There are different answers to the question “What is the self?” The Judeo-Christian view tends to posit the “really real,” or the true self, in terms of a soul. Hindu and Buddhist views identify the self with the “atman.” Atman is an ancient term and has many meanings, but typically the term is translated as eternal self, soul, or even breath.

The Latin term substantia, translated as “substance,” is often used to refer to the basic reality supporting or standing under features that are incidental to that same thing. Unlike in the Judeo-Christian view, the soul is reincarnated until the self attains release from reincarnation ( moksha ).

Metaphysics — the field of philosophy concerned with identifying that which is real. self with the “atman.” Atman — an ancient term and has many meanings, but typically the term is translated as eternal self, soul, or even breath. Substance — the most enduring and underlying reality of a thing; from the Latin substantiaI or that which supports a thing. question “What — the self?” The Judeo-Christian view tends to posit the “really real,” or the true self, in terms of a soul.