Taking care of the self through philosophy

Abstract

The thesis focuses on the concept of caring of the self, as explored through the disciplines of philosophy. We will mainly be doing this by analyzing closely the literature of two philosophers: Michel Foucault and Charles Taylor. We will also investigate the current practice in the local context in relation to the care of the self. We will do this by a thorough analyzes of the National Minimum Curriculum. In this section, we will discuss the extent to which the care of the self is advocated in this national document. The local context will also be investigated by means of interviews in order to identify how teachers perceive the self and how they deal with the concept of the care of the self in their daily teaching. After analyzing these interviews, we will on the basis of the results obtained, provide practices and activities which teachers can make use of to instigate not only awareness of the care of the self but also its application. Through these practices, children should acquire a sense of identity and means of establishing it, a sense of individuality and autonomy, a critical and creative mind, and awareness of the outer world and how and what it impinges on them.