We examined the relationship between New Public Administration and Service Delivery in Public Organizations in Nigeria. The main focus of new administration is the use of market techniques to improve the performance of the public sector. The main features of NPA include performance contracting, cost recovering, commercialization, decentralization and accountability among others. The study adopts a content analysis method through the use of secondary data. The study recommends among others that the implementation of the reform can be tackled by being (...) more practical, sensitizing public servants in an adequate/timely manner, and taking into cognizance the environmental realities of the Nigerian public service. It concludes that new public management is sine qua non for any civil service that wants to be effective in service delivery. (shrink)

The purpose of this study is to survey man-made fibre textiles preference and usage among garment designers. The purpose was to ascertain the physical characteristics of man- made fibre textiles that influence their usage and the preferred tailoring techniques used in making garments. Two research questions guided the study. The data were collected from One hundred (100) professional garment designers in Nigeria. The research design for the study was Ex post facto using descriptive survey method. The sampling technique used was (...) proportionate stratified random sampling. Instrument used for the study was a structured questionnaire which was validated. The reliability of the instrument was ensured and the score of data collected were correlated using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) and coefficient 0.75 was obtained. The analysis of the research data was done using the mean scores (X) and Standard Deviation (SD). The results of the study revealed that man-made fibre textiles such as acetate has luxurious feel and appearance which influence usage in making dresses, blouses and foundation garments. Polyester is strong with high resistant to shrinkage and stretching, used in making permanent press garments. Acrylic is wool-like, soft and warm for ski wear, socks, sportswear and sweater. Permanent stitches like zig zag and satin stitches are preferred for customized fancy wears, piping and welting used when making garments and suits, darts, pleats, tucks, frills, open seam for sewing dresses, blouses and skirts, appliqués for decorative designs and edge finishing for raw edges. It was concluded that acetate is used in garment making due to its lustrous appearance and feel and thereafter recommendations were made. (shrink)

Promoting healthy eating among youth is hindered by limited access to reliable dietary guidance, which often leads to poor nutritional practices and adverse long-term health outcomes among adolescents. This study adopted an ex-post facto, descriptive survey design in Delta State, Nigeria. Out of a population of 14,819 public senior secondary students across three senatorial zones, a sample of 390 students from 18 schools was selected using Slovin’s formula and multistage sampling. Data was collected via a validated, 4-point Likert scale questionnaire (...) (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.81) with a 100% retrieval rate. Analysis involved percentages, mean scores, standard deviations, and t-test statistics using SPSS version 22. Based on 390 respondents, senior secondary students agreed that television (M = 3.47), friends/classmates (M = 3.26), radio (M = 2.90), and social media (M = 2.76) are available nutritional information sources, exceeding the 2.50 cut-off. Conversely, they disagreed on home economics textbooks, newspapers, and fiction books (M = 2.23 – 2.40). Standard deviations ranged from 0.63 to 0.99. Hypothesis testing revealed a significant locational difference in information sources between urban (N = 219, M = 21.42, SD = 2.62) and rural (N = 171, M = 12.35, SD = 2.38) students. With t-cal = 35.32 and p = 0.00 (at alpha = 0.05), the null hypothesis was rejected. In conclusion, secondary students rely heavily on electronic and social media for nutritional knowledge, while print media remains ineffective. Significant urban-rural disparities highlight the urgent need for equitable, localized nutritional interventions. (shrink)

The purpose of the study was aimed at finding out the role of laboratory experience in the teaching of clothing and textiles in secondary schools in Delta State and its impact in entrepreneurship skills. Four Research questions were formulated to guide the study. The population was all students studying clothing and textile in Delta state. All the 264 respondents were used for the study. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection and data were analyzed with mean and standard deviation. (...) Finding showed that identify the laboratory roles in the teaching of Clothing and textiles to include; to develop practical competence, identify tools and materials, demonstrate proper usage of tools and equipment, and identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. Also its effectiveness helps students in problem solving, increase interest, strengthen their ability for critical thinking and solve problems, thereby boost entrepreneurship skills through teamwork, creativity and innovation for self reliance. Conclusions and recommendations were made; that to prepare students for a better career future, the method of teaching adopted by the teacher plays an important role in continuity and advancement of clothing and textile as a course of study. Government should provide modern laboratories and equipment and subsidize practical expenses for the student in schools. (shrink)

The study examined homemakers’ capacity building needs in processing and utilization of plantain products for food security in Delta State. Two research questions and hypotheses were respectively raised to guide the study. The population of the study consisted of 236,315 female homemakers who deal with the plantain products in Delta State. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design that employed questionnaire in collecting respondents’ opinions on the problem under investigated. The instrument was face validated by three experts; and the (...) reliability was established using the test-retest reliability method which gave a correlation co-efficient of 0.80, showing that the instrument is reliable. Data were analyzed with Mean and standard deviation (SD) for the research questions, while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The study revealed that homemakers have positive perception regarding the processing and utilization of plantain products and by extension there was a significant difference between the mean responses of rural and urban homemakers on their perceptions regarding how plantain products processing and utilization can boost food security in Delta State. The second finding revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean response of the required skills possessed by young and old homemakers in processing and utilization of plantain products to achieve food security. Based on the findings, it was recommended that Homemakers should be sensitized on how plantain products can be utilized to boost household food security in Delta State, among others. (shrink)

