12 Philosophers

Socrates
one's true self, according to Socrates, is not to be identified with what we own, with our social status,
our reputation, or even with our body. Instead, Socrates famously maintained that our true self is our
soul.
Socrates asserted that one's inner self should not be associated with their possessions, reputation, social
standing, or even their physical appearance. Socrates famously argued that our soul is our genuine
selves.
Plato
Plato conceives of the self as a knower. Hence, for Plato, the concepts of the self and knowledge are
inextricably linked. This is because Plato’s concept of the self is practically constructed on the basis of his
reflections on the nature of the rational soul as the highest form of cognition.
In Plato's view, the self is a knower. As a result, knowledge and the self are mutually exclusive notions
for Plato. This is due to the fact that Plato's theoretical construction of the concept of the self is based
on his considerations of the nature of the rational soul as the highest form of knowledge.
Aristotle
Aristotle’s concept of the self is hylomorphic, that is, the self or the human person is composed of body
and soul. The two are inseparable. Thus, we cannot talk about the self with a soul only or a self with a
body only.
According to Aristotle's hylomorphic theory of the self, a person is made up of both a body and a soul.
They cannot be separated. As a result, neither the self with a soul nor the self with a body alone can be
discussed.
Rene Descartes
For Descartes the self is a thinking thing distinct from the body. Thinking self (soul, non-material), &
physical body (material, non-thinking entity).
According to Descartes, the self is a separate thinking entity from the body. Thinking self, physical body,
and non-material soul (material, non-thinking entity).
Immanuel Kant
For Kant the self is a unifying subject, an organizing consciousness that makes intelligible experience
possible.
The self is a unifying subject for Kant, an organizing consciousness that enables understandable
experience.
St. Augustine
Augustine sees the self as being open to a relationship with God. He has two ways of conceptualizing the
self as radically oriented to God, namely self-presentation and self-realization.
According to Augustine, the self is receptive to a relationship with God. He distinguishes between self-
presentation and self-realization as two different ways of understanding the individual as profoundly
devoted to God.
Sigmund Freud
For Freud, the self-consist of three layers: conscious (reality principle), unconscious (basic instinctual),
and preconscious (located between the first two).
Freud believed that there are three levels to the self: the conscious (reality principle), unconscious (basic
instinctual), and preconscious (located between the first two).
Paul Churchland
According to Churchland, the self is the brain which gives us our sense of self. And that the self is
inseparable from the brain and the physiology of the body.
Churchland asserts that our concept of self comes from our brain, which he refers to as the "self."
Additionally, that the body's physiology and the brain are inextricably linked to the self.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
For him, the self is embodied subjectivity. The consciousness, the world, and the human body are
intricately intertwined in knowing the world.
For him, the self is embodied subjectivity. Knowing the world involves intimate connections between the
human body, the consciousness, and the universe.
Gilbert Ryle
Ryle believed that self comes from behavior. We're all just a bundle of behaviors caused by the physical
workings of the body.
Ryle believed that self comes from behavior. We're all just a collection of actions brought on by the
bodily processes.
John Locke
According to Locke, personal identity (the self) “depends on consciousness, not on substance” nor on
the soul. We are the same person to the extent that we are conscious of the past and future thoughts
and actions in the same way as we are conscious of present thoughts and actions.
According to Locke, individual identity (the self) "depends on consciousness, not on substance" or on the
soul. We are the same people in so far as we perceive past and future thoughts and actions in the same
way we perceive present thoughts and actions.
David Hume
Hume's idea of the self and individual identity is something like how we currently perceive of animal
consciousness: a constantly shifting perception of current experience. He also proposed that we lose this
tenuous concept of identity in sleep. We are fooled into a sense of self by memories of past perceptions.
Hume's thought of the self and person personality is something like how we as of now see of creature
awareness: a continually moving discernment of current encounter. He moreover proposed that we lose
this shaky concept of character in rest. We are tricked into a sense of self by recollections of past
recognitions.
All of the different perception of the philosophers on the self were all insightful and helpful, but
Immanuel Kant’s definition was the one I resonate the most. For me this philosopher’s idea is relevant
on my personal experience because I believe it would help me mold as a person. And this would help me
understand that this obstacle I am facing everyday are just trials to self-improvement. Because
personally I experienced growth with this obstacle, it made me realized how strong of a person I am to
be able to go through difficult times. That sometimes mistakes are a guise in helping us reach our fullest
potential.

12 Philosophers

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Socrates

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