How does an atheist define the ego?

[lupus_in_fabula]

... as thinking progressing into a narrative of a persisting individual self called "me".

 

[Christian]

Thus the I'm assuming that's what you're talking about part of my quote. Obviously it wasn't. As a result, I've no idea what you mean by ego, really.

So ego is not a word you use? I haven't define it. I'm asking if atheists have a definition for it. My definition of ego is mediocre at best. I use the term loosely and looking for a more solid understand of the term. I'm confident the term does exist.

 

[Mirrorglass]

I suspect it matters because I think it wouldn't include any reference to spirituality. Many definitions do include elements of this.

The question is which definition you are referring to. I sometimes do use the word in a conversation. For example:

"Man, your friend has quite an ego."
"I think the Freudian division into ego, id and superego is an interesting, but somewhat outdated model."
"My self, or ego, is the part of my consciousness that directly experiences existence."

Or such. Being an atheist has never been a problem with that.

The question is, what do you mean by ego? How do you define the word?

It should also be noted that 'atheist' doesn't mean 'not spiritual' - it means 'not believing in gods'. And of course, 'Christian' and 'spiritual' are not really interchangeable either.

 

[Christian]

The aspect of our developed consciousness that creates the illusion of an audience inside the brain, of us being separate from everything else (even our own bodies, as if our body was a suit we're wearing), as if life was a movie and we were the main protagonist... that is in essence the ego. The Me-ness.

A useful fiction; this makes sense.

 

[caniswalensis]

Athiests in the southern portion of the USA define it as a sort of journey.

Example:

Q:"Where Jimmy Joe Bobby at?"
A: "Ego tada stow."

 

[IMST]

So ego is not a word you use? I haven't define it. I'm asking if atheists have a definition for it. My definition of ego is mediocre at best. I use the term loosely and looking for a more solid understand of the term. I'm confident the term does exist.

Ego is a word I use to describe a feeling of self importance or self confidence. It's an aspect of conscious thought. Doesn't seem to me to be any different than any other kind of subjective opinion. Could you try to tell us what you're going for here? Cause I'm still clueless as to what you're after.

 

[GrandMasterFox]

So ego is not a word you use? I haven't define it. I'm asking if atheists have a definition for it. My definition of ego is mediocre at best. I use the term loosely and looking for a more solid understand of the term. I'm confident the term does exist.

Atheisim is simply the lack of belief in god(s).
It has no dogma, tennents or guidelines.

People who play monopoly have some common ground terms.
People who don't play monopoly may or may not have some common ground terms regarding a topic that may or may not interest any of them.

For the same reason, there is no atheistic terminology.

When people ask me about "ego", I usually assume they mean the freudian term unless they say otherwise, though that is not binding for any other athiest.

 

[Christian]

The question is, what do you mean by ego? How do you define the word?

I don't feel I have a satisfactory definition of ego, and this is part of why I ask.

It should also be noted that 'atheist' doesn't mean 'not spiritual' - it means 'not believing in gods'. And of course, 'Christian' and 'spiritual' are not really interchangeable either.

Fair enough. I do forget that there is a minute number of spiritual atheists.

 

[Christian]

Atheisim is simply the lack of belief in god(s).
It has no dogma, tennents or guidelines.

People who play monopoly have some common ground terms.
People who don't play monopoly may or may not have some common ground terms regarding a topic that may or may not interest any of them.

For the same reason, there is no atheistic terminology.

I think that atheists is a group much different from monopoly players. Seems to me that asking physicits about car safety renders qualitatively different answers than asking monolopy players, even though lots of them (the first group) may not be car safety experts.

 

[Ladewig]

I agree with Mirrrorglass, the word has a lot of informal and common definitions that I use on occasion. It holds no special significance to me as an atheists.

In any case, perhaps I am just missing your point. So in the interests of advancing the thread, "I, like most other atheists I know, define the word ego as ***************."

Now feel free to quote this post and replace the asterisks with whatever definition will advance this thread the most.

 

[Christian]

Ego is a word I use to describe a feeling of self importance or self confidence. It's an aspect of conscious thought. Doesn't seem to me to be any different than any other kind of subjective opinion. Could you try to tell us what you're going for here? Cause I'm still clueless as to what you're after.

