School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses

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Self-realization : an analysis

Brin, Paul ( 1976)

The idea of "self realization" deserves serious study since, in some contexts, it represents man's attempt to solve the mystery of his own existence. One such context is provided by F. H. Bradley's Ethical Studies. Generally speaking, it is Bradley's belief (a) that in all of their behaviour men, ultimately, strive for "self-realization"; (b) that being moral, or attempting to be moral, is part of the process of "self-realization"; and (c) that "complete self-realization" consists in "oneness with God". My aim in this essay is to examine certain aspects of Bradley's doctrine, and try to make explicit what appears to me to be the essential character of "self-realization". My concern is not with questions of ethics but rather with those of meaning, logic and metaphysics. Certain aspects of doctrines other than that presented by Bradley are also considered. To provide a clear basis for discussion, an exposition of Bradley's view is given in Chapter 1. Chapters 2, 3 and 4 are devoted to criticism. The final section provides a brief recapitulation of the main points of my criticism. While a selection of Bradley's ideas had to be made for the purpose 0f this exercise, the selection is not intended to imply that only those ideas which have actually been referred to in discussion are considered to have relevance or to be of interest.