Philo Perspectives about the Self (not for sharing)
Summary
TLDRThis lecture explores various philosophical perspectives on the nature of the self, starting with Socrates, who emphasized the importance of self-examination. It covers the dualistic views of philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Augustine, who believed in the separation of body and soul. The lecture also discusses Rene Descartes' concept of the mind, David Hume's idea of the self as a bundle of experiences, and Immanuel Kant's view of the self as the organizer of impressions. Finally, it touches on modern perspectives from Gilbert Ryle and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who offer alternative views on the self.
Takeaways
- 📚 The lecture focuses on various philosophical perspectives on the self, primarily based on 'Understanding the Self' by Allah Sleeps Rafika Pawilen.
- 🎥 The lecture is supplemented by a TED Talk titled 'Who Am I? A Philosophical Inquiry,' which students are expected to watch.
- 🔍 Socrates is regarded as the first philosopher to systematically question the nature of the self, with his famous idea 'to know oneself.'
- 🧠 Plato, a student of Socrates, introduced the idea of the self having a dualistic nature, composed of body and soul, and divided the soul into three components: rational, spirited, and appetitive.
- 💡 Thomas Aquinas shared similar beliefs, referring to the body as 'hyle' (matter) and the soul as 'morphe' (form), emphasizing the soul as the essence of humanity.
- 🙏 Augustine of Hippo focused on the soul’s eternal nature, stressing that true fulfillment comes through communion with the divine.
- 🧩 René Descartes proposed that the mind and body are separate entities, asserting the famous statement 'I think, therefore I am.'
- 🌪️ David Hume rejected the idea of a coherent self, claiming that the self is merely a bundle of experiences and perceptions.
- 🧠 Immanuel Kant disagreed with Hume, arguing that the mind organizes impressions, and the self is essential for understanding and knowledge acquisition.
- 🌍 Maurice Merleau-Ponty offered a more integrated view of the self, proposing that the body, mind, and emotions are intertwined, leading to a holistic understanding of selfhood.
Q & A
What is the main topic of this lecture?
-The lecture focuses on various philosophical perspectives about the nature of the self, particularly within the context of a philosophical inquiry.
Which video was recommended for students to watch before this lecture?
-The lecturer recommended a TED Talk video titled 'Who Am I? A Philosophical Inquiry.'
What is one of the key learning outcomes for students after this lecture?
-One key learning outcome is that students should be familiar with different philosophies about the self.
Who was the first philosopher to systematically question the true nature of the self?
-Socrates was the first philosopher to systematically question the true nature of the self.
How did Plato divide the soul, according to his philosophy?
-Plato divided the soul into three components: the rational soul (responsible for reason and intellect), the spirited soul (responsible for emotions), and the appetitive soul (responsible for basic desires).
What was Thomas Aquinas' view on the dualistic nature of the self?
-Thomas Aquinas believed in the dualistic nature of the self, referring to the two parts as 'haile' (matter) and 'morphe' (form), with the soul being the essence that animates the body.
How did Augustine of Hippo perceive the soul?
-Augustine of Hippo believed that the soul is eternal and can survive even after death, while the body is imperfect and tied to the physical world.
What was René Descartes' famous statement regarding the self?
-René Descartes is famous for his statement 'I think, therefore I am,' asserting that the ability to think is proof of the existence of the self.
How did David Hume describe the self?
-David Hume believed that the self is merely a collection of experiences, a 'bundle of different perceptions' that are constantly changing.
What is Maurice Merleau-Ponty's view on the relationship between the body and the self?
-Maurice Merleau-Ponty viewed the self as an embodied experience, where the body, thoughts, emotions, and experiences are interconnected and inseparable.
Outlines
🌅 Introduction to Philosophical Perspectives on the Self
The speaker introduces the topic of the self within the context of philosophy, marking it as the first topic in Module 1. The lecture draws on content from the book 'Understanding the Self' by Allah Sleeps Rafika Pawilen. The speaker outlines two primary learning outcomes: familiarizing students with different philosophies about the self and enabling them to articulate their own philosophy. Students are encouraged to integrate the lecture content into a 500-word forum exercise where they express their own views on the self.
