makes you you.
3. What is the nature of the self according to the philosophers?
Example: For Socrates, the self as the soul is immaterial or metaphysical. It survives
beyond the death of a body. It is immortal and thus permanent or unchanging.

Practice

Part I. Knowledge Grid

Complete the table below. For the 4th column, give at least 3 key points from the respective
philosopher’s theory of the self. You will be given 1 point for each correct answer you provide for
the 2nd – 4th column, a total of 65 points.

You may use a separate sheet if the spaces provided below are not enough. Just copy the
headings.

Proponent Time What is the basis Nature of the Self

Period for selfhood?
(Antiquity/Medieval/
Modern/Post-
Modern)
Example: Antiquity Soul  There is duality of the person, having both the
Socrates body and soul.
 The self as soul is immortal, permanent,
infinite
 The self as soul survives beyond the death of
the body
Plato

Aristotle

St.
Augustine

St. Aquinas

Descartes
 John Locke

David Hume

Immanuel
Kant

Sigmund
Freud

Gilbert Ryle

Paul and
Patricia
Churchland

Make sure that you have finished answering the table above before proceeding. Once done,
you can check how well you did in the activity by comparing your answers in the Key to
Correction on page 1. However, your teacher will give your final rating.

Activity Score Description

Part I. 46-65 Excellent!
Knowledge You were able to supply most if not all of the required
Grid information to complete the table.
23-45 Good Job!
You were able to supply enough of the required information
to complete the table but need more effort.
0-22 More Power!
You need to redo the activity and re-read or re-watch the
materials provided to you. You may contact your teacher
for assistance.
.

If you need “More Power!” You need to redo the activity. Contact your teacher how. If you did a
“Good Job” or “Excellent!” in the Activity, you are qualified to continue on to the next activity.
 Assessing Performance

Understand and analyze the following scenarios. Whose theories are reflected in the following
scenarios? Justify. You may identify more than 1 philosopher, if applicable. Write your answers
in the boxes provided.

Questions:

1. Anna is a devout Catholic. When her father passed away, she did not grieve for long
because she believed that her father is not entirely lost. She is certain her father’s soul
now rests with God.

Your answer:
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2. Bonnie and Tyler were chatting at a park bench about relationships. Bonnie believes
that Alex is her soulmate because she could feel the spark between them and because
of the heavenly feeling she experiences whenever they meet and talk. She’s convinced
that they were also lovers in a past life. Tyler, on the other hand, rolled his eyes in
disbelief. He started explaining that the heavenly feeling Bonnie felt were just caused
by certain chemicals released in her brain and that soulmates does not exist. For Tyler,
there is no such metaphysical things such as soul.

Your answer:
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3. Drew and Jack got admitted to different colleges, thus they would be parting ways soon.
As they bid farewell to each other, Drew said “I hope things will always be the same
between us. I hope you stay as you are as I’ll always be the same Drew for you.” Jack
just nodded, but in his head was a question “Can I stay the same as always?”
Your answer:
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4. Romina and Daniella were best friends. One time, they were about to eat lunch, Daniella
blurted out to Daniella “You said you will pay for my lunch, today.” Romina said, “Oh, did
I?”. I don’t recall, so you can’t force me to pay for your lunch.

Your answer:
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5. Carlo does not believe in life after death or souls. He thinks that there is no division
between mind and body. Everything for him is physical. When his body dies, everything
about him dies as well.

Your answer:
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6. Carrie was asked by her friend about the person she hates. She was supposed to say
“Camille” her long-time rival but instead she said “Caren” which is the name of her mother.
She wondered why she said her mother’s name when in fact she and her mother never
had an argument. Upon reflecting, Carrie thought that she may actually really hate her
mother.

Your answer:
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Make sure that you have answered the questions above. Refer to the Key to Corrections on
page 9-10 for the answers. Check whether you answered similarly. If you were able to identify
the correct philosophers for the reasons similar in the key to corrections, put a check mark on
your answers and give yourself 5 points. If you have identified the correct philosophers but your
justification is somewhat far off from what is in the key to correction, give yourself 3 points, 0 if
there’s no resemblance at all. Anyway, your teacher will give your final rating. If you got 21-30
items points, then you did “Excellent!” This means that you have near to expertly analyzed
the theories of the philosophers. If you got 11-20 correct answers, you did a “Good Job!” you
analyzed enough but could use more effort. If you got 10 and below, you need “More
Power!” This means that you did poorly in the activity and needs to redo the activity. Contact
your teacher. Your teacher will give you another set of questions to answer.
.
 If you did “Excellent!” or a “Good Job” you are good to proceed to the assessment!

Enhancing Retention and Transfer to the Job

Enhancing Retention and Transfer to Job

After learning all the theories of the different philosophers, what do you think is its relevance to
you as a future teacher? Write your answer in the box below.

Your answer:
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Were you able to connect the lesson with your desired profession? If so, great! If not, you may
ask your classmates and your teacher for clarification. Once you’re done answering this
question, you can continue to the Summary.

Summary

Here are some key points regarding the philosophical theories of the self:

 Until present, what constitutes the self remains still remains a debate.
 Dualism posits that reality has two realms – the physical and metaphysical realm.
Dualists believe that the metaphysical aspect of a person, the soul or the mind is the
self. The body is inferior and insignificant.
 Neoplatonism refers to the revival of Platonic thought during the Middle Ages. This
perpetuates the Platonic belief of dualism and the immortal soul however with a
combination of Christian doctrine. The goal of soul is not merely to achieve happiness
but to strive for union with God.
  Rationalism suggests that knowledge arrived through pure reasoning is true knowledge.
 Empiricism suggests that knowledge arrived through the use of the senses is true
knowledge.
 Behaviorism proposes that the behavior determines the self.
 Reductive Physicalism that there is no metaphysical aspect of the self such as soul or
mind but only the body which contains the brain. Mental states can be explained as
physical states.
 The philosophical theories can be categorized into groups based on the ideas
presented. There were those who believed that the self is immortal and unchanging
(Socrates, Plato, St. Augustine) while those who believed that the self is ever-changing
(Hume and Hegel). There were those who believed that there is no metaphysical self
(Aristotle, Ryle, and Churchland) in contrast to those who believed so, the dualists
(Socrates, Plato, Augustine, Descartes, Locke).

Suggested Videos/Readings

If you want to expand your knowledge more about the topic, access the following:

Mahdi, M. (1962). Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. New York, NY: The Free Press of Glencoe.

Speaks, J. (2006). Ryle’s behaviorist view of the mind. Retrieved from www3.nd.edu/-
jspeaks/courses/2006-7/20208/ryle-behaviorism.html

TED. 2015. Julian Baggini: Is there a real you?. Retrieved August 03, 2020 at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q80MfH7xPPE

If you have successfully reached this point:

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE PASSED LESSON 1!