Some Aspects of Self-Knowledge in Contemporary Phenomenology

The term self-knowledge refers to several levels of the self. On the most superficial level a man is said to know himself when he can estimate in a general way what kind of appearance he makes on the social scene. He may know that he is good at cocktail parties, irritable in the office, etc. On a second, deeper level a person may know himself by knowing his own weaknesses, moral dangers, and a great deal about his spiritual makeup. There is, however, an interesting meaning of self-knowledge which is in another direction and of another type and which is the presupposition for the second type of knowledge. This is the knowledge of what it is to be a self. It is this type of self knowledge that I will explore in this thesis. Kierkegaard in his pointing to the importance of self-knowledge distinguishes between two types: And the life of each human being who does not know himself, is in a deeper sense mere delusion. The failure to discover whatever talents have been entrusted to him, and the consequent mission to seek their development to the greatest possible extent in accord with the circumstances of his life, ... such self-delusion is doubtless seldom encountered. Men rarely fail in this. They avoid dealing frivolously with themselves and their power; ... Whoever knows himself knows how much he is worth to the last penny, and understands how to invest himself so as to yield the maximum return. If he does not know how to do this, then he does not know himself and is deceived, as the worldly wise will doubtless tell him ... But even if a man knew himself ever so well after this fashion could he on this account be said really to know himself? ... The prudential self-knowledge we have just described - what is its nature? Is it now a knowledge of man’s self in its relation to something else? But is it n a knowledge of man’s self in its relation to himself