hello good day everyone this is Raymond Espanola or sermon of Surigao Del Norte State University this is a lecture video for the course understanding the self or yourself and particularly this will explore various philosophical perspectives on understanding the self as a concept map as a guide for you take note that this first part philosophical perspectives is just a part it's just a part of an entire first unit of GE understanding the self after exploring philosophical perspectives we will cover other perspectives from other disciplines such as sociological perspectives psychological perspectives and we will end with a cultural with examining cultural perspectives particularly Eastern philosophical perspectives and the Filipino psychology perspective okay so let's begin um these are some questions which might help you prepare no in exploring the topics which will be covered by this lecture video as you can see here it asks you what's your current understanding of the concept of self have you ever asked yourself as to what really is the composition of the human self uh where is the soul or what um what role could Seoul take on our human being or what is the essence of human life so things like that what what what's your understanding of the concept of self also because this is an exploration of philosophical perspectives you might ask what are some different philosophical perspectives on the nature of self can you identify a key idea about the cell from various from at least two philosophers for example Socrates Aristotle Saint Augustine Grenada cards Etc now I have here famous quotes also and I'm sure you have encountered these quotes or any one of these quotes in the past Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth leading what does this mean how can you explain this also according to Saint Augustine we are too weak to discover the truth by reason alone another by John Locke the mind is furnished with ideas by experience alone and lastly I think therefore I am or cogito ergasum Rene Descartes definitely we will cover these quotes as we progress into this lecture video These are the contents of this lecture video we will examine ancient Greek philosophy but focusing on their understanding of the self we will cover Socrates Plato and Aristotle we will also cover Christian Philosophy by Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas Renee Descartes which is the key which is a key figure behind rationalism as a tradition in philosophy also John Locke and David um for empiricism transcendental idealism for Emmanuel Kant and finally phenomenology by Maurice marluponti so this is the concept map to guide you we are examining a total of six perspectives in philosophy ancient Greek Christian rationalist empiricist idealist and phenomenological okay let's begin with ancient Greek philosophy with Socrates or Socrates so I have included here the pronunciation of the name it's Socrates Socrates is one of the influential philosophers in Western history placed great emphasis on self-knowledge and understanding probably this is the lesson that he is best known for that the value of the human self is when we are on a journey towards understanding ourselves our self-knowledge his famous dictum know thyself encapsulates his belief the true wisdom and virtue begin with an understanding of who we are what can we do what our abilities are what our values are what are the things that are important for us so it really requires some level of Consciousness and some level of understanding why what our motives are for certain behaviors um on the importance of self-knowledge Socrates for Socrates understanding oneself was not merely an abstract or introspective Endeavor but take note of this it's the foundation of ethical living okay which means that someone can be considered as living with his or her values if he has or he possesses a good understanding of himself okay so for example in your current state right now if you can explain why are you here why are you in this University why are you pursuing your course what are your reasons is it something that you want or what your parents want and why are you pursuing what other people want for you so if you can answer this question with confidence you know that you come from certain sets of values and you know that probably you don't want to disappoint your parents and that can be a foundation of your ethical life okay that you are not living for yourself but you are living for you know for others for your parents in particular now there can be a lot of issues that you might encounter that you might encounter in the future but definitely you won't be lost once you have a good understanding of why you have chosen that particular life why you are in that current uh position he argued Socrates further argued that a person knows themselves can act in accordance with their true nature and make morally right decisions Kung or who we are okay that's why there should be some introspection all the time okay introspection an internal examination of your motives why um in life the Socratic method is a manner of asking probing questions to stimulate critical thinking and self-examination so practice so just continuously asking them questions and questions to stimulate critical thinking so murag for example okay so that's the Socratic method just asking probing questions okay so foreign okay the process of continuous questioning was aimed at uncovering the fundamental truths about oneself now there is a connection to ethics here Socrates believe that if we have a good understanding of ourselves no it can lead to virtuous action no one knowingly does wrong therefore understanding oneself would enable a