The philosophy of the self is debatable until the present time because no one knows what the self is. Socrates, one of the most powerful philosophers said that you must know yourself to know and possess virtue and wisdom. Descartes thinks that the self is a thinking thing, therefore, we are who we are because of what we think. John Locke said that the self is the personal identity found in consciousness, David Hume tells us about the self as a bundle theory of mind, Immanuel Kant manifests respecting others as respecting yourself and that you create yourself, and many more philosophers share their sentiments of the self. If we will build what the self truly is, we may see it in the theories our philosophers have given already. It is just that, for me, the ideas are broken to which we cannot see until now the self.
I do not know much about the philosophies of the self, however, it challenges me to connect to my inner self and ask what this is. There are many theories about the self that have evidence to support their systems, however, on my part, this is hypothetical. The thoughts are based on famous philosophers of the self and are analyzed thoroughly. But there is no research-based evidence – purely observation.
The self is a memory update device (MUD). It automatically saves and updates the life of man according to his knowledge and environment. The self has an impression of a perfect world where all is in order. For the self to match up with the perfect world, it must grow and develop cognition. Once a baby is born, the self is born as well intact in the baby’s physical and mental form. The self wants to achieve greatness, and by that, it is determined to learn how to interact (to behave) in the environment, in general, and in society. MUD controls two parts of the human body: internal and external. The internal part is the mind which observes, analyzes, processes, and assesses. While the external part is the senses which access the data, produce the need of its environment, and behave accordingly. When a baby is born, it is very normal to cry. Since it does not know any language (recognition of the internal part), the cry means it demands or asks something (where the external part works). Hence, the baby knows that crying can get milk, diapers changed, and so on (the knowledge). This is where MUD starts to work. It saves the behavior (the experience) of a baby, that is, sooner or later when it needs something, crying (the behavior) will do the thing (knowledge is now applied). In this stage, it does not know the right or wrong interaction (behavior) with its environment. That is why we need to learn. Because MUD is dependent on our knowledge. An element called experience will help MUD get the strength it needs to further achieve perfectness. As we grow and develop cognition, this information (experiences) helps MUD evolve to follow the demands of the environment. With this being said, the self cannot update without experience. Experiences are crucial in the development of a child because they are the knowledge that will define the behavior. With time, we will know what is right or wrong based on the information we have gathered. Once you have reached the end of your life, MUD or the self will also cease to exist. Will MUD achieve perfectness? No. As said, the self or MUD grows and evolves, nevertheless, it creates a never-ending journey of achieving rightness and wrongness.
Right-Wrong Table
The right-wrong table will serve
as a guide as to how we test ourselves to find the self. This is based on
observations in the 21st century.
That
is why when we are asked who we are, many of us, hypothetically will answer, I
am who I am because of what I have done and what I have gone through in my
life. MUD serves as the self that has acquired knowledge through experiences
and performs appropriate behavior with the demands of society, and the
environment.
The self = Memory Update Device (MUD)
MUD = Internal + External
Internal = has the knowledge
External = has the behavior
Experiences = an element
That is, knowledge + experiences = behavior – this makes up
the memory update device.
Therefore, I am what I am today
based on the knowledge I have achieved, and the experiences I have stored that
molded my character – my behavior.
Emotional
intelligence also plays a great role in harnessing the self. If the self knows
the control of emotions, it balances the behavior of a human being. The
character of emotional intelligence will be a barrier to the development and
involvement of a person. Because if the person cannot control the abilities of
emotions, the knowledge may remain at a certain stage and the behavior will be
disrupted. Emotional intelligence is usually a battle during CAT, EAT, and ANT
stages wherein it tries to test the self if it can survive waves of trials in
life. However, general knowledge will enable the self to determine what is
right or wrong.
Hello, dear readers!
I am very much interested in writing this one as I have based it on what I have seen in my environment and in myself over the past years. Please do not bash me because it has lacked evidence on your end. I have created something that I don't know much about and studied from scratch. This is actually challenging for me, and I hope you will learn something from it.
How about you? What is your philosophy of the self? Let's discuss it in the comment section!
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