Ego: The Stoic Perspective (Part 2)

Practical Stoicism

Evergreen Podcasts

Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.8 • 662 Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2023

⏱️ 20 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, I continue the discussion on ego, incorporating insights from my listeners and sharing my own reflections. After welcoming new patron Richard Herring, I note the podcast's expansion onto YouTube and the distinct approach I'm taking there. I dive into various listener perspectives on ego, ranging from its necessity in self-identity and decision-making to its potential dangers when overinflated. These comments highlight the complexity of ego, suggesting it's neither wholly good nor bad but rather a tool that needs careful management. From a Stoic perspective, I agree that ego is essential, especially in the context of recognizing our autonomy and ability to make choices. However, the challenge lies in balancing this self-awareness without letting ego distort our perception of reality or our capabilities. Drawing on psychoanalytic theory, I discuss the ego as the part of our personality that interacts with the external world, highlighting its role in our perception and decision-making processes. This understanding underscores the Stoic view that ego, while necessary, should not be allowed to dominate or misguide us. I then explore the balance between having enough ego to believe in our abilities and avoiding the delusion of overestimating our capabilities. Utilitarian considerations, while not strictly Stoic, play a role in our decision-making, especially in situations where our actions can have significant consequences. Finally, I offer three pieces of advice for keeping the ego in check: 1 - Regularly adopting the cosmic viewpoint to gain perspective on our insignificance in the universe. 2 - Habitually engaging with others to shift focus away from oneself. 3 - Volunteering regularly to maintain a healthy balance between self-concern and service to others. The episode concludes with a reminder to participate in the Spotify question for the upcoming episode, where we'll delve deeper into the concept of ego with a subject matter expert. -- Become a patron of this podcast : https://stoicismpod.com/members Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:50.3	Good afternoon, Bracob Don. I hope you're well. On Monday, we discussed the ego from the perspective of what the ancient Stoics might have thought of it. In today's episode, we're going to hear what some of you think about it, and I'll weigh in on what I personally think about it after having had time to digest your thoughts.
1:12.8	On Friday, we'll have a guest on to talk about ego, and then we'll move on from it.
1:18.0	First, a big welcome to Richard Herring, the newest listener to become a patron and supporter of this podcast.
1:24.8	If you'd like a shout out on the show, access to the ad-free feed, as well as to a few
1:30.4	other worthy perks, become a patron today by going to stoicismpod.com forward slash members.
1:38.2	Today's episode is also on YouTube. In fact, it released yesterday on YouTube, but as I experiment with YouTube,
1:47.2	I've realized that I don't really want all of you going to YouTube instead of listening to
1:52.2	the podcast. I want to capture a new audience entirely on YouTube, and I want to serve you
	...

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