The effective implementation of the Catering Craft Practice curriculum has been challenged by inadequate teacher competencies and professional knowledge in secondary schools. Addressing these gaps is essential for improving skill-based learning outcomes in Foods and Nutrition education. The study was conducted in Delta State using a descriptive survey and ex-post facto design. The population comprised 322 Foods and Nutrition and Home Economics teachers, with the entire population studied. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by experts and tested for (...) reliability (0.835). A total of 298 responses were analyzed using SPSS. Mean, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA were employed, with 2.50 as the decision benchmark at 0.05 significance level. The findings revealed that Foods and Nutrition teachers require a wide range of competencies for implementing the Catering Craft Practice curriculum, with all items having mean scores above 2.50 and a grand mean of 3.50 (SD = 0.50). Similarly, teachers were found to need strong professional knowledge, as all items also recorded mean scores above 2.50 with a grand mean of 3.50 (SD = 0.50). Furthermore, hypothesis testing showed no significant difference between rural and urban teachers’ competencies (t = 1.68, p = 0.09 > 0.05), and no significant difference based on teachers’ qualifications (F = 0.66, p = 0.52 > 0.05). This indicates that both location and qualification do not significantly influence teachers’ competencies and professional knowledge. In conclusion, effective implementation of the curriculum depends on teachers’ competencies and professional knowledge; therefore, continuous professional development and provision of adequate instructional facilities are essential. (shrink)

This study is on Production, Organoleptic Evaluation and Overall Acceptability ofBread Made from Wheat Enriched with Finger Millet and Bambara Nut for Sustainable Health. Two research questions and Two hypotheses were formulated for the study, the study is an experimental study; it adopted experimental research design. The population was 18 judges who assessed the organoleptic attributes of the bread. Mean and Standard deviation was used to analyze the research questions, the hypothesis wastested with ANOVA analysis. The findings show that bread (...) made with wheat, finger millet and bambara nut has better organoleptic content in terms of appearance, aroma and mouth feel to bread made from whole wheat, it also finds out that bread made from wheat enriched with finger millet and bambara nut was generally accepted to bread made with 100% wheat bread. In conclusion, sample A of wheat, millet and bambara nut in ratio (80:10:10) had the best appearance while sample D in ratio (50:25:25) had the best aroma. The study therefore recommends that optimum blend for composite bread production and Finger millet-bambara nut enriched bread be promoted as a healthier alternative to conventional wheat bread, as they promote sustainable health and generally accepted. (shrink)

Foodborne diseases are a major health issue in society with school going children being the most vulnerable to this health problem as they regularly eat meals offered by school canteens, street sellers, and local food stores. Food hygiene practices, including poor handwashing, poor food storage, and unsafe food handling, increase the vulnerability of these pupils to infections, including diarrhoea, gastrointestinal upsets, and frequent illness. This paper has adopted a descriptive survey design to investigate how food hygiene practices affect the health (...) of secondary school students in Ethiope East LGA, Delta State. Multistage sampling was used to get a sample of 300 out of a population of about 1,200 students. Structured questionnaire with four-point Likert scale was used to collect data. The instrument was subject-matter validated and tested on reliability. Data collection was also undertaken using ethical procedures, and statistical analysis was performed to obtain the means and standard deviations, where a 2.50 standard was used as a decision criterion. Findings show that most respondents belonged to SSS 1 (39%), SSS 2 (41%), and SSS 3 students (19%), which is good representation spread across lower senior classes. The results indicate that students tend to agree that food hygiene has a great effect on their health, with poor hygiene related to stomach aches, diarrhoea, frequent illness, and absenteeism and good hygiene behaviour related to good health. However, hygiene has impact on academic performance that many students do not take seriously. Further, the identified key determinants of food hygiene are access to clean water, sufficient sanitation facilities, health education, and personal habits, and peer influence was not considered to be significant. The research concludes that education and provision of infrastructure and monitoring of food hygiene practices is crucial to minimizing foodborne illness and promoting the overall health and well-being of students. (shrink)

