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    Chapter 5

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    Richard Palaylay
    This document discusses Western and Oriental concepts of the self. [1] In Western thought, philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes viewed the self as dualistic, separating body and mind. [2] In Oriental thought as found in Chinese, Hindu, and Zen Buddhist philosophy, the self is seen as an integrated whole without dichotomy between body and spirit. [3] The Oriental view sees humans as fundamentally connected to society and nature, while the Western view sees more individualism.

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    Chapter 5

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    Richard Palaylay
    42 views2 pages
    This document discusses Western and Oriental concepts of the self. [1] In Western thought, philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes viewed the self as dualistic, separating body and mind. [2] In Oriental thought as found in Chinese, Hindu, and Zen Buddhist philosophy, the self is seen as an integrated whole without dichotomy between body and spirit. [3] The Oriental view sees humans as fundamentally connected to society and nature, while the Western view sees more individualism.

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    This document discusses Western and Oriental concepts of the self. [1] In Western thought, philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes viewed the self as dualistic, separating body and mind. [2] In Oriental thought as found in Chinese, Hindu, and Zen Buddhist philosophy, the self is seen as an integrated whole without dichotomy between body and spirit. [3] The Oriental view sees humans as fundamentally connected to society and nature, while the Western view sees more individualism.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    42 views2 pages

    Chapter 5

    Uploaded by

    Richard Palaylay
    This document discusses Western and Oriental concepts of the self. [1] In Western thought, philosophers like Plato, Aristotle, and Descartes viewed the self as dualistic, separating body and mind. [2] In Oriental thought as found in Chinese, Hindu, and Zen Buddhist philosophy, the self is seen as an integrated whole without dichotomy between body and spirit. [3] The Oriental view sees humans as fundamentally connected to society and nature, while the Western view sees more individualism.

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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    GRACE MISSION COLLEGE

    Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro


    E-Mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

    MODULE
    7

    THE SELF IN WESTERN AND


    ORIENTAL THOUGHT
    INTRODUCTION
    What is the self? Who am I? Who is a human person? This chapter, however, is limited to a
    discussion on who is a person from the philosophical point of view. It also discusses briefly the self from
    westerner and the oriental point of views.
    OBJECTIVE
    At the end of the module, the students are expected to:
    1. Discuss the essence of “self” according to three ancient Greek philosophers
    2. Relate these concepts of “self” to his/her personal life

    ABSTRACTION

    The Self in Western Thought


    The idea of the separation of body and mind has been ingrained in Western thought. Western
    philosophers give more attention to the dualism between the body and the soul. Plato claimed the body is
    the prison of the soul. Aristotle disagrees with Plato, his teacher that the body is the prison of the soul. For
    Aristotle, the body is the matter which the soul informs. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas echoed or
    committed on these two Greek philosophers and claimed that the body and soul are inseparable. A human
    person is a compound of body and soul and that, within this compound, the soul – conceived as both the
    life-giving element and the center of consciousness, perception and thought-is, or ought to be, the ruling
    part. Descartes also claimed that the body is different from the soul/mind which is a thinking thing.
    We, Filipinos have been Westernized and so we, too, associate the body with the physical,
    anatomical body, separate from the mind, its spiritual or psycho-emotional aspect. Corpuz, et all (2019)
    claim:
    This is especially evident in Western medicine. How many among you have had recurrent
    symptoms, say headache, chest tightness, panic attacks but nothing was seen in the laboratory test? And
    the doctor attributes these to stress or worse says “it’s only in the mind…This is in contrasts to its
    Chinese counterpart Shenti which implies a person or self with all the connotations of the physical, social
    and the mindful. To the Chinese everything is Qi. The body is Qi and the mind is also Qi. They are one
    and the same Qi…The body is the mind and the mind is the body. There is no dichotomy.
    The Self in Oriental Thought
    So for the Oriental, the human person lives as Shenti, not just a body or a mind but both body and
    mind. For the Chinese, everything in the universe has a yin and yang principle. Everything is a
    combination of both yin and yang not either yin or yang. Nothing is completely yin or completely yang.
    Each aspects contains the beginning point for the other aspect. For example, day becomes night (yin) and
    then night becomes day (yang). In Chinese healing practice, an excess of yang results in a fever. An
    excess of yin could mean the accumulation of fluids yin and yang are interdependent upon each other.
    Zen Buddhism, like the Chinese philosophy, subscribes to the belief that a human person is
    composed of a body and soul and a spirit. Hindu philosophy likewise believes in the continuum. The
    human person is an example of the continuum of matter and spirit. The atman (real self) is the Brahman
    (Ultimate reality) in man/woman. At man is identical to Brahman.
    The Oriental and Western Self Compared

    1
    GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
    Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro
    E-Mail: grace.missioncollege@yahoo.com

    It is clear that the Oriental concept of a human person is one integrated whole. He/she is also one
    with society and the universe. Oriental philosophers do not emphasize the dichotomy of matter and spirit,
    body and soul. Everything that happens to the universe affects man and everything that man does affect
    the universe. Persons are fundamentally connected. Duty towards all others is a very important matter.
    Collectivism is strong.
    In contrast, for the Westerner, a human being has an individualistic nature and is an independent
    part of the universe and the society. Individualism is comparatively stronger.
    ACTIVITY #1
    Directions: Answer the following questions:
    1. Filipino words kagandahang loob, utang na loob, sakit ng loob speak of the unity of body and
    spirit. List down other words in the Mother Tongue that imply unity of body and spirit. Ilocano –
    apo ti tumeng (great grandchild), apo ti dapan (great, great grandchild).
    2. Cite some implications of the Western and Oriental concepts of the self to your personal
    development.
    3. What is sustainable development? Is the easier done with an Oriental thinking? Explain your
    answer.
    4. Which belief do you adhere to – human person as a body-spirit unity or as a dualism of body and
    spirit? Elaborate your answer.
    5. Are you part of nature? Or are you the master of nature? Which between these thoughts brings
    harmony in the world?

    Prepared By:
    Ms. Donna Mae L. Bautro
    Instructress

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