Understanding SelfRefers to the global understanding a person has of themselves. Self Identity is composed of relatively permanent self- assessments, such as personality attributes, knowledge of one’s skills and abilities, one’s occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one’s physical attributes. The Self Identity is not restricted to the present.
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The self is synonymous with the soul.
-Socrates |
PORTFOLIO
What Is the Self?
![Picture](/uploads/1/2/7/1/127176685/published/r-2.jpg?1631075748)
The self is a theoretical entity that can be hypothesized in order to explain a huge array of important psychological phenomena. The self is very different from the atomic, transcendental, perfectly autonomous self assumed by dualist philosophers, but it is far richer and more explanatory than the skeptical view of philosophers who want to dispose of the self altogether. The self does exist—but as a highly complex, multilevel system of interacting mechanisms..
-Paul Thagard, Ph.D.
-Paul Thagard, Ph.D.
So, how does Socrates view the self?
The key to understanding Socrates’s concept of the self is through the philosopher’s take on the “Soul”. But Socrates’s concept of the soul should not be viewed from the vantage point of Christianity, that is, a religious conception of the soul.
And contrary to the opinion of the masses, 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.
Self-Understanding and Self-Interpretation: Socrates and Charles Taylor on Situating the Human - Christian Scholar’s Review (christianscholars.com)
The key to understanding Socrates’s concept of the self is through the philosopher’s take on the “Soul”. But Socrates’s concept of the soul should not be viewed from the vantage point of Christianity, that is, a religious conception of the soul.
And contrary to the opinion of the masses, 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.
Self-Understanding and Self-Interpretation: Socrates and Charles Taylor on Situating the Human - Christian Scholar’s Review (christianscholars.com)