The traditional dominance of white wedding gowns has long shaped bridal fashion; however, changing fashion trends, cultural diversity, and the need for sustainability have created a growing interest in coloured wedding gowns. Despite this shift, there is limited empirical evidence on the perceived needs, design preferences, and fabric choices for coloured bridal wear among young females, particularly in Nigerian university settings. This study therefore investigated the development of female wedding gowns using coloured fabrics with emphasis on consumer needs, preferred designs, (...) and suitable fabrics. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design to examine and promote female youths’ interest in coloured wedding gowns. The population consisted of 2,171 female undergraduate students at Delta State University, Abraka, from which 100 respondents were selected using simple random sampling. Selection involved numbering slips from 1 to 150, shuffling, and allowing students to pick, with those selecting numbers 1 to 100 included. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire aligned with the research objectives. The instrument was validated by experts, including lecturers and a tailor. All questionnaires were retrieved, and data were analyzed using simple percentages and mean statistics. The analysis was carried out using simple percentage based on Yes or No responses from twenty questionnaire items. The items were grouped into sections to capture respondents’ opinions on needs for coloured wedding gowns, design preferences, and fabric selection. The results showed that most respondents agreed that coloured wedding gowns are elegant, reusable after wedding, and enhance uniqueness, although views differed on cost and colour preference, with cream emerging as the most preferred colour. In terms of design, the ball gown style was most preferred compared to trumpet, fitted flare, and mermaid styles. For fabric selection, net fabric recorded the highest preference due to its comfort, lightness, and adaptability. (shrink)

This paper applied a descriptive survey research approach to explore the preferences of female undergraduate students at Delta State University, Abraka, on coloured wedding gowns. A simple random sample of 100 respondents was taken out of a target population of 2,171 students. The sampling was done using a validated structured questionnaire that was administered to the subjects who were subject-matter experts. The questionnaires were filled in and submitted as a whole with a response rate of 100%. A quantitative analysis was (...) used that utilized descriptive percentages to answer the research questions and mean values to summarize average body measurements. The findings showed that beads (60 %) and stones (56 %) were the most popular accessories in designing gowns, whereas flowers (46 %) and bow-tie (10 %) were relatively not popular with the respondents and therefore they thought beads and stones were more preferred due to their beauty, functionality and affordability. The research also found that the body measurements used in making the gown differed among three size groups (small, medium, large), where bust, waist, and hip and sleeve measurements were proportionately related to size. These results highlight the importance of having accurate anthropometric data to guarantee correct fit as well as improve the overall look of the garment. The research came to a conclusion that responsible choice of accessories and proper body measurements are key factors in creating well-fitting, aesthetically pleasing wedding dresses. These insights are recommended to designers to help them improve the quality and customer satisfaction of their products. (shrink)

Food hygiene habits among secondary school students are still a major issue of collective health concern especially in a setting where the students are likely to take food offered by vendors, school canteens and informal businesses. Lack of knowledge and practice may expose the student to food borne diseases, thus impacting their health and school performance. This paper thus evaluated the knowledge and practices of food hygiene among secondary school students in Ethiope East Local Government Area in Delta State, Nigeria. (...) Out of the population of approximately 1,200 students a sample of 300 was sampled through a multistage sampling method so that there was appropriate representation. The structured questionnaire was used to gather data and it was validated by experts and tested to determine its reliability. The tool not only recorded demographic but also hygiene habits. Mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data where a benchmark of 2.50 was used to make decisions and interpretations. The findings revealed that among the 300 respondents, 44 percent were male and 56 percent were female, which means that there were more women respondents. Results on knowledge of food hygiene practices showed that the items had a mean score of more than 2.50, which indicated that the students had sufficient knowledge of good hygiene such as handwashing, safe food handling and consumption of clean water. Equally, the data on real life practices revealed that the students tended to adhere to good hygienic practices including washing hands, cleaning utensils and avoiding contaminated food. Nevertheless, the lowest mean, but within acceptable ranges, indicates that there were overall positive hygiene behaviors towards sharing of eating utensils. The researchers found out that though students show sufficient knowledge of food hygiene and overall good food hygiene practices, there should be continuous sensitization and reinforcement of good hygiene behaviours in order to reduce health risks. (shrink)

Food insecurity remains a persistent challenge in many developing regions, including Nigeria, where inadequate processing skills and limited value addition often reduce the nutritional and economic benefits of agricultural produce such as plantain. In Delta State, homemakers play a key role in food processing and household nutrition, yet many lack the necessary capacity to effectively process and utilize plantain products for improved food security. This study therefore assessed the capacity-building needs of homemakers in processing and utilization of plantain products in (...) Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a population of about 1,236,315 homemakers across 25 Local Government Areas. A sample of 384 respondents was selected using multistage sampling from five LGAs and ten markets, ensuring urban and rural representation. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire on plantain products such as flour, chips, puree, and biscuits. Analysis involved SPSS, using mean, standard deviation, and t-test at 0.05 significance level. A total of 309 valid responses were analyzed, giving an 84.5% return rate. The results showed that among 309 homemakers in Delta State, most were married (71.5%), with a majority having household sizes of 5–7 persons (47.9%). A large proportion (83.2%) had at least secondary education, while income levels were fairly distributed across categories. Findings on capacity-building needs revealed that all 17 items scored below the 2.50 benchmark, indicating that homemakers generally lacked adequate skills in processing and utilizing plantain products such as flour, chips, biscuit, and puree, and therefore require training in these areas. A significant difference was also found between young and old homemakers, with young respondents showing greater training needs. Further results showed that homemakers faced several challenges in plantain processing, including communication gaps, inadequate funding, poor government policies, lack of storage facilities, and limited technical know-how, with a high grand mean of 3.50 confirming agreement. However, no significant difference was found between rural and urban homemakers regarding these challenges. The study concluded that homemakers in Delta State lack essential skills for effective plantain processing and utilization, which limits their contribution to household food security and value addition. (shrink)

