Question 1

Why do we use soi here instead of lui or se?

Accepted Answer

Soi is a stressed pronoun, which means it can stand alone or come after a preposition like sur. We use soi specifically because the subject of the sentence is the indefinite pronoun on (meaning one or people in general). If the subject was a specific person, you would use a different pronoun, like Il travaille sur lui (He works on himself).

Question 2

Does soi always refer back to on?

Accepted Answer

Yes, usually! Soi is the correct stressed pronoun to use when the subject of your sentence is an indefinite pronoun like on, chacun (everyone), or personne (nobody). It is the direct equivalent of oneself.

Question 3

Could I say sur soi-même here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you absolutely can. Adding -même just adds a little extra emphasis, similar to stressing the word in spoken English. However, because sur soi already gets the point across clearly in this sentence, the -même is optional.

Question 4

Why is it en philosophie with no article, instead of dans la philosophie?

Accepted Answer

When talking about academic subjects, fields of study, or disciplines in a broad sense, French uses the preposition en followed directly by the noun, skipping the article (like la). You will see this same pattern in phrases like en histoire or en sciences.

En philosophie, on travaille sur soi.

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