One of the serious confusions in this thread is the alternative definitions of the concept of ego. The common understanding of ego is
equated with conceit - as in egotistical. Used in psychoanalysis the concept of ego (along with the superego, the id and the self ) are components of the structure of the self. From this perspective the concept of ego functions like a traffic cop mediating between the desires of the id (I want what I want when I want it ) and the super ego (the voice of laws: shoulds and should nots). In short the ego psychoanalytically is the voice of reason - thoughtfulness. -----Original Message----- From: gruff <[email protected]> To: "Minds Eye" <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, Aug 28, 2010 10:09 am Subject: [Mind's Eye] Re: Understanding: Mind, Consciousness, Thought Allow me to introduce Occam's Razor, which was first articulated by William of Occam in the thirteenth century. It postulates that all else being equal, simpler explanations should be preferred over more complex ones. What is being explored here sounds more like religion than science. Can we slice it down to it's simplest form? Ego! I suspect all animals have it to one degree or another but with regard human beings, we could not live without one. Scaling ego, I'd have to say that the more insecure the individual the greater the ego. I suspect there is a level or range of ego which allows us to exist but when our consciousness goes below that level, we shrivel, and when it goes above that level we swell up like an over-inflated balloon and burst.