🧐 Socratic Philosophy: The Quest for Self-Knowledge
This section discusses the shift from pre-Socratic philosophers, who were concerned with understanding the material world, to Socrates, who focused on the nature of the self. Socrates is credited as the first philosopher to systematically question the true nature of the self, emphasizing the importance of self-knowledge as the philosopher's primary task. His famous assertion that 'an unexamined life is not worth living' highlights his belief in the importance of self-examination.
🧠 Plato’s Tripartite Soul and the Dualistic Nature of the Self
Plato, a student of Socrates, shares the dualistic view of the self, dividing it into the body and the soul. He further explains the soul by splitting it into three parts: the rational soul (reason and intellect), the spirited soul (emotions), and the appetitive soul (basic desires like eating and sleeping). For Plato, justice in a person is achieved when these three parts work harmoniously, with the rational soul governing the rest.
💡 Thomas Aquinas: The Essence of the Self in Form and Matter
Thomas Aquinas, like Plato, believes in the dualistic nature of the self but uses different terms: 'haile' (matter) and 'morphe' (form). For Aquinas, the body is made of matter, while the soul is the form that gives life to the body. He emphasizes that the soul is what makes us human, animating the body and distinguishing humans from other beings.
🙏 Augustine of Hippo: The Eternal Nature of the Soul
Augustine of Hippo, a Christian philosopher, also supports the dualistic nature of the self, viewing the body as imperfect and the soul as eternal. He argues that true fulfillment comes from reconciling with the divine, which explains the human sense of longing and incompletion in the physical world. Augustine's philosophy suggests that the soul’s purpose is to seek communion with the divine, offering a spiritual explanation for human desires.
🧩 Rene Descartes: The Self as Mind and Body
Rene Descartes proposes a dualistic view of the self as composed of both mind and body. He famously asserts, 'I think, therefore I am,' emphasizing that the ability to think is proof of the self’s existence. Descartes places the mind at the center of self-identity, distinguishing it from the physical body.
💭 David Hume: The Self as a Collection of Experiences
David Hume offers a unique perspective by denying the existence of a unified self. For Hume, the self is merely a bundle of perceptions and experiences that change constantly. He differentiates between impressions (direct experiences) and ideas (copies of impressions), arguing that the self is a fluid collection of these perceptions rather than a coherent entity.
🧠 Immanuel Kant: The Organized Self and the Seat of Knowledge
Immanuel Kant challenges Hume's view, arguing that the mind is essential for organizing perceptions from the external world. He sees the self as not only responsible for our personality but also as the foundation of knowledge acquisition. According to Kant, without the self, we cannot make sense of the world or our experiences.
🔍 Gilbert Ryle: The Self as a Behavioral Concept
Gilbert Ryle rejects the idea of the self as an entity, instead viewing it as a convenient term for describing observable behavior. He likens the self to a university—something that cannot be pinpointed but is represented by various activities and behaviors. For Ryle, the self is not a non-physical reality like the soul but a label for the sum of our actions.
🔄 Maurice Merleau-Ponty: The Integrated Self
Maurice Merleau-Ponty presents a holistic view of the self, rejecting the strict dualism of body and soul. He argues that the self is an embodied experience, where body, thoughts, emotions, and experiences are intertwined and inseparable. For Merleau-Ponty, the self is an integrated whole, not a collection of separate parts.
📚 Conclusion: Developing Your Own Philosophy of the Self
The speaker concludes the lecture by encouraging students to use the notes they have taken to develop their own philosophy of the self. The final slide serves as a reminder for students to reflect on the philosophical perspectives discussed and integrate their insights into a personal philosophy.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Philosophy of the Self
💡Dualism
💡Socrates
💡Plato's Tripartite Soul
💡Thomas Aquinas' Hylomorphism
💡Augustine of Hippo
💡Rene Descartes' Cogito
💡David Hume's Bundle Theory
💡Immanuel Kant
💡Merleau-Ponty's Embodiment
Highlights
Introduction to the topic of examining various philosophical perspectives about the self.
The lecture content is based on the book 'Understanding the Self' by Allah Sleeps Rafika Pawilen, specifically the first chapter.
Learning outcomes include familiarity with different philosophies about the self and the ability to articulate one's own philosophy.
Socrates is credited with being the first philosopher to systematically question the true nature of the self.
Socrates' famous idea: 'An unexamined life is not worth living.'