I want to understand ego from the atheist's perspective. It's an important term in psychology and philosophy, and in Buddhism, it plays an important role. I was very much interested on the atheist's take on the term.

 

[Jeff Corey]

I want to understand ego from the atheist's perspective. It's an important term in psychology and philosophy, and in Buddhism, it plays an important role. I was very much interested on the atheist's take on the term.

Some of us have been trying to tell you that there is no reason to expect any consistent perspective from the atheists on the question.
It is a term in psychology and psychiatry that is pretty much confined to psychodynamic approaches, which are not that widespread anymore. Luckily.
Other than that, common usage is just a reference to someone with an overabundance of self esteem.

 

[Mirrorglass]

Additionally, I believe it's quite commonly used as a synonym for 'self', largely due to the influence of psychodynamic theories and laypeople understanding them imperfectly.

Christian, the reason we're having a hard time answering the question is, the word 'ego' has many definitions. It seems like you are looking for a definition for a specific context - the buddhist/spiritualist context perhaps? But we don't really know what you want us to define.

It's kind of like you had asked for a definition of 'well'. It can mean a hole in the ground, or it can mean doing something in a good manner, or a few other things. If you want to hear an atheist's definition of the word, you first have to give your own. Even if it's an imperfect definition, at least we should then know what you are talking about.

 

[Delscottio]

I only use the word ego to describe how someone percieves them self. i.e 'bloody hell he has some ego on him' however describing someone with low self confidence I wouldn't think of the word.

So to cut a long story short I only really use ego when decribing over confident people.

eta remember not everyone on this board is an atheist and individul opions expressed are just that~ so while you might get a good discussion you ll have little take away from it in terms of an atheist position.

 

[Sun Countess]

I was unaware that theists would have a different definition of ego than atheists. I've seen the term used in many of the ways described above (general sense of self, overinflated sense of self worth, e.g.) by both theists and atheists.

I've never heard a theist use the word "ego" with any spiritual or mystical undertones or to equate it with some god-given "soul."

 

[Sledge]

Two questions for you, Christian:
1) What do you think being an atheist entails?
2) I suspect you are trying to make a point and are hoping someone will provide an answer to your question that you can use as a starting place. Is this correct?

 

[Pup]

I was unaware that theists would have a different definition of ego than atheists. I've seen the term used in many of the ways described above (general sense of self, overinflated sense of self worth, e.g.) by both theists and atheists.

I've never heard a theist use the word "ego" with any spiritual or mystical undertones or to equate it with some god-given "soul."

Same here. Most people I know, both atheists and theists, including myself as an atheist, usually use it in one of two ways, to refer to self-importance ("Rush Limbaugh has a big ego") or less commonly, some variation of the Freudian meaning to refer to the conscious part of one's self.

Any more precise definition than that would be in the context of a particular field of study that could include either theists or atheists.

 

[Piggy]

Ego?

What's next, bodily humors?

 

[GrandMasterFox]

I think that atheists is a group much different from monopoly players.

This is where you fail. Atheists are not the "monopoly players". That's theists.
Atheists are the people who do not play monopoly.

They are a people whose common ground is that they do not belong to the theistic group. They have nothing else in common.

As of such, there is no such thing as an "atheist terminology".

 

[Red3]

You mean atheists would not care to define it or can't define it? When I asked the question, I assumed that an atheist would have a working definition of ego. I didn't think that atheists don't use the word. But, this is why I ask. It's possible that atheists don't care for or use the term, and I would like to know either way.

Generally, I'd define it as the sense of self/consciousness and everything that goes with that - self preservation, satisfying personal needs/wants etc.(but i'm no psychologist and that could well be inaccurate). Other than that i'd agree that it depends on the field of study.
When I hear the term "ego" though, it usually comes wrapped in some sort of deepak chopra-esque woo, saying the "ego" is what is wrong with the world and that it separates us from the universal consciousness blah blah blah...That's when i switch off - when "ego" is used to compare my/your consciousness with some "other" higher and more pure universe/god consciousness.

So in a nutshell (speaking for myself, not "atheists") I don't like the word, it doesn't mean anything useful to me - it's just hippy nonsense for the most part.