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Philosophical Perspectives on Self

Mar 3, 2025

View of Self Philosophy Key Concepts

Ancient Philosophers

Socrates

  • Self as the Soul:
    • Self synonymous with the soul; death is the soul's departure from the body.
    • Importance of introspection and self-awareness for personal growth.
    • Soul strives for wisdom and perfection using reason.
  • Dualistic Reality:
    • Body: Physical realm, changeable and imperfect.
    • Soul: Ideal realm, unchanging and eternal.
  • Know Thyself:
    • Socratic Method: Encourages self-examination through dialogue.
    • Socratic Irony: Pretending ignorance to stimulate philosophical discussions.
  • Virtue: Emphasized virtues such as wisdom, courage, and justice.

Plato

  • Self as a Tripartite Soul:
    • Reason: Wisdom and understanding of eternal truths.
    • Physical Appetite: Biological needs.
    • Spirit/Passion: Emotions and basic drives.
    • Achieving happiness by ensuring reason controls spirit and appetite.
  • Theory of Forms: Knowledge of higher reality and eternal forms.

Aristotle

  • Soul as the Essence of the Self:
    • Soul as the essence; cannot exist without the body.
    • Vegetative, Sentient, and Rational soul types.
    • Eudaimonia: Flourishing life through virtuous activity.

Modern Philosophers

Rene Descartes

  • Self as a Thinking Entity:
    • Distinction between mind and body.
    • Thinking and self-consciousness as proof of self.

John Locke

  • Self is Consciousness:
    • Personal identity constructed from sense experiences.
    • Memory as key component.
    • Tabula Rasa: Mind as a blank slate shaped by sensory experiences.

David Hume

  • No Self:
    • Self as a bundle of perceptions without fixed identity.
    • Bundle Theory: Collection of perceptions and experiences.

Latent Philosophers

Immanuel Kant

  • We Construct the Self:
    • Reality constructed by the self; familiar and predictable world.
    • Transcendental Idealism: Knowledge based on mind perception.

Gilbert Ryle

  • Self is Behavior:
    • Self understood as behavior patterns and dispositions.

Paul Churchland

  • Self is the Brain:
    • Self inseparable from the brain and body.
    • Neurophilosophy: Integration of neuroscience and philosophy.

Maurice Merleau-Ponty

  • Self as Embodied Subjectivity:
    • Knowledge based on subjective experience.
    • Phenomenology: Examines structures of experience and perception.

View of Self Key Concepts

Margaret Mead

  • Social Interaction:
    • Self as dynamic construct shaped by social interactions.
    • Looking glass self: Based on others' perceptions.

Albert Bandura

  • Social Learning:
    • Identity shaped by modeling and responses to expectations.
    • Observational Learning and Self-Efficacy.

Karl Marx

  • Self and Class Consciousness:
    • Self defined by class consciousness and economic structures.
    • Alienation and class struggle concepts.

Max Weber

  • Social Action and Meaning:
    • Self shaped by cultural contexts and social norms.
    • Verstehen: Empathetic understanding.

Lev Vygotsky

  • Sociocultural Theory:
    • Self constructed through cultural interactions and language.
    • Social Constructivism: Knowledge from social interactions.

Ruth Fulton Benedict

  • Cultural Relativity:
    • Self shaped by cultural context.
    • Patterns of Culture: Analyzed cultures for social personality patterns.

William Graham Sumner

  • Societal Molding of Self:
    • Folkways shape individual behavior.
    • Ethnocentrism and Social Darwinism.

Marcel Mauss

  • Relational Self:
    • Self shaped by social interactions and community exchanges.
    • Gift Economy: Social bonding through gift-giving.

Sigmund Freud

  • Id, Ego, Superego:
    • Self navigates id's desires and superego's morals through ego.
    • Defense mechanisms and psychosexual stages.

William James

  • Me and I Self:
    • "I" as subjective self; "Me" as objective self.
    • Material, Social, and Spiritual self.
    • Social comparison influences self-perception.

Karen Horney

  • Real vs False Self:
    • Real self vs. faade developed due to societal pressures.
    • Basic Anxiety and neurotic strategies.

Carl Rogers

  • Actual vs Ideal Self:
    • Actual self vs. ideal self discrepancy.
    • Congruence between selves leads to fulfillment.

Eastern Philosophies

Confucianism

  • Relation to Societal Roles:
    • Self-cultivation within social relationships.
    • Subdued self for community good.

Buddhism

  • Anatta (Non-Self):
    • Self as transient experiences.
    • Nirvana through mindfulness and awareness.

Taoism

  • Naturalistic Self:
    • Self part of the universe's nature.
    • Harmony with nature and simplicity.