Plato and Aristotle, students of Socrates, also believed in the dualistic nature of the self, consisting of body and soul.
Plato's division of the soul into three parts: rational, spirited, and appetitive, each playing a specific role in human behavior.
Thomas Aquinas' view on the dualistic nature of the self, differentiating between 'haile' (matter) and 'morphe' (form).
Augustine of Hippo's perspective on the self: the body is imperfect and can only thrive in the physical world, while the soul is eternal.
Rene Descartes' famous assertion: 'I think, therefore I am,' emphasizing the existence of the self through the ability to think.
David Hume's unique perspective: the self is merely a bundle of different perceptions and experiences, rather than a unified entity.
Immanuel Kant's disagreement with Hume, arguing that there must be a mind that organizes impressions, which is central to the self.
Gilbert Ryle's concept of the self as a convenient term for describing behavior rather than an entity or internal reality.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty's integrated view of the self: body, thoughts, emotions, and experiences are intertwined and inseparable.
Closing remarks encouraging students to develop their own philosophy about the self, integrating what they learned from the lecture.
Transcripts
good morning everyone
so in the next 15 minutes we will be
examining the various philosophical
perspectives about the self this is the
first topic under module 1.
by now i assume that you have already
watched
the link that i've posted it's a video
created by ted talk
with the title who am i a philosophical
inquiry
so the content of this lecture was taken
from the book understanding the self by
allah sleeps rafika pawilen
although i'm not asking you to
buy this book because i'm only using the
first chapter of it
so what are the learning outcomes that i
expect from the students after this
short lecture there are two first it's
for you to be familiar with a different
philosophies about the self and second i
expect you to be able to articulate your
own philosophy about the self
yeah if you notice there's there's a
forum where you are instructed to write
in no more than 500 words your own
philosophy so you of course i expect you
to use your own words because that's
your own philosophy but you are allowed
to integrate what you have learned from
this lecture into your own philosophy
so clear so i hope
as we go along to this lecture i hope
you can take down notes
and so that you can do this
exercise after
the history of philosophy is filled with
men and women
who inquired into the fundamental nature
of the self
and the greeks were the ones who
seriously questioned myth and move away
from them in attempting to understand
the reality that can be found in this
world
but before socrates who is known to be
questioning the true nature of the self
pre-socratic philosophers that means
philosophers before socrates were more
interested in things like uh what
the world is made of
why the world is so and what explains
the changes that they've observed around
them
until
socrates came
unlike those pre-socratic philosopher
that we have mentioned a while ago
socrates was more concerned with another
subject matter and that is the problem
of the self he was in fact the first
philosopher who ever engaged in a
systematic questioning about the true
nature of the self
because for socrates
his lifelong mission is to know oneself
because for him the true task of the
philosopher is just that to know oneself
he has been he had been a controversial
figure
in fact he was um
accused of corrupting the minds of the
youth
in that generation
for socrates
he said that an exam in life is not
worth living
and he thought that this is the worst
that could happen to anyone that is to
live but to die inside
now as we are engaged in understanding
ourselves right now we are also doing
like what
um
socrates was doing in his lifetime and
that is to examine oneself who we really
are
now socrates was followed by
his students like plato
and
aristotel
who also believed the dualistic nature
of the self
plato was a student of socrates
both believed in the dualistic nature of
our personhood
that means all individuals have both
the body and the soul so the body um is
an imperfect impermanent aspect of the
self
while
the soul represents that perfect and
permanent part of who we are
but plato
further explained
the soul by dividing it into three
components
one is rational soul the second one a
spirited soul and the third one is a
petitive soul
so the plato emphasizes that justice in
the human person can only be attained if
these three parts of the soul are
working harmoniously with one another
so the rational soul
use reason and intellect to govern the
affairs of the human person
while the spirited part
is in charge of emotions which should be
managed
well and the repetitive soul is in
charge of base desires like eating
drinking sleeping and having sex
this basic desires are also controlled
as well when this ideal state is
attained then the human person's soul
become just and virtuous so that's the
philosophy of plato
now thomas aquinas
like plato
aristotel and socrates believed as well
in the dualistic nature of the self for
thomas aquinas he has a different names
for it for for the two parts the haile
and the morphe so these are greek terms
highly or literally translated as matter
in english refers to the common stuff
that makes up everything in the universe
so our human body is also part of this
um so-called matter or highly