person to act justly and wisely oh okay so you have to ask yourself continuously so a continuous questioning will eventually make you realize okay the pursuit of self-understanding was our moral duty for Socrates okay and moral duty [Music] obligations Society you just understand who you are okay okay again if we know who we are if we know our motives if we know what our goals are if we know what our values are we can act accordingly to our true nature we can act in a virtuous manner okay and that's it no so delete application to modern education let's move to the other um ancient Greek philosopher that's Plato So Plato is particularly known for his theory of forms this Theory posits that the physical world is not the real world instead Ultimate Reality exists beyond our physical environment ideas in our language in the current modern times the forms are ideas abstract ideas perfect unchangeable Concepts or ideas that exist in an eternal and non-material realm now take note ideas or forms are abstract and perfect for example Beauty you know and beauty is an idea it's a form it's an abstract ideal it's an abstract concept okay it's immutable it is eternal and also it is real and knowable through intellectual reasoning and sensory experience okay now we have here the famous allegory of the cave by Plato he says that um the cave represents the deceptive world of appearances while the journey outside symbolizes truth and knowledge okay it's a metaphor for our journey to self-understanding is [Music] inside the cave na Ang ilang [Music] okay so in this case water containers so if we apply that to another example so for example understanding of beauty and so my beauty so on beauty is knowable Kong as a world among a reasonable intellectual reasoning what beauty could mean okay so definitely a beauty is abstract perfect and changeable concept immutable meaning it's Eternal and alterable and since it cannot be ex it cannot be known through since sensory experiences it cannot be known through seeing um we need to know the true meaning of beauty through intellectual reasoning okay so that's why my beauty is measured by Harmony or symmetry okay so asymmetry in in anything there is Beauty in that okay okay intellectual reasoning The Immortal Soul Plato posited that the human soul is Immortal and divine understanding the self requires recognizing the Soul's Eternal nature and its connection to the universal forms for Plato the body was a temporary vessel while the soul was the true essence of the self is responsible for our bodily desires desire for food you know and even our emotions and spirited passions and drives and rational is the truth seeking logical thinking and Plato argued that a harmonious a harmonious soul where the rational part governs leads to Justice and virtue so meaning understands self involves just achieving balance and Harmony among the various parts of our soul that is if we can strike a balance between being rational and being too guided with bodily desires and even our passions in life in Plato's view philosophical education was a process of turning the soul towards the higher realm of forms it was an inner Journey towards self-realization and understanding okay next let's go to Aristotle so we have here Aristotle uh for Aristotle the self begins with a metaphysical understanding of substance and Essence he held that individual beings or substances have a specific nature or Essence that defines what they are this also applies to human beings and their understanding of the self which are again similar to the propositions of Plato Aristotle vegetative sensitive and rational and vegetative responsible for growth and nourishment bodily desires for food Etc sensitive responsible for perception and desire and the rational so responsible for thinking and understanding and again similarly ignoni Aristotle we need to be able to balance cunning other parts of the Soul no no it requires a self-understanding can be obtained or obtained in life if these faculties are known and they are controlled as to how they function together but essentially Aristotle is best known for this the rationality is the human Essence Aristotle believed that the defining characteristic of humans is their capacity for rational thought that is our capacity for intellectual reasoning okay is probably the best person who forwarded the importance of intellectual reasoning okay so in only Socrates self-understanding you ask the Socratic method you use the Socratic method continuous questioning real virtues or truth among action okay Plato we have to go outside because forms or ideas are abstracts and they are not knowable through senses but they can be known through intellectual reasoning being rational being intellectual being logical is our human Essence okay the rational part of the Soul enables humans to think reason and reflect on themselves which forms the basis of self-understanding and Aristotle's ethics is deeply connected to his view of the self of that being rational he argued that human beings achieved their full potentials [Music] through the practice of virtue and that involves using reason to find the right balance between extremes [Music] photographer pero an email parents expectations and the practice of virtue is when you are able to use intellectual reasoning parama balance extremes encounter in your life okay activities in life without knowing or without um logical reasons for your life and lastly the concept of Judaism your domini are flourishing is Aristotle's idea of the highest human good value okay so this is the The Virtue aspire Aristotle okay achieving your demonia requires self-realization and living in accordance with one's true