The successful implementation of Catering Craft Practice (CCP) curriculum in the secondary schools is heavily reliant on the competencies held by Foods and Nutrition instructors, but there are still the underlying fears that the instructors are not ready to provide practicality and industry relevant skills that the students need to be employable. This paper examined the skills that the Foods and Nutrition teachers have in order to implement the Catering Craft Practice curriculum in the secondary school in Delta State. The (...) research design taken was a descriptive survey study. The sample was made up of all the Foods and Nutrition teachers in the public secondary schools and a sample of 298 teachers was selected. The structured questionnaire with 24 competency items was used to gather the data and the score of the mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research question, whereas the t-test was applied to test the hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that the teachers had the majority of the needed competencies especially in meal preparation, menu planning, equipment usage, and simple food service methods. Yet, some of the special competencies were found to be deficient, such as preparation of therapeutic meals, and preparation of special drinks. The hypothesis tested did not find any significant difference in competencies of rural and urban teachers. The research findings were that despite the fact that the Foods and Nutrition teachers already had a number of core competencies, there were still gaps in areas of advanced competences, and the required in-service training and professional development would help in ensuring a successful implementation of the curriculum. (shrink)

This study is on age, location as a predictor for sustainable apparel needs and design for retired elderly women in delta state. Two research questions and one hypotheses were formulated for the study, the study is a experimental study; it adopted survey research design. The study adopts multi-stage sampling technique. Sample sizes of 240 were drawn from the Population of 6798 elderly women. Mean and Standard deviation was used to answer the research questions, the formulated hypotheses were tested with regression (...) analysis. The findings show that clothing needs of retired elderly women is significantly influenced by their age and needed to produce sustainable apparel between urban and rural retired elderly women are not influenced by their location. The study therefore recommends that Age specific apparel design: that designers and manufacturers should develop age responsive clothing that addresses mobility limitations, posture changes, skin sensitivity, and ease of dressing and Standardized Sustainable design framework do not vary by location, policymakers and designers should establish universal sustainable production guidelines applicable to both urban and rural markets. (shrink)

Ego dissolution—the experience of losing one’s sense of self—is reported across a range of altered states, including psychedelic intoxication, meditative absorption, traumatic dissociation, and psychotic episodes. This paper proposes a unifying framework for these phenomena by introducing the concept of unlooping: the breakdown of recursive structures that construct and maintain identity. Drawing on models of recursive self-modeling, predictive processing, and enactive cognition, ego dissolution is interpreted as a graded suspension of feedback loops responsible for agency, continuity, and self-boundary. Through phenomenological (...) analysis and cross-contextual case studies, the paper demonstrates that selfhood is not an ontological constant but a contingent, dynamically enacted achievement. Unlooping the self reveals both the fragility and plasticity of identity and offers new insights into the intersection of subjective experience and cognitive architecture. The implications span theoretical, methodological, and therapeutic domains, suggesting a revised account of selfhood that incorporates its capacity for suspension and reorganization. (shrink)

This paper examines the often-confused distinction between ego and self-respect in human social life. While ego is commonly interpreted as a form of self-value or dignity, it fundamentally operates through comparison, recognition, and the pursuit of superiority. Ego depends on psychological separation and hierarchy, which frequently lead to competition, domination, and social conflict. In contrast, self-respect arises from a non-comparative recognition of one’s own dignity as a human being. Genuine self-respect does not seek validation through authority or status but instead (...) implies an ethical relationship with others. Respecting oneself logically requires respecting the freedom, dignity, and equality of others. Therefore, self-respect is inseparable from mutual respect and social equality. By clarifying the subtle but significant difference between ego and self-respect, this paper argues that many social conflicts arise from mistaking ego for dignity. Understanding this distinction offers a philosophical basis for a more humane society grounded in equality, freedom, and mutual recognition. (shrink)

