NOTES

 Philosophy – finding answers to serious questions

Pythagoras – the first to use the
term philosophy

ADDITIONALINFO
In the Prologue to his Lives of
Eminent Philosophers,
Diogenes Laertius says of
Philosophy that its very nature
refuses to be translated into
foreign speech, and that “the 1st
to use the term and to call
himself a philosopher or lover
of wisdom, was Pythagoras, for
he said that no man is wise, but
God alone.

Origin of the word

 Greek words

Philo – love Sophia – wisdom

What do we get out of Philosophy? Skills that we develop
overtime while studying philosophy?

PHILOSOPHERS
 THE SELF FROM VARIOUS
PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE
 John Locke – 17th Century (1632-1704)
 English philosopher and physician
 The self is consciousness
 Polymath (He wrote & thought on various interests)
 Tabula Rasa / Blank State
 The self is consciousness (Sense experiences)
 Self – nagmumula sa sense experiences (what we hear,
see, smell, feel, touch) It is a collective experience
which makes up the consciousness
Influenced the ff thinkers: David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Jean-
Jacques Rousseau

Three Major Contributions

Epistemology (branch of philosophy concerned with
knowledge) – Similar to Francis Bacon, an empiricist. His best
work is An Essay Concerning Human Understanding which
first appeared on (1689) – is probably one of the great defenses
of empiricism (theory that knowledge comes primarily from
sensory experiences), which is basically about determining the
limits of the human understanding.
He argued that “No man’s knowledge here can go beyond his
experience.” (what one can legitimately claim to know, and
what one cannot)
In connection with this is Locke’s Theory of Mind, which is
often cited as the origin of concepts of the identity and the self.
Locke said that the mind is tabula rasa. He argued that the
human mind is a tabula rasa which became filled with
knowledge deriving from experiences, observations and
experimentations. Locke does not disregard the experiences of
the person in the identification and establishment of who we are
as a person. Rather, he stated that a person is born with knowing
nothing and that is susceptible to stimulation and accumulation
of learning from the experiences, failures, references, and
observations of the person.
Political Philosophy – Locke was against Absolutism (which is
a form of government where the monarch holds all the power
with no checks or balances from any other part of the nation or
government). He was in favor of separation of church and
state. Locke advocated separation of powers because he
believed that “Revolution is not only a right but an obligation
in some circumstances.”
Father of Classical Liberation - His works paved the way to
several revolutions to fight the absolute powers of monarchs and
rulers of his time that led to the development of governance,
politics, and economic system that we now know or that we
have right now.
Religious toleration – 17th century was not only a period where
political conflict happened, but it was also a period where
religious turmoil took place.
Locke was a protestant.
He thought that the bible was in agreement with human reason.
He was against enforcing religion and coercing uniformity. He
thought that enforcing a true single religion on people could
never have the desired effect because belief cannot be compelled
by violence and indeed coercing uniformity will lead to more
social disorder than allowing diversity. However, although he
was an advocate of tolerance, he urged the authorities to not
tolerate atheism because the denial of God’s existence would
definitely lead to chaos.

 David Hume (1711-1776)

 Born on 1711 in Edinburgh, Scotland to a moderately
wealthy family
 Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and
essayist known for his philosophical empiricism
(knowledge comes primarily from sensory
experiences), skepticism (a questioning attitude
towards one or more instances of knowledge), and
naturalism (theory that relates scientific method to
philosophy by affirming that all beings and events in
the universe (whatever their inherent character may
be) are natural)
 There is no self (there is no permanent self because
impressions of things are based on our experiences
where we can create our ideas and knowledge. Thus, it
may improve or totally be replaced)
 Bundle Theory – collection of impressions
 Hume believes that the self is a collection of:
 Impressions – vivid products of direct experiences (in
layman’s term: feelings, sensations/perceptions)
Ex; what you feel nung ghinost ka nya, what u feel while
riding extreme rides in amusement parks nung nakita mo
yung bff mo na di mo nakita for a very long time, that’s
happiness – what u feel in that certain situation is your
impression
 Ideas – copies of impressions; imagination
Ex: Do you have an idea how it feels to eat your comfort
food? Hindi naman kailangan na ginagawa mo yun
ngayon para malaman kung anong pakiramdam non.
Idea - imagination

 Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

 He tried to work out how humans can be good or kind,

separated from/outside traditional teachings of religion
 His father was a saddlemaker, which basically means
na gipit din sila sa buhay it wasn’t in his 50’s na
professor sya at dun guminhawa kahit papano
 His family was religious and strict
 Known for his works on empiricism and rationalism
 We construct the self
People are the one to create their own self. It
constructs its own reality which actively produces a
world that is predictable to him/her.
  The mind is the organizing principle
The mind organizes our experiences (impressions)
In contrast with Hume’s there is no self, according to
Kant, there is self. He denied that it’s not just about
impressions because without the self, one cannot
organize different impressions that one gets relative to
his own existence.

 Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

 An Austrian neurologist
 Father of psychoanalysis (psychological theories and
therapeutic methods which have their origin in the
work and theories of Sigmund Freud) (contrary to the
common misconception, he is not the father of
psychology - Wilhelm Wundt is)
 Known for his works on human nature and
unconscious
 Man is governed by two drives:
1. Eros (bliss, pleasure)
2. Thanatos (pain, death, aggression)
 The ego is not the master in its own house
 Three Provinces of the Mind
1. Id – driven pleasure principle, cannot delay
gratification (child-aspect of a person)
2. Ego – rational, in-contact with reality
(police/mediator)
3. Superego – conscience, uphold justice and do what
is morally right and socially acceptable actions
Ex: id – demonyo na bumubulong sayo na matulog
while in the middle of online class
Ego – mediator/ taga-balance, weigh
Superego – anghel na nagsasabi na wag mong
gagawin yun because it is not right at hindi ka
makakapakinig nang ayos so that’s how it works

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Freud believed that personality developed
(dumadaan) through a series of childhood stages in
which the pleasure-seeking energies of the id
become focused on certain erogenous areas. An
erogenous zone is characterized as an area of the
body that is particularly sensitive to stimulation.
During these stages, the erogenous zone associated
with each stage serves as a source of pleasure.

The psychosexual energy, or libido, was described as

the driving force behind behavior.

Each stage of development is marked (kaakibat) by

conflicts that can help build growth or stifle (hold
back ng) development, if certain issues are not
resolved at the appropriate stage, fixations can occur.
A fixation is a persistent focus on an earlier
psychosexual stage. Until this conflict is resolved, the
individual will remain "stuck" in this stage

The Oral Stage

Age Range: Birth to 1 Year
Erogenous Zone: Mouth
1. The mouth is vital for eating, and the infant
derives pleasure from oral stimulation through
gratifying activities such as tasting and sucking.
In this stage, we are dependent to our
caretakers/parents. We also form trust and bond
through this oral stimulation.
Conflict: weaning process (butaw in tagalog) a
process of stopping feeding your baby with breast
milk. Ideally, the first step towards weaning your baby
is introducing complementary foods alongside your
breast milk around the age of six months
Fixation: Freud believed the individual would have
issues with dependency or aggression. (e.g. drinking,
eating, smoking, nail-biting)

The Anal Stage

Age Range: 1 to 3 years
Erogenous Zone: Bowel and Bladder Control
1. Freud believed that the primary focus of the libido
was on controlling bladder and bowel movements.
Conflict: potty training (kung paano, saan natin
gagawin)
According to Freud, success at this stage is
dependent upon the way in which parents
approach toilet training. Parents who utilize praise
and rewards for using the toilet at the appropriate
time encourage positive outcomes and help children
feel capable and productive. (marunong na siya)
However, not all parents provide the support and
encouragement that children need during this stage.
Some parents punish, ridicule, or shame a child for
accidents.
Fixation: approach that is too lenient - individual
has a messy, wasteful, or destructive personality.
too strict or begin toilet training too early -
individual is stringent, orderly, rigid, and obsessive.

The Phallic Stage

Age Range: 3 to 6 Years
Erogenous Zone: Genitals
1. The child realizes the differences between the male
and female and becomes more aware of his own
sexuality.
The phallic stage of development is primarily focused
on identifying with the same-sex parent. Freud also
believed that boys begin to view their fathers as a rival
for the mother’s affections. The Oedipus complex
describes these feelings of wanting to possess the
mother and the desire to replace the father.
The term Electra complex has been used to describe a
similar set of feelings experienced by young girls.
Freud, however, believed that girls instead experience
penis envy.
However, it was disputed because it was inaccurate
and demeaning to women – instead, it was proposed
that men experience feelings of inferiority because
they cannot give birth to children, a concept referred
to as womb envy.
Fixation: adult personalities that are overly vain,
exhibitionistic, and sexually aggressive

The Latent Period

Age Range: 6 to Puberty
Erogenous Zone: Sexual Feelings Are Inactive
1. The child continues his development, but sexual
urges are inactive.
During this stage, the superego continues to develop
while the id's energies are suppressed. Children
develop social skills, values and relationships with
peers and adults outside of the family.
The development of the ego and superego contribute
to this period of calm. The stage begins around the
time that children enter into school and become more
concerned with peer relationships, hobbies, and other
interests.
The latent period is a time of exploration in which
the sexual energy repressed or dormant. This
energy is still present, but it is sublimated into other
areas such as intellectual pursuits and social
interactions.
The Genital Stage
Age Range: Puberty to Death
Erogenous Zone: Maturing Sexual Interests
1. The libido becomes active once again. The
individual develops a strong sexual interest in the
opposite sex. This stage begins during puberty but last
throughout the rest of a person's life.

He conceptualized about the different levels of

consciousness that provides an idea how a person
develops a sense of self.

1. Conscious- where minority of our memories are

being stored and the memories that are in the
conscious is easier to be to be tapped or accessed
2. Pre-conscious - the middle part of the entirety of
our consciousness; the memories stored in this area
can still be accessed but with a little difficulty
3. Unconscious - this area is where majority of our
memories since childhood are deeply stored. It is
very difficult to tap the memories. It would need a
(kinakailangan ng) trained professional and several
special techniques in order to make some memories
resurface
 In relation to Freud’s two drives of the self: Eros and
Thanatos, he believed that we are a by-product of our
experiences in the past. Our actions are driven by the idea of
resisting or avoiding pain and are molded from our need for
pleasure or being happy.
The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with one-seventh of
its bulk above the water. – Sigmund Freud
1/7 of the mind – Conscious, while for the remaining parts,
unconscious