nature so this is the pursuit of personal excellence through continual self-reflection and growth [Music] unhappiness is plain as you are happy is happiness plus contentment okay okay for example time now foreign you are still able to find meaning to your life absence okay and also Aristotle believed that every human person is a political animal which means that um humans find the true selves in the context of community and political life so there is a requirement for people to go outside to be an active member of the community understanding of who they are again they are Political Animals okay so this is a comparison in case you need to compare the free ancient Greek philosophers Socrates Plato and Aristotle you may take a screenshot of this among review later now let's go to Christian philosophies starting with Saint Augustine for Saint Augustine human nature is rooted in Christian doctrine particularly the idea of original sin that is we were born imperfect okay we were born flawed and we were born that is being driven by selfish desires but influenced by Aristotle Saint Augustine also believed that we are capable of reason and we are capable of pursuing higher virtues okay so yes capable of intellectual reasoning pero because of the doctrine of the original sin for Christians no we are flawed we are imperfect and we are breathing strongly by selfish desires Saint Augustine also proposed two cities the city of God and the Earthly City okay the Earthly cities Earthly cities are driven by self-love and are flawed no so [Music] while the city of God is Guided by love of God individuals must align must strive to align themselves with a divine order which means a deep self-awareness and commitment to spiritual growth to use intellectual visioning at all times to put balance extremes encounter not in life for Saint Augustine it is aligning ourselves to the city of God and that is a city where it is Guided by love for God okay and more specifically that is a city where we have deep self-awareness and we commit to Growing spiritually um also influenced by Aristotle see Saint Augustine also believed in the role of the state and the government okay in Saint Augustine's view the state serves to maintain Earthly peace and Order even though it is imperfect okay individuals must recognize their responsibilities within the government Guided by both reason and Faith okay so seguru there is really a strong influence of Aristotle on the beliefs and views of Saint Augustine element of Faith yes Aristotle we are Political Animals we have to participate in the political or government activities through intellectual reasoning okay that is part of our duty to use intellectual reasoning because we are Political Animals but yes we must recognize then attire responsibilities a government but we should be guided by reason and faith in the Lord faith in God or faith in the Creator okay Philippines for example in our context 1987 Philippine Constitution you can see there the element of God no no rights of family life role of God acknowledge in the book in that Philippine Constitution name um we also pursue the spiritual values working in love for God okay city of God Saint Augustine also acknowledged social inequalities including slavery as part of the Earthly order however he emphasized the spiritual equality of all human beings before God okay social inequalities Earthly cities are Earthly cities can in slavery but remember we are all equal spiritually before God and therefore um we must recognize um words and potential for Redemption irrespective of social status okay now let's move to another philosopher Saint Thomas Aquinas also a Christian philosopher song difference for Saint Thomas Aquinas the existence and essence of the Soul as um Aquinas distinguished between existence and Essence particularly in relation to the human soul he considered the soul to be the form of the body and that it is immaterial Immortal and subsistent okay and understanding the self involves recognizing the Soul's divine origin and its connection to the body Saint Thomas also emphasized the intellectual faculties of human beings that yes we are capable again of Reason Okay so see Aristotle is a young main agendum rationality as the human Essence Aquinas okay he believed Saint Thomas Aquinas believed that through reason and intellect we can attain knowledge about both the natural world and divine truth okay FX and virtue Aquinas developed a detailed ethical system based on virtue and natural law he believed that moral goodness that we can achieve moral goodness by aligning our will with the divine order and cultivating virtues is known for that there is integrity of faith and reason earlier Saint Augustine yes we are also Political Animals similars Aristotle but we should not only use intellectual reasoning or rationality but we do that with faith okay now here in the case of Saint Thomas Aquinas that our faith and reason are actually intertwined we cannot separate them together okay so we integrate that faith and reason are integrated he argued that both were essential paths to truth and that they could co-exist harmoniously okay so we can pursue both together okay if you believe that they are separate people can choose a certain path the path to reason or the path to face okay but no according to Saint Thomas Aquinas there are always paths where faith and reason are integrated okay is being rational being ethical so for example argument for let's say against abortion etc etc but we examine so yes no matter how good your reasoning is is that really aligned to the city of city of God no is that aligned to the city of God between Cavaliers faith and reason co-existing together