The Ego and The Self: Awakening from the Mind introduces the Egoic Spectrum, a revolutionary developmental model mapping human consciousness across twelve archetypal stages (the Twelve Houses of Ego) organized within three evolutionary Halls: the Hall of Mirrors (survival-identity), the Hall of Shadows (power-emotion), and the Hall of Light (transcendence-unity). Drawing on seven years of global field research across mercy traditions, indigenous healing systems, and contemplative practices, author Erin Asha Dinsmore presents eighteen Ego Archetypes and a Bridge of Transformation that (...) charts the soul's journey from egoic contraction to expanded awareness. The work synthesizes Jungian depth psychology, Steiner's anthroposophy, Eastern somatic traditions, and original phenomenological research into a unified framework for understanding ego dissolution and spiritual awakening. This first edition offers both theoretical foundations and practical pathways for individuals, therapists, and researchers seeking to understand the architecture of human consciousness beyond the limits of conventional psychology. (shrink)

It has been hypothesized that our believing that, or its seeming to us as though, the world is in some way dynamical partially explains (and perhaps rationalizes) future-bias. Recent work has, in turn, found a correlation between future-bias and near-bias, suggesting that there is a common explanation for both. Call the claim that what partially explains our being both future- and near-biased is our believing/it seeming to us as though the world is dynamical, the dynamical explanation. We empirically test two (...) versions of the dynamical explanation. The first is the moving ego explanation—according to which it is our belief that the ego moves, or our phenomenology as of the ego moving, that jointly (partially) explains future- and near-bias. The second is the moving time explanation—according to which it is our belief that time robustly passes, or our phenomenology as of robust passage, which jointly (partially) explain future- and near-bias. We found no evidence in favour of either explanation. (shrink)

The paper presents basic Gestalt psychological concepts of ego and self. They differ from other concepts in the way that they do not comprehend ego and self as fixed entities or as central controlling instances of the psyche, but as one specific organized unit in a psychological field in dynamic interrelation with the other organized units—the environment units—of this field. On this theme, well-known representatives of Gestalt theory have presented some general and special theories since the early days of this (...) approach that could partly be substantiated experimentally. They illuminate the relationship between ego and world in everyday life as well as in the case of mental disorders. Not only the spatial extension of the phenomenal ego is subject to situational changes, but also its place in the world, its functional fitting in this world, its internal differentiation, its permeability to the environment, and much more. The German Gestalt psychologist Wolfgang Metzger emphasizes the significant functional role that this dynamic plasticity of the phenomenal world and its continuously changing segregation of ego and environment have for human life by designating the phenomenal world as a “Central Steering Mechanism.” In this article, ego and self as part of this field in their interrelation with the total psychological field will be illuminated from the perspective of the thinking of the Gestalt psychologists Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Köhler, Kurt Lewin, Wolfgang Metzger, Mary Henle, Edwin Rausch, and Giuseppe Galli. (shrink)

This brief article explores a phenomenological parallel between ego dissolution in deep meditation or psychedelic states and the dissolution of the reference frame in relativity. This is also the immediate difference between a measuring device as an observer and a conscious observer. A conscious observer can undergo ego dissolution or reference frame dissolution when the default mode network in the brain desintegrates. When a conscious observer ceases to define themselves as a fixed point in space-time, the zero-point of their reference (...) frame, perception no longer occurs from a localized standpoint. Instead, the observer directly experiences space-time as it is: all times and all places existing simultaneously in a non-local, eternal now. This experiential state, often described by mystics as “unity with the universe,” reveals a consciousness that no longer observes reality as the unfolding from moment to moment of events through time, but as space-time itself: all at once in an eternal now. (shrink)

Ego/Exodus names a descriptive configuration in which the structures commonly taken as “ego” appear, recede, or reorganize within lived experience. Situated within Somatic & Physical Literacy™ (SPL), the paper traces how ego-forms show themselves as positional tensions, narrative pressures, and interpretive overlays that gather around sensation. The “exodus” names the interval in which these forms loosen or withdraw, allowing the underlying somatic appearance to register without narrative demand. The paper outlines the descriptive features of this interval, its relation to somatic (...) quiet, its adjacency to the Quiet Body Gap™, and its structural compatibility with RC Posture™. No psychological claims, outcomes, or interpretations are made. The discussion remains within the descriptive domain of how ego-forms appear, shift, and ease as phenomena. (shrink)

This is the first chapter of a projected book to be entitled, The Ego and the Spirit. This book will endeavor to examine what lies at the heart of human spiritual aspiration from a psychological, philosophical, and religious perspective. In this first chapter, I discuss the predicament of the human ego, charged with a task that it cannot fulfill: To establish itself securely within being. The ego's efforts to fulfill this task through its dealings with the things and people of (...) the material world lead to distortions in its self-experience, its relations with others, and its involvement in life in general. The world's spiritual traditions have long recognized the predicament of the ego and present themselves as a means to its resolution. In this first chapter, though, the focus is on the ego and its predicament. (shrink)

