#self-knowledge

[sunbookie]

Beautiful...

"Vainglorious! This is protected by The Red, The Black & The Green, at the crossroads, with a key!!!"

-Professor X

[thepersonalwords]

Fathom your motivation so that you understand what you are prepared to do and why.

David Amerland, The Sniper Mind: Eliminate Fear, Deal with Uncertainty, and Make Better Decisions

[publicatiosui]

According to Michel Serres, the only modern question is: what is it you don’t want to know about yourself?

-- Adam Phillips

[eyeoftheheart]

“In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.⁠”

⁠ ~ J. Krishnamurti⁠, You Are the World, Chapter 11⁠

[quotelr]

Perception of a self is not simply about actuality. Human beings’ identities are self-generating and people constantly revise and recreate the story of their being. Coming-into-being, not being, is the highest expression of reality. We only attain the fullest knowledge of a living thing including ourselves when we know what it was, understand what it now is, and understand what it can become. We do not know the truth of a living thing’s existence until we discern its entire history from development to demise.

Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Introspection

The philosophy of introspection explores the nature, reliability, and limits of self-knowledge acquired through inner observation. Introspection is the process by which a person examines their own conscious thoughts, emotions, and mental states. Philosophically, it raises questions in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and even metaphysics.

Key Ideas in the Philosophy of Introspection:

Self-Knowledge: Philosophers like Descartes emphasized introspection as foundational—"I think, therefore I am." Introspection reveals immediate mental contents without needing external evidence.

First-Person Authority: Many argue individuals have privileged access to their own minds—an authority that others do not. This makes introspective reports seemingly more trustworthy.

Skepticism About Introspection: Critics (e.g., behaviorists and some empiricists) argue introspection is flawed, biased, or even illusory. Daniel Dennett, for instance, challenges the idea of transparent self-access.

Introspection and Consciousness: Introspection is often linked with consciousness—it is a conscious awareness of one’s own mental life, which becomes a subject for reflection.

Limits and Influences: Some philosophers suggest introspection is shaped by language, culture, or unconscious processes, meaning it may not be as direct or pure as often assumed.

Introspection vs. External Observation: In epistemology, introspection is sometimes contrasted with empirical observation, raising questions about which form of knowledge is more reliable or foundational.

Modern Developments: Cognitive science and phenomenology investigate introspection through structured first-person methodologies (e.g., Husserl’s phenomenology or neurophilosophical studies).

In essence, the philosophy of introspection tries to understand how we know what we think we know about ourselves—and whether such knowledge is special, flawed, or even necessary.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Charlie Chaplin Once Said....

“As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth. Today, I know, this is Authenticity.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody if I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me. Today I call this Respect.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow. Today I call this Maturity.

As I began to love myself I quit stealing my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future.

Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm. Today I call this Simplicity.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything that drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism. Today I know it is Love of Oneself.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time.Today I discovered that is Modesty.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But as I connected it to my heart, my mind became avaluable ally. Today I call this connection Wisdom of the Heart.

We no longer need to fear arguments,confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing, new worlds are born. Today I know: This is Life!”

[gennsoup]

Man indeed! How arrogant! How ignorant! Woman would be as correct, but I'll settle for humanity. And it strikes me that the quality humanity stands in need of most is true intelligence and self-knowledge.

Keri Hulme, One Whale, Singing

[kellymagovern]

Alan Cohen - "The Guru in You"

[cerberus253]

Damn, ain't that way too real.

From "Anima and Animus - Eternal Partners from the Unconscious"- By Eternalised on YouTube

[thepersonalwords]

Let us each take up our flaming torches and mount as the blazing fireballs of light that we are and let's burn the skies and leave it with deep scars and let them be our signatures upon eternity as we go forth!

C. JoyBell C.

[quotelr]

The purpose of life is to become acquainted with the deepest recesses of a person’s own mind by reflecting upon what a person reads, witnesses, and personally experiences. Wisdom is a form of power. Lacking knowledge of the world and without comprehending the essence of humanity, we can never know the truth of our own being.

Kilroy J. Oldster, Dead Toad Scrolls

[theresilientphilosopher]

Romantic relationships especially reveal this phenomenon. We are drawn to those whose virtues highlight our weaknesses. This is not out of envy, but out of an unconscious hope. Through proximity, we too grow.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

"A man is like a house full of servants who quarrel and use the single telephone and all speak in the name of the master. A man is a house in disorder. A man is legion. Yet above him, at a higher level of himself, there is real 'I', that sometimes he feels the existence of, especially in conditions of great danger or great fatigue. This one permanent and real 'I' is the highest Being of the man and every man has this in him. So all development of Being, in the Work-sense, is defined by the approach to this real 'I' which unites all that is in him and is concealed in everyone, in the depths of himself, and behind all the tedious things he does and says with his other side, which only begins to become realised through self-observation."

~ Maurice Nicoll, 'Psychological Commentaries...'

(Ian Sanders)

[dleondantes]

Romantic relationships especially reveal this phenomenon. We are drawn to those whose virtues highlight our weaknesses. This is not out of envy, but out of an unconscious hope. Through proximity, we too grow.

[swamibhoomanandatirtha]

Fail not to remember that the singular Self, Brahman, alone is. It does not change the least, no matter what comes or goes. You are to realize it as yourself. In the name of Self-knowledge and its pursuit, do not slip from this premise the least.

Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Click here to listen to the audio 'Realize Him Within Yourself': https://www.bhoomananda.org/audios/realize-him-within-yourself/