there's no need to choose okay and or similarly happen political philosophy um aquinas's political philosophy was grounded in the idea that in the idea of the common good and natural law he saw the role of government as guiding citizens towards virtue and maintaining social order and this is the comparison so for Saint Augustine yes there is a belief of the Dual nature of humans body and soul okay so much and difference now let's move to rationalism forwarded or promoted heavily by Rene Descartes Rene Descartes is known for his Cartesian doubt and the cogito argument the cards initiated his philosophical inquiry with a method of Doubt systematically doubting everything that could be possibly doubted okay so doubt is the origin of knowledge so many because through doubting that is already philosophizing but that can be a a good signal you are being true to your essence no you are being true to yourself okay he arrived at this famous conclusion kogito or Goose I think therefore I am which means that when people think they get to know the world okay philosophers they were all Guided by intellectual reasoning so you just reason you just reason let's say sake let's just treat no you ask questions you ask people questions and then you ask people to do reflection philosophical no introspection know thyself through introspection by asking yourself questions yes that is the foundation of all knowledge we have to think no um the cards posted a dualism between the body and mind he considered the Mind as a non-material substance and the body as a mechanical entity believed in innate ideas also take note of this innate ideas cutting certain truths that are not derived from experience similarities among perspectives forms necessarily obtained through experience okay the cards emphasize the role of Reason in gaining knowledge despite his dualism uh the cards believe that the mind and body interact with each other however he struggled to explain how this interaction occurs but his thoughts on the subject have led extensive philosophical debates about the nature of Consciousness and self okay next we have John LA but this is a different philosophical tradition see John lab together with David Hume are known for empiricism within philosophy all knowledge comes from sensory experience so I hope you are following okay Rene Descartes all knowledge comes from thinking so when we think we obtain knowledge so that is similar also can Socrates and others we reflect we do introspection no we make people reflect on who they are and we make people use their intellectual reasoning knowledge but John laughs no acknowledge understanding of the world virtues it's not true thinking not through intellectual reasoning but from sensory experience okay from what we get from what we hear from what we see okay the Mind begins as a tabular rasa or black slaves Blanco were born with empty with nothing in our head okay innate ideas and that understanding oneself involves an examination of sensory Impressions and Reflections on those experiences so again an implications okay there are no innate ideas no ideas that are inborn no Eternal ideas forms okay no we just get Knowledge from sensory experience okay Blanca mind we obtain we fill them up with whatever things learn from others lacks thoughts on personal identity were groundbreaking also he argued that personal identity is not tied to the substance of the body or soul but to consciousness Okay so honey Consciousness from our sensory experiences for luck the self persists through time as long as there is continuity of Consciousness and memory also recognized natural rights and political philosophies Aristotle um he emphasized the natural rights of individuals including the life the right to life the right to Liberty and the right to property which are inherent to each person and forms the basis for his social contract Fury religious tolerance and the limits of human understanding luck advocated for religious tolerance and argue that human understanding has its limits he believed that individuals should be free to pursue their beliefs and that the role of government should not extend to enforcing religious Orthodoxy okay this is also a landmark um belief is a single religion but should recognize should accept now people have freedom to pursue their own beliefs okay foreign now another embarrassist philosopher is David Hume so major similar points all knowledge derives from such sensory experiences Because he believes that an atom knowledge are from Impressions perceptions okay this approach challenged previous rationalist and metaphysical conceptions of human beings and particularly see David um forward now skepticism okay so Rene Descartes we need to doubt we need to be skeptical okay so for example he famously denied the existence of a permanent unified self asserting that the self is just a bundle of perceptions bundle Theory okay according to you we never directly experience a stable self rather we experience a continuous flow of Sensations emotions and thoughts bundle of Impressions bundle perceptions is not really about body and soul but it's about our continuously flow of Sensations emotions and thoughts okay no such thing as body and soul now this radical View influence laters among other um disciplines such as psychology and cognitive science and again this is similar Sayang skepticism now we need to be skeptical yum also examined that the nature of causality and the problem of induction always questioning habit of thought skeptical [Music] Yum's moral philosophy was based on sentiment rather than rational deduction and so on an important religious skepticism now we need to be skeptical some are religious beliefs no