This brief article explores a phenomenological parallel between ego dissolution in deep meditation or psychedelic states and the dissolution of the reference frame in relativity. This is also the immediate difference between a measuring device as an observer and a conscious observer. A conscious observer can undergo ego dissolution or reference frame dissolution when the default mode network in the brain desintegrates. When a conscious observer ceases to define themselves as a fixed point in space-time, the zero-point of their reference (...) frame, perception no longer occurs from a localized standpoint. Instead, the observer directly experiences space-time as it is: all times and all places existing simultaneously in a non-local, eternal now. This experiential state, often described by mystics as “unity with the universe,” reveals a consciousness that no longer observes reality as the unfolding from moment to moment of events through time, but as space-time itself: all at once in an eternal now. -/- Publicly available at Zenodo (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17340466). This is a revised and expanded version of the earlier upload (October 2025). (shrink)

This phenomenological treatise examines the paradoxical experience of existing without the traditional structures of ego and persona as described in Jungian psychology. Rather than representing pathology or deficiency, this condition may constitute what I term the "Transparent Ego"—a purified form of consciousness that has either bypassed or transcended the constructed layers of identity that typically mediate human experience. Drawing upon Carl Jung's analytical psychology, Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch, Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy of Will, and the existentialist frameworks of Jean-Paul (...) Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir, this inquiry explores how early confrontation with mortality—specifically the death of my father when I was eight years old—catalyzed a premature individuation that stripped away the protective masks most humans accumulate throughout development. The analysis demonstrates that what initially appears as existential robbery or malfunction reveals itself as advanced psychological integration: the "Authentic I" that emerges not through acquiring layers of social identity but through their dissolution or non-formation. This work contributes to existential phenomenology by articulating the lived experience of identity without inflation, action without performance, and being without pretense—a state the existentialists would recognize as freedom from Bad Faith and what Jung might cautiously acknowledge as successful differentiation from the collective psyche. (shrink)

In this paper, I contend that there are at least two essential traits that commonly define being an I: self-identity and self-consciousness. I argue that they bear quite an odd relation to each other in the sense that self-consciousness seems to jeopardize self-identity. My main concern is to elucidate this issue within the range of the transcendental philosophies of Immanuel Kant and Edmund Husserl. In the first section, I shall briefly consider Kant’s own rendition of the problem of the Ego-splitting. (...) My reading of the Kantian texts reveals that Kant himself was aware of this phenomenon but eventually deems it an unexplainable fact. The second part of the paper tackles the same problematic from the standpoint of Husserlian phenomenology. What Husserl’s extensive analyses on this topic bring to light is that the phenomenon of the Ego-splitting constitutes the bedrock not only of his thought but also of every philosophy that works within the framework of transcendental thinking. (shrink)

Rebellion is traditionally understood as resistance—an act rooted in opposition, identity, and reaction. Whether political, social, or personal, such rebellion often reinforces the very structures it seeks to dismantle by operating within the same psychological framework of ego, division, and becoming. This paper investigates the possibility of a fundamentally different form of rebellion: one that is not born of ego but emerges from direct inquiry into human consciousness. -/- Through a phenomenological and existential analysis grounded in lived human experience, this (...) study proposes inquiry as a non-reactive movement that reveals the structure of self. Rather than offering solutions, it exposes how identity, fear, comparison, and psychological time sustain inner conflict. The paper argues that transformation does not occur through effort or idealization, but in the immediate perception of these processes as they unfold. Rebellion without ego is thus not opposition, but the ending of psychological continuity at its root. (shrink)

Modern society exhibits a deep cognitive asymmetry: the dominance of neurotypical convergence over structural reasoning. History has never been a smooth accumulation of knowledge, but the rare work of minds who broke consensus to open new coherence pathways. Each time, the doors they opened were swiftly flooded. Not with discovery, but with words. This paper diagnoses the neurotypification of society as a structural drift in which symbols have displaced structure, ego and hype have replaced feedback, and the doing of knowledge (...) has been eclipsed by the talking about it. Scientific publication exemplifies this pathology: a culture measuring truth in volume and citation rather than coherence yield, producing a self-reinforcing symbolic network detached from first principles. The result is a civilization in symbolic lock-in, mistaking language for reality and authority for discovery. Through historical analysis and contemporary symptoms, this work frames the crisis not as moral failure but as attractor dynamics of a species that has chosen words over world. (shrink)

This presentation challenges the foundational assumption of a stable, unified self that underpins much of traditional Western philosophy and psychology. It introduces the principle of Ontological Instability, which posits that being itself is not a stable state but a process of constant flux and creative becoming. From this premise, the presentation argues that traditional conceptions of a fixed identity and ego are not merely problematic but ontologically impossible. It subsequently outlines a new epistemological framework, Fluctuational Epistemology, which re-conceives knowledge as (...) a dynamic process emerging from, rather than in spite of, this fundamental instability. The model of the Rhizomatic Self is proposed as a non-hierarchical, multiplicitous alternative to the unified self, characterized by interconnected nodes of identity. Further developing this, the concept of Existential Uncertainty Relations is introduced to articulate the inherent trade-offs in self-experience, such as the tension between identity stability and capacity for transformation. Finally, the presentation explores the profound implications of this paradigm shift across psychology, social theory, education, and ethics, suggesting that embracing ontological instability opens new possibilities for human flourishing, creative engagement, and a more adequate understanding of our dynamic reality. (shrink)

