M.C. Escher The SelfM.C. Escher The Self

PHIL 1115Lec 22

THE SELF

Questions….Questions….

Are we who others think we are?Are we who others think we are? Are we ‘essentially’ known only to ourselves?Are we ‘essentially’ known only to ourselves? ……Even to ourselves?Even to ourselves? What does it mean to be ‘true What does it mean to be ‘true

to yourself’to yourself’ Is self-knowledge possible?Is self-knowledge possible?

Fred Mandell Self-PortraitFred Mandell Self-Portrait

Who Who would would

pay the pay the tuition?tuition?

Who are you?Who are you?

Pablo Picasso: Pablo Picasso: Girl Before a Girl Before a

MirrorMirror

(PAGE 182)(PAGE 182)

PicassoPicasso Self-portrait 1Self-portrait 1 Age 15Age 15

PicassoPicasso Self-portrait 2Self-portrait 2 Age 18Age 18

Picasso Picasso Self-portraitSelf-portrait Age 20Age 20

PicassoPicasso Self-portrait 3Self-portrait 3 Age 26Age 26

1907 1907

Pablo PicassoPablo Picasso

Who are you?Who are you?

ENLIGHTENMENT, HUMANISM, ENLIGHTENMENT, HUMANISM, AND ROMANTICISMAND ROMANTICISM

1650 to 19001650 to 1900 From Descartes to NietzscheFrom Descartes to Nietzsche

Historical ThemesHistorical Themes Voyages of discovery ( 1492 and ff ) Voyages of discovery ( 1492 and ff ) The Reformation (1517 and ff ) The Reformation (1517 and ff ) The Copernican Revolution (1543)The Copernican Revolution (1543) Advances in astronomy and physics Advances in astronomy and physics The Renaissance The Renaissance HumanismHumanism The EnlightenmentThe Enlightenment RomanticismRomanticism

Important Figures:Important Figures:Philosophers Philosophers Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Leibniz, Descartes, Locke, Spinoza, Leibniz,

Berkeley, Hume, Pascal Berkeley, Hume, Pascal

WritersWriters Montaigne, Voltaire, Diderot, Goethe Montaigne, Voltaire, Diderot, Goethe

Coleridge, WordsworthColeridge, WordsworthEmerson and Thoreau Emerson and Thoreau

Socialist ThinkersSocialist Thinkers Fourier, Owen, Marx Fourier, Owen, Marx

Humanism Humanism

“The world may have been created by God, but it was now in the hands – for better or worse – of humanity. The world was a human stage, with human values, emotions, hopes, and fears, and this humanity was defined, in turn, by a universal human nature.” Robert Solomon

Alexander PopeAlexander Pope(1688-1744)

Know then thyself, presume Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;not God to scan;

The proper study of mankind The proper study of mankind is man.is man.

Essay on Man. Epistle ii. Line 1. Essay on Man. Epistle ii. Line 1.

ROMANTICISMROMANTICISM

Romanticism represents a shift from the Romanticism represents a shift from the objective to the subjective objective to the subjective

Science is WEScience is WE

Art is IArt is I

Romanticism is a reaction against the Romanticism is a reaction against the rationalism of the Enlightenmentrationalism of the Enlightenment

The Enlightenment and Romanticism together provide the main thread of modern European philosophy

On the Enlightenment On the Enlightenment side: side:

Heavy emphasis on Heavy emphasis on sciencescience

Universal principlesUniversal principles RationalityRationality

On the Romanticism side:On the Romanticism side: Deep doubts about Deep doubts about

sciencescience Reliance on intuition and Reliance on intuition and

feeling rather than reasonfeeling rather than reason Emphasis on the self, on Emphasis on the self, on

creativity and on artcreativity and on art

Two of the questions Two of the questions confronting Descartes:confronting Descartes:

   What is the place of What is the place of

mind in the world of mind in the world of matter?matter?

   What is the place of What is the place of

freedom in the world freedom in the world of mechanism?of mechanism?

The The “Epistemological “Epistemological

Turn” Turn” begins with begins with DescartesDescartes

The Epistemological Turn:The Epistemological Turn:

A change in the basic question…A change in the basic question…

From: From: What exists?What exists?

To: To: What (and how) can we What (and how) can we know about what exists?know about what exists?

Before Descartes: Metaphysics took precedence over Epistemology.

After Descartes: Epistemology took precedence over Metaphysics.

Descartes…Descartes…

““But what then am I? A thing which thinks. But what then am I? A thing which thinks. What is a thing which thinks? It is a thing What is a thing which thinks? It is a thing which doubts, understands, affirms, which doubts, understands, affirms, denies, wills, refuses, which also imagines denies, wills, refuses, which also imagines and feels. . . . . I am a thing with desires, and feels. . . . . I am a thing with desires, who perceives light and noise and feels who perceives light and noise and feels heat…”heat…”

DescartesDescartes

“…“…it is certain that this I it is certain that this I [that is to say, my soul [that is to say, my soul by which I am what I by which I am what I am], is entirely and am], is entirely and absolutely distinct from absolutely distinct from my body, and can exist my body, and can exist without it.” (Meditation without it.” (Meditation VI)VI)

What is the Soul?What is the Soul?

Greek Psyche Greek Psyche (as in psychology)(as in psychology)

Plato: soul as Plato: soul as incorporeal ‘essence’incorporeal ‘essence’

Aristotle: soul as Aristotle: soul as ‘first activity’‘first activity’

The Green Soul Khalid al TamaziThe Green Soul Khalid al Tamazi

What is the Soul?What is the Soul?

Genesis 2:7 states, Genesis 2:7 states, "the LORD God "the LORD God formed man from the formed man from the dust of the earth. He dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the breath of life, and man became a living man became a living soul." soul."