and he critically examined the arguments for the existence of God Etc so these are the comparisons again Rene Descartes is a rationalist John Locke and empiricist uh John Locke and davidium are empiricists on side difference um Foundation at existence is getting self-awareness or the ability to think no however can I see John Locke and David um Foundation existence and understanding is sensory experience okay now let's move to I think this is second to the last philosopher Emmanuel Kant Emanuel Kant is known for his transcendental idealism no um his philosophy is characterized by his doctrine of yeah transcendental idealism he believed that humans can never know things as they are in themselves but only as they appear to us okay this distinction leads to a complex understanding of the self where the true nature of the self is beyond direct experience so this is kind of a response to empiricism okay categories of understanding can't argue that the Mind plays an active role in shaping our experience using innate categories of understanding okay so let me emphasize that for Khan we have in active role we have an active role in shaping our experience Okay so cunning categories of understanding for example causality and substance are not derived from experience but we structure it create now understanding NATO okay so this is also unique perspective nah experience alone but experience Khan's moral philosophy emphasizes the importance of Reason Duty and autonomy he argued that individuals should act according to Universal moral laws that they could will for themselves Khan's famous ethical principle the categorical imperative guides moral action by demanding that one act according to principles that could be built as universal laws and can't sort to reconcile human freedom and deterministic loss of nature he believed that while the phenomenal world is governed by causality the numinal self the self as it is in itself is free okay and yeah and lastly Maurice Merle ponti um known for phenomenology of perception he places perception at the core of Human Experience similar to the video similar to John Locke he argued that the body is not a mere object among objects but the very basis of our experience and understanding of the world in this sense the body is intertwined with the self okay so also Maurice marlopanti is known for embodied Consciousness or the idea of embodiments Consciousness is intertwined with our is the idea of soul so Consciousness embodied or Soul intertwined with the body he emphasized the lived experience of the body and how it shapes our perceptions thoughts and interactions with the world mentioned the intertwining of the self and World marloponte proposed that the self is not isolated from the world but it is interwoven with it unconsciousness okay the body is our way of being in the world and the world is not just a plane is is not just an external object but part of our existential experience this challenges traditional dualistic Notions of Mind and Body Works understanding and also Maurice engaged with political and ethical issues emphasizing human engagement with others in the world okay so Advocates responsible socially engaged self nakananda reflect on issues of power responsibility and human dignity okay so these are the comparison this is the comparison of Emmanuel Kant and Maurice Marlow quantity okay transcendental self not directly knowable okay interplay between reason and sensory experience but in the case of merlaponti embodied nature of Consciousness okay what are our key takeaways what can we get from this presentation from this lecture video first when it comes to understanding the self based on different philosophical traditions there are a lot of perspectives okay which can go together but they which can also um kind of go against one another so the isocratic introspection knowing that is knowing themselves and also hume's bundle Theory now there's no need to know ourselves because we are just uh full of sensation so not a diverse views of the self and also philosophers understanding of the mind and body you know for the card separate mind and body dualistic for Marlo Ponte embodied okay not together intertwined Sila and also philosophers they also explored various moral ethical considerations so and yeah I emphasis on moral obligations rational and empirical views empirical and City cards rational of ourselves is it through our own application of logic our own application of intellectual reasoning or naglikan simply or plainly sensation experience perception impressions okay and fifth social and political Dimensions I think um philosophers in this lecture video now yes I political Dimension we need to be active citizens political Community the other obligations a government okay so I'm gonna emphasize not nepalato I'm gonna emphasize not me Aristotle England and Christian philosophers nilani Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas yes political communities but they should come with faith religious and spiritual um aspects and yes we conclude this lecture video um with these thoughts the exploration of the self as revealed through the diverse philosophies underscores the complex human nature of the complex nature of human understanding the philosopher a unique perspective and the legacy of these thinkers continues to resonate challenging us to engage critically with our own understanding of the self and inspiring continued inquiry and reflection in our ever evolving world okay now these are questions for you for self-reflection and I invite you to take a screenshot of this and answer these questions because you might be asked to answer these questions in class thank you for listening