Ego is not a philosophical but a psychological term. Most probably it has been created by Freud.
In my opinion, it is a useless term. It has so many facets and nuances that it can only produce confusion, except maybe among (old) psychologists who speak in the same terms and on the same level.
It is better to use the word "self", which is both a psychological and a philosophical term, because it much more simple as a concept and has a more restrictive meaning and use — Alkis Piskas
The ego seems to be the selfs tendency to apply a degree of value on itself. — Benj96
Simmons especially embodies a caricature of selfishness/narcissism, much like Donald Trump (an epitome of pathological narcissism made president). — Nils Loc
What’s interesting to me is what traits these two opposites enable the individual - what skills, capacities for understanding and knowledge, what perspective can one gain from either being highly egoistic or highly ego-death-ish. And which one is better if any? — Benj96
Is it better to serve the self as an individual or see the self as all things and thus serve all things/others equally as your own body/personal needs. — Benj96
What’s the common denominator of childhood bullying, branding, classism, war and slavery? The ego seems to be the selfs tendency to apply a degree of value on itself. Either more or less than the environment around it, other selves and other egos. — Benj96
The problem here is that this buys into the romantic myth that we are all essentially solitary "self-actualising" agents in life. The truth is that humans are socially constructed. The idea that we are individual "egos" with the private drama of moral choice is itself a social script. — apokrisis
Is it better to serve the self as an individual or see the self as all things and thus serve all things/others equally as your own body/personal needs.
Thanks. It's good to know.Just a quick note to say that Freud himself used das Ich, which means “the I”. Not too far from “self”.
It was the translator James Strachey who chose “ego” (and “id” and “super-ego”). — Jamal
The ego seems to be the self's tendency to apply a degree of value on itself.
But all is not what it seems. The person who appears to have the 'biggest' ego and the most assertive sense of self may well be a fragile individual, with low confidence and high vulnerability. The self being a role one adopts to project a preferred identify, a form of compensation — Tom Storm
When we most need to explain and defend our fears, the mind returns to this undefined place in an attempt to free itself from external stimuli that no longer meet its structural demands. — kudos
The problem here is that this buys into the romantic myth that we are all essentially solitary "self-actualising" agents in life. The truth is that humans are socially constructed. The idea that we are individual "egos" with the private drama of moral choice is itself a social script. — apokrisis
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