CARTESIAN DUALISMCARTESIAN DUALISM

Descartes argued that human beings are a Descartes argued that human beings are a mysterious union of mind (or soul) and mysterious union of mind (or soul) and bodybody

Of incorporeal substance and corporeal Of incorporeal substance and corporeal substancesubstance

““As a devout believerAs a devout believer, Descartes has , Descartes has salvaged his faith from the threats of salvaged his faith from the threats of science. science.

As a scientistAs a scientist, he has freed science to , he has freed science to

progress without church interference, progress without church interference, since scientific discoveries are about the since scientific discoveries are about the body and have no real bearing on the body and have no real bearing on the soul.” soul.” (Douglas Soccio)(Douglas Soccio)

The official doctrine, which hails chiefly The official doctrine, which hails chiefly from Descartes, is something like this:from Descartes, is something like this:

With the doubtful exceptions of idiots and With the doubtful exceptions of idiots and infants in arms every human being has infants in arms every human being has both a body and a mind. Some would both a body and a mind. Some would prefer to say that every human being is prefer to say that every human being is both a body and a mind. His body and his both a body and a mind. His body and his mind are ordinarily harnessed together, mind are ordinarily harnessed together, but after the death of the body his mind but after the death of the body his mind may continue to exist and function. may continue to exist and function.

Gilbert RyleGilbert Ryle

Mark Twain asked: Mark Twain asked: How come the mind gets drunk when the How come the mind gets drunk when the body does the drinking?body does the drinking?

Heidegger said: Heidegger said:

to ask intelligent to ask intelligent questions is the questions is the modern form of modern form of prayer…prayer…

John Locke…John Locke…1632-17041632-1704

““Consciousness Consciousness alone unites alone unites actions into the actions into the same person.” same person.”

John Locke…John Locke…

"as far as this "as far as this consciousness can be consciousness can be extended backwards extended backwards to any past action or to any past action or thought, so far reaches thought, so far reaches the identity of that the identity of that person" (II, xxvii, 9) person" (II, xxvii, 9)

Locke…Locke…

Some ideas which challenge Some ideas which challenge Locke’s theories:Locke’s theories:

ForgettingForgetting

False memory syndromeFalse memory syndrome

DrunkennessDrunkenness

““Whenever I look inside myself, there is no Whenever I look inside myself, there is no self to be found.” David Humeself to be found.” David Hume

For my part, when I enter most intimately into what I call myself, I always stumble on some particular perception or other, of heat or cold, light or shade, love or hatred, pain or pleasure. I never can catch myself at any time without a perception, and never can observe any thing but the perception.

Immanuel Kant

“I openly confess, the suggestion of David Hume was the very thing, which many years ago first interrupted my dogmatic slumber….”

das “ding-an-sich”das “ding-an-sich”

(the thing-in-itself)(the thing-in-itself)

The The Transcendental Transcendental SelfSelf

Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant

““Two things have always filled me with Two things have always filled me with awe: the starry heavens above and the awe: the starry heavens above and the moral law within.” moral law within.”

Schopenhauer Schopenhauer things-in-themselves things-in-themselves are unknowable are unknowable

only knowledge of one only knowledge of one

thing-in-itself is thing-in-itself is possible : self possible : self

and the self is merely a and the self is merely a manifestation of Will manifestation of Will (aka blind striving)(aka blind striving)

Schopenhauer Schopenhauer

Schopenhauer’s Three Ways…Schopenhauer’s Three Ways…

He suggested three ways out of He suggested three ways out of

this aimless striving:this aimless striving:

1. sympathy for others 2. philosophic understanding 3. aesthetic contemplation

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche called the Nietzsche called the “Will To Power” the “Will To Power” the most basic human most basic human drivedrive

Übermensch homo superior homo superior (overman or (overman or superman) superman)

……The Will to Power…The Will to Power…

SØREN SØREN KIERKEGAARDKIERKEGAARD

Authentic Authentic existence…existence…

Kierkegaard: The solitary wanderer Kierkegaard: The solitary wanderer

"If a human being did not have an eternal "If a human being did not have an eternal consciousness, if underlying everything consciousness, if underlying everything there were only a wild, there were only a wild, fermenting power... fermenting power... what would life be then what would life be then but despair?"but despair?"

Kierkegaard: The solitary wanderer Kierkegaard: The solitary wanderer

"I stick my finger into existence and it "I stick my finger into existence and it smells of nothing. Where am I? What is smells of nothing. Where am I? What is this thing called the world? this thing called the world? Who is it that has lured me Who is it that has lured me into the thing, and now into the thing, and now leaves me here? Who am I? leaves me here? Who am I? How did I come into the How did I come into the world? Why was I not world? Why was I not consulted?" consulted?"

'Existence precedes Essence' 'Existence precedes Essence'

‘‘condemned to be free’condemned to be free’

‘‘acting in bad faith’acting in bad faith’

Jean Paul Sartre

…Existentialist…

SolipsismSolipsism Most simply, the notion that only Most simply, the notion that only II really really

exist…The rest of the world consists of my exist…The rest of the world consists of my stage and my ‘extras’…stage and my ‘extras’…

Philosophically, the Philosophically, the notion that I can’t notion that I can’t really know anything really know anything except my own except my own existence…existence…

Gilbert Ryle and the Gilbert Ryle and the HomunculusHomunculus

(the ghost in the (the ghost in the machine)machine)

The Origin of LoveThe Origin of Love

Hedwig and the Angry Hedwig and the Angry Inch performed Inch performed The Origin of Love

Based on the story told Based on the story told by Aristophanes in by Aristophanes in Plato’s Dialogue,Plato’s Dialogue, The The Symposium.Symposium.

Concluding Concluding questionquestion

How does How does this picture this picture relate to the relate to the

self?self?