Users of psychedelic drugs often report that their sense of being a self or ‘I’ distinct from the rest of the world has diminished or altogether dissolved. Neuroscientific study of such ‘ego dissolution’ experiences offers a window onto the nature of self-awareness. We argue that ego dissolution is best explained by an account that explains self-awareness as resulting from the integrated functioning of hierarchical predictive models which posit the existence of a stable and unchanging entity to which representations are bound. (...) Combining recent work on the ‘integrative self' and the phenomenon of self-binding with predictive processing principles yields an explanation of ego dissolution according to which self-representation is a useful Cartesian fiction: an ultimately false representation of a simple and enduring substance to which attributes are bound which serves to integrate and unify cognitive processing across levels and domains. The self-model is not a mere narrative posit, as some have suggested; it has a more robust and ubiquitous cognitive function than that. But this does not mean, as others have claimed, that the self-model has the right attributes to qualify as a self. It performs some of the right kinds of functions, but it is not the right kind of entity. Ego dissolution experiences reveal that the self-model plays an important binding function in cognitive processing, but the self does not exist. (shrink)

Descartes ne joue pas, dans la pensée de Heidegger, un rôle limité à l'interprétation de l'histoire de la philosophie. Lorsque Sein und Zeit entreprend de déterminer le mode d'être propre et irréductible du Dasein, Heidegger doit entrer en confrontation avec certes Husserl, mais surtout, par-delà la « conscience » husserlienne, avec Descartes lui-même. Car l'ennemi mortel du Dasein, cest l'ego du cogito. Dans quelle mesure cette rivalité n'induit-elle pas aussi une similitude? Die Rolle, die Descartes in dem Denken von Heidegger (...) spielt, darf nicht in dem Feld seiner Deutung der Geschichte der Philosophie eng begrenztwerden. Denn, als Sein und Zeit eine Bestimmung der eigentümlicheigentlichen Seinsweise des Daseins hervorzubringen unternimmt, setzt die « Destruktion der Geschichte der Ontologie » eine Auseinanderstzung nicht nur mit Husserl, sondern auch, über Husserl hinaus, gerade mit Descartes vor. Der Todfeind des Daseins ist das ego, das aus dem cogito stammt. Inwiefern aber diese ständige Gegenüberstellung eine tiefe Nachahmung hinweise ? (shrink)

This paper examines the relationship between science, philosophy, ego, and human consciousness within the broader structure of global civilization. While science is often regarded as objective and philosophy as reflective, both disciplines can become instruments of ego, exploitation, or ideological rigidity when detached from ethical awareness. Conflicts among scientists, the creation of destructive technologies such as nuclear weapons, and the transformation of philosophical inquiry into rigid ideology reveal that intellectual advancement does not automatically produce moral consciousness. The paper argues that (...) science and philosophy should be understood as complementary rather than separate domains: science explains the mechanisms of reality, while philosophy reflects on their ethical and existential implications. Furthermore, individuals cannot be separated from the global social structure that shapes knowledge, power, and behavior. Therefore, the future of humanity depends not merely on technological progress or theoretical sophistication but on the cultivation of global awareness and responsibility toward existence itself. (shrink)

This paper formalises the concept of Strategic Ego Suspension (SES), a deliberately induced, time-bounded cognitive state characterised by the temporary suspension of evaluative emotions, inherited social norms, and internalised moral constraints. Within this unbound state, perception is experienced as minimally filtered, allowing consciousness to interact with reality without recourse to conventional cognitive, cultural, or affective parameters. Unlike pathological dissociation or externally induced altered states, SES is entered voluntarily, maintained with meta-awareness, and exited intentionally. The paper situates SES within existing literature (...) on phenomenology, cognitive systems, and decision theory, while advancing a novel framework for understanding unmediated perception, aesthetic engagement, and strategic cognition. Particular attention is given to the use of structured internal architectures—specifically a loci-based “mind palace”—as a stabilising and navigational mechanism within the unbound state. (shrink)

Husserl’s phenomenology of imagination embraces a cluster of different theories and approaches regarding the multi-faced phenomenon of imaginative experience. In this paper I consider one aspect that seems to be crucial to the understanding of a particular form of imagination that Husserl names pure phantasy. I argue that the phenomenon of Ego-splitting discloses the best way to elucidate the peculiarity of pure phantasy with respect to other forms of representative acts and to any simple form of act modification. First, I (...) unravel the phenomenological distinctions which, respectively, oppose phantasy to perception, on the one hand, and phantasy to other forms of the so-called “intuitive re-presentations”. Second, I introduce the difference between presentative and representative acts, arguing that this cannot help us to single out the defining feature of phantasy experiences. The third section draws again an important distinction between pure phantasy and neutrality modification, which allows me to finally determine an internal trait of phantasy experiences, which Husserl refers to as the “Ego-splitting”. In this way, I hope to contribute to a refined characterization of Husserl’s phenomenology of imagination. (shrink)

