The Philosophical Self Western Tradition

1. Which philosopher is associated with the famous statement 'The unexamined life is not worth living'?

Plato

Socrates

Descartes

Hume

2. According to Plato's Tripartite Soul, which part of the soul seeks truth, wisdom, and the good of the whole soul?

Appetite

Spirit

Reason

Conscience

3. St. Augustine's famous quote 'Our heart is restless until it rests in You' reflects which core idea about the self?

The self is defined by rational thought and logic

The self finds ultimate fulfillment only in God

The self is a bundle of changing perceptions

The self is revealed through observable behavior

4. Descartes' 'Cogito, ergo sum' ('I think, therefore I am') leads to which conclusion about the nature of the self?

The self is defined by memory and past experiences

The self is the physical body and its sensations

The true self is the non-physical mind that thinks and doubts

The self is a collection of observable behaviors

5. John Locke's concept of 'tabula rasa' means that at birth, the human mind is a ______, and identity is formed through experience and memory.

Rational soul

Blank slate

Bundle of perceptions

Spiritual longing

6. David Hume argued that when he looked within himself, he never found a permanent self — only perceptions. This view is best described as:

The self is an immortal rational soul

The self is a thinking, non-physical substance

The self is a bundle of constantly changing perceptions

The self is discovered through spiritual reflection

7. Gilbert Ryle criticized Descartes' mind-body dualism by calling it the 'Ghost in the Machine.' What does Ryle believe the self truly is?

An immortal soul that inhabits the physical body

A continuous stream of memories and consciousness

A non-physical mind separate from the body

Revealed through observable actions, habits, and behavior

8. Merleau-Ponty's concept of the 'Embodied Self' directly challenges Descartes by arguing that:

The self is purely a thinking substance independent of the body

The body and mind are inseparable, and we experience the world through our body

Personal identity is based solely on memory and consciousness

The self has no permanent existence beyond perceptions