Western and Eastern Concept of The Self

western and eastern Concept of the self
Introduction
● The world is a diverse place, and one of the biggest distinctions across civilizations is how
people see it. We can comprehend these disparities by dividing them into two main
categories:Western and Eastern viewpoints. Although there are many subtleties within each
category, we can conclude that Western civilizations (such as those in Europe and North
America) often place a high importance on individualism, development, and reason. East
Asian cultures, such as those found in China, Japan, and Korea, on the other hand, are more
likely to emphasize tradition, collectivism, and harmony.
WESTER THOUGHT
– it emphasizes the importance of scientific methods of investigation to provide satisfactory
answers to understanding the self.
– The western culture is what we would call an individualistic culture since their focus is on
the person
– The western way of thinking is focused on material"things" and favors a rational empirical
approach over magical and superstitious explanation of immaterial"things".
RENE DECARTES
"ITHINK, THEREFORE I AM"
● In the western understanding the self theres a heavy emphasis on recognition that you are a
separate entity that even you are belong to a certain group of people whats important for
them is for you to realize that you have your own identity even though you come on a certain
family or certain culture you have the capacity to make choices hence what important is for
you to become a unique person.
FRANK JOHNSON-FOUR CATEGORY OF THE SELF
Analytical
● Analytical is about me vs the other even though you’re a child playing with your toy who can
interact with your parents the emphasis is that we should know that we are a separate being.
Monotheistic
● According to Johnson one of our tendency in understanding the self is that we believe that
the self is model after a unitary omnipotent power in other words we believe that mam is
created by God by His Image.
Individualistic
● if your from the west theres a heavy emphasis on being the person your meant to be, whats
important is for you to complete your goal and not really to do whats your parents is what
telling you to do.
Rationalistic
● People are capable of analytic deductive models of thinking so every individual is rational he
or she can decide for himself or herself no one is dictating you on what you should do.
EASTERN THOUGHTS
● Eastern is more on collectivism.
● They do not use scientific method.
● It raises questions about the ultimate meaning of human life.
EASTERN DIFFERENT THOUGHTS RELATED IN RELIGION.
Buddhism
● The founder or Buddism is "Saddharta Gautama"
● According to the teaching of Buddhism all people have a "seed of enlightenment".
● Buddism comes from the root word "budh" meaning awake.
● In Buddhism, the concept of self is rejected.
● The philosophy also emphasizes the impermanence of all things, highlighting the constant
nature of change.
● There is only nothing and all else is an illusion.
● Under Buddhism they have this term call
"anicca" means impermanence.
● The ideal is to experience Nirvana.
5 parts that compose the individual
● Matter
● Sensation
● Perception
● Mental Construct
● Consciousness
Hinduism
● KARMA - Law of karma is the most important doctrine of hinduism
● According to Hinduism, the self is just part of a larger whole, the Brahman (universe), which
encompasses everything. The self (Atman) is tied to everything. Hindus hold the belief that
Atman, being immortal, undergoes a cycle of reincarnation across lifetimes until it attains
liberation from this cycle, reaching a state of nirvana or non-birth.
● Because Hinduism believes in reincarnation, Karma does not end with a bodys death; its
influence may extend through incarnation of the soul.
confucianism
● A philosophy and belief system from ancient
China.
● Founder is confucious.
● Golden rule of reciprocity - "Do not do to others what you would not want others do to you".
● Important feature in confucian thought is the individual greatest mission of attaining self
realization wherein self-cultivation is instrumental.
Taoism
● Simply accepting yourself.
● Live life and discover who you are.
● Taoist's principle reiterates how our ego distracts us in seeing our true self.
● There is a need to let go to be self-determined, to be what you ought to be.
LAO TZU
● KNOWING OTHERS IS WISDOM.KNOWING THE SELF IS ENLIGHTENMENT.

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