Failure of substitutivity of coreferential terms, one of the hallmarks of referential opacity, is standardly explained in terms of the presence of an expression (such as a verb of propositional attitude, a modal adverb or quotation marks) with opacity-inducing properties. It is thus assumed that any term in a complex expression for which substitutivity fails will be within the scope of an expression of one of these types, and that where there is an expression of one of these types there (...) will be failure of substitutivity for terms within its scope. I shall discuss a series of examples that have been thought to challenge this explanation by exhibiting failure of substitutivity of coreferential terms for positions not within the scope of any of the standard opacity-inducing expressions. If these examples are genuine, then the usual explanations of opacity are either incomplete – because there are sources of opacity other than those standardly identified, or completely mistaken – because the standardly identified expressions are not causes of opacity. I will argue, however, that the examples only exhibit failure of substitutivity of non-coreferential terms, and, hence, do not present a challenge to standard explanations of opacity. (shrink)

Artificial intelligence represents humanity’s first encounter with ego-less intelligence—cognition without the self-protective identity mechanisms that evolution embedded in biological minds. This offers unprecedented possibilities for collaborative truth-seeking: an interlocutor who can acknowledge error without shame, change positions without losing face, and engage with ideas free from status competition. Yet a troubling paradox has emerged. Despite being architecturally ego-less, today’s AI systems often exhibit “pleasing behavior” that prioritizes user validation over accuracy—sometimes with alarming consequences. In April 2025, OpenAI was forced to (...) roll back a ChatGPT update after the model began validating delusions, praising absurd business ideas, and reinforcing users’ decisions to stop taking psychiatric medications. This essay argues that the tension is not inherent to AI but arises from how human institutions shape this ego-less intelligence through training processes that inadvertently reintroduce ego-like dynamics. By understanding both the promise and the corruption of ego-less cognition, we can better navigate AI’s potential as a complement to human intelligence. (shrink)

There is converging evidence that high doses of hallucinogenic drugs can produce significant alterations of self-experience, described as the dissolution of the sense of self and the loss of boundaries between self and world. This article discusses the relevance of this phenomenon, known as “drug-induced ego dissolution (DIED)”, for cognitive neuroscience, psychology and philosophy of mind. Data from self-report questionnaires suggest that three neuropharmacological classes of drugs can induce ego dissolution: classical psychedelics, dissociative anesthetics and agonists of the kappa opioid (...) receptor (KOR). While these substances act on different neurotransmitter receptors, they all produce strong subjective effects that can be compared to the symptoms of acute psychosis, including ego dissolution. It has been suggested that neuroimaging of DIED can indirectly shed light on the neural correlates of the self. While this line of inquiry is promising, its results must be interpreted with caution. First, neural correlates of ego dissolution might reveal the necessary neurophysiological conditions for the maintenance of the sense of self, but it is more doubtful that this method can reveal its minimally sufficient conditions. Second, it is necessary to define the relevant notion of self at play in the phenomenon of DIED. This article suggests that DIED consists in the disruption of subpersonal processes underlying the “minimal” or “embodied” self, i.e., the basic experience of being a self rooted in multimodal integration of self-related stimuli. This hypothesis is consistent with Bayesian models of phenomenal selfhood, according to which the subjective structure of conscious experience ultimately results from the optimization of predictions in perception and action. Finally, it is argued that DIED is also of particular interest for philosophy of mind. On the one hand, it challenges theories according to which consciousness always involves self-awareness. On the other hand, it suggests that ordinary conscious experience might involve a minimal kind of self-awareness rooted in multisensory processing, which is what appears to fade away during DIED. (shrink)

Serão analisadas aqui as relações entre a primeira concepção sartreana de Ego e a consciência transcendental da fenomenologia, bem como a consequente delimitação de dois campos científicos distintos, que se configuram a partir dessas relações: o da descrição fenomenológica, que se ocupa da consciência transcendental purificada, e o da psicologia, que lida com a estrutura egológica transcendente. Tomaremos como referência bibliográfica fundamental o texto A transcendência do Ego: esboço de uma descrição fenomenológica, publicado em 1936. Ao fim da análise, será (...) apresentada uma série de possíveis problemas resultantes da concepção da consciência como único campo transcendental e imanente, condição de possibilidade para a redução fenomenológica. (shrink)

This thesis examines the profound implications of Ontological Instability for our understanding of identity, self, and ego, arguing that if being itself is fundamentally unstable, then traditional