Module 1: Defining the Self: Personal and Developmental
Perspectives on Self and Identity
Lesson 1: The
Lesson 1:Self
Thefrom Various
Self from Philosophical
Various Perspectives
Philosophical Perspectives
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
a) articulate the various philosophical views about the self;
b) examine one’s thoughts and experiences according to the philosophers’ view of the
self; and
c) propose and answer to the question “WHO AM I?”
Time Frame: Week 2
Introduction:
You have entered another phase of your life that needs more focus and
concentration. In this lesson, you shall once and for all get in touch with yourself. You will
spend time to reflect on the issues that you think are important to you. And to aid you in
this endeavor, you will seek the wisdom of Philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Augustine,
Descartes, Locke, Hume, Kant, Feud, Ryle, Churchland and Merleau-Ponty. They have all
braved to answer the question, “WHO AM I?” and you will learn with them as you also
attempt to answer the same question.
Activity:
The world now is experiencing chaos. Please imagine that there is an impending
melting of planet earth because of COVID-19 pandemic. All people are asked to submit a
BIODATA to the World Screening Committee. The committe will only select 1,000
citizens from each country to be sent to an earth-like Planet in the neighboring galaxy. As
to what the criteria are for the selection process in unkown to anyone.
Because of the urgency of the situation, you are only given ten minutes to fill up the
biodata form. You are supposed to draw the self-portrait accurately as possible. Further, in
order to increase your chance to be selected, you have to fill in all the necessary data and
the form.
BIODATA
Name : ___________________________________________
Sex : ___________________________________________
City Address : ___________________________________________
Provincial Address : ___________________________________________
Contact Number : ___________________________________________
Email Address : ___________________________________________
Date of birth : ___________________________________________
Place of birth : ___________________________________________
Civil status : ___________________________________________
Height : ___________________________________________
Weight : ___________________________________________
Religion : ___________________________________________
Citizenship : ___________________________________________
Special Skills : ___________________________________________
Best Friend : ___________________________________________
Fears : ___________________________________________
Nursery School and Awards: ___________________________________________
Kinder School and Awards: ___________________________________________
Elementary School and Awards:_________________________________________
High School and Awards: ___________________________________________
College School and Awards: ___________________________________________
Character Reference Name: ___________________________________________
Character Reference Position:___________________________________________
Contact Number : ___________________________________________
Why should we select you?
_____________________________________________________________________
What could be your contribution to the New World?
_____________________________________________________________________
Analysis
You have filled out the biodata and have answered the two questions that would help
the selection committee to select you as one of the 1,000 citizens of each country to be sent
to an earth-like planet in the neighboring galaxy. After filling out the biodata, please
consider the following questions:
1) Which part of the biodata form is the easisest to answer? How about the most
difficult?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2) What do you have in mind while writing your Biodata? Which part did you answer
first, why?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
3) How did you feel while writing your biodata?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
4) What were your realizations after 10 minutes of completing your biodata?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
The activity taught you to take time to know yourself better and deeper than anyone
else. You may not always have the luxury of time to examine yourself and truly connect
with your deepest thoughts.
Abstraction
Since the ancient times until the postmodern discourses, many Philosophers
grappled to understand the meaning of human life. They have attempted to answer the
question “Who am I?” and most of their views have influenced the way you look at your
lives today.
DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES
IN THE EXPLANATION OF SELF
PHILOSOPHER PHILOSOPHICAL Theory
PERSPECTIVE ON SELF
Socrates The most important thing in life is the “Know Thyself”
state of an individual soul.
Self is the most immortal soul that in
some sense resides in the body and is
separated from it at death to be born
again after a period in the spirit world.
Plato Soul is indeed the most divine aspect of Theory of Forms
the human being which has three parts -Asserted that
namely: appetitive (sensual), rational physical world is not
(reasoning) and spirited (feeling). really the “real” world
because the ultimate
reality exists beyond
the physical world
St. Augustine Self was an inner immaterial “I” that had
self-knowledge and self-awareness.
He believed that the human being was
both a soul and body, and the body
possessed senses such as imagination,
memory, reason and mind through which
the soul experienced the world.
Rene Descartes Thinking identity could exist without the Rationalism
body because it is an immaterial
substance. Nevertheless, this immaterial
substance from a union with its body and
is so intimately bound/joined by it that
the self forms union with the body.
John Locke Self is identified with consciousness and Empiricism
this self consists of memory that the -the origin of all
person existing now is the same person knowledge is sense of
yesterday because he/she remembers the experience
thoughts, experiences or actions of the
earlier self.
David Hume Self was nothing but a series of Empiricism/Bundle
incoherent impressions received by the Theory
senses. -self of person is a
bundle of or a
Did not believe in the existence of self, collection of different
perceptions are only active as long as one perceptions that are
is conscious. moving in very fast
and successive
manner, therefore it is
in a perpetual flux
Eimmanuel Kant Human mind creates the structure of Theory of self-
human experience. consciousness
Self is transcendental which is related to
a spiritual or nonphysical realm.
Two components of self:
Inner self - includes rational, intellect,
and psychological state such as moods,
feelings, and sensations, pleasures and
pain.
Outer self - it includes your sense and the
physical world.
Sigmund Freud Levels of consciousness: Psychoanalytic
Theory
a) Conscious-awareness of present - Personality
perceptions, feelings, thoughts, theory based
memories and fantasies at any on the notion
particular moment that an
b) Pre-conscious/subconscious- individual gets
related to data that can readily be motivated by
brought to consciousness unseen forces,
controlled by
c) Unconscious-refers to date the conscious
retained but not easily available and the
to the individual’s conscious rational
awareness or scrutiny thought.
Gilbert Ryle Individual’s actions define his/her own
concept of self
Paul Churchland Immaterial soul does not exist because it Materialism
cannot be experienced by senses. -the belief that
nothing but matter
exists
Maurice Merleu- Self as an embodied subjectivity Existentialism
Ponty
Mind and body are intrinsically
connected
Body is part of the mind and the mind is
part of the body
Application
Please perform the following:
1. Formulate your own Philosophy of the Self. Explain.
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
2. Answer the question “WHO AM I?” In answering the question, you may consider
the following instructions:
a) Write five adjectives that describe you.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
b) Make sentences using these adjectives and write about yourself.
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
Closure
Dear students, thank you for seriously doing the activities in Lesson 1.
Congratulations for a job well done. For your next lesson, please have an advance reading
on “The Self, Society and Culture”.