but what is essential for thomas aquinas
is the morphe
okay the morphe or the form
okay this refers to the essence of a
substance or a thing
now it is what makes what it is
so as between the two
it is actually the soul what is what
that animates the body it is what makes
us human it separates us from all other
living beings or animals
so for thomas aquinas
what is important is
or what makes us human is the soul and
not necessarily the body because it is
the soul
that animates the body it is the
substance of the matter
augustine of hippo
was one of the famous philosophers
during the medieval era just like thomas
aquinas
so augustine was a christian philosopher
he believed also in the dualistic nature
of the self that is we are made
up of body and soul for him the body is
imperfect
and can only thrive in the imperfect
physical reality of the world
however
augustine
asserted that the soul
can
survive
until
even after death because the soul is
eternal in nature
so
the the goal of every human person is to
attain this communion and bleeds with
the divine by living his life on earth
in virtue
so this is this has actually some
implications in our life which maybe we
can all relate sometimes no matter what
we do in the physical realm in our world
we have this longing we have this
we feel this emptiness that no matter
what we do we always long for something
more
this perhaps can be best explained by
augustine
we feel that emptiness we feel that
there's
always something lacking because we are
still in this imperfect physical world
now we can only attain
some kind of a meaning some kind of a
completion
only we if we reconcile ourselves to the
divine which represents the eternal
so somehow in my opinion this actually
makes sense that would explain why
people always feel that there's
something lacking because we are made
our soul is made to be reconciled with
the one who created us
for those of you who do not really buy
the idea that we are composed of a body
and a soul
perhaps rene descartes would be your
best friend rene descartes believed that
we are composed of a body and the mind
the only thing that what cannot doubt is
the existence of the self
i think therefore i am
the fact that you can think
that you have a the mental faculty
should lead us to conclude without the
trace of doubt that we exist okay
so ganon
david hume has a unique perspective
about what the self is made of
palazzo
there is really no unified or coherent
self for him the self is just a
combination of experiences
in with a particular person
so to coat him it is simply a bundle or
collection of different perceptions
which succeed each other with an
inconceivable rapidity so the self is a
combination of impressions and ideas
impressions or products offer direct
experiences with the world for example
when we touch a hot stove okay the sense
the
sense that we got from that is called
impressions now what are ideas ideas are
copies of impressions which are still in
the imaginary stage for example
we want to imagine the idea of falling
in love though so that's still an idea
because they're just copies of
impressions because we have no direct
experience of that direct experience
we uh labeled that as impressions so
that's according to david hume again
david hume does not believe in the idea
of a self
that is coherent in unified for him it's
just a random you know collection of
experiences that we have
in every in our daily lives
however emmanuel kant
disagreed
thinking of the self as a mere
combination of impressions
was problematic
because
for kant there is necessarily a mind
that organizes the impression that we
get from the external world
along with the different apparatuses of
the mind goes the self without the self
we cannot organize the different
impression that we get in relation to
our existence
so the self is not just what gives
us our personality
it is also the seat of knowledge
acquisition for all human persons
okay this strange philosopher named
gilbert ryle
thought that the self is not an entity
that one can pinpoint or find but rather
it is just a convenient name that people
use to describe the behavior that that
is manifested in our day-to-day life so
it's like going to like a university you
might visit or drop by the gym or go to
the cafeteria or visit the your teachers
in the faculty room but you cannot
really pinpoint which one is a
university
so just like the self for ryle
it's just a convenient name when we say
self it is just a convenient name that
refers to all our behavior that is seen
externally
displayed in our day-to-day life so rile
does not really believe in the
non-physical reality of the self such as
the soul
or internal reality of the self such as
personality
now the last philosophy that we're going
to talk about is that of marlo
ponti
for marlo ponti
although he believed in the dualistic
nature of the self he does not really
believe in dualism meaning that the body
and soul are separate for him whether
it's the body or thoughts or emotions
and experience they are an embodied
experience
they are so intertwined that they cannot
be separated from one another in a way
it's more his view of the self is more
integrated and holistic
he is saying that the self is
composed of these things integrated into
one it's not separate but integrated
now this is the last slide of our
presentation so i hope you
are able to take down notes and
you are now ready to come up with your
own
philosophy about the self thank you for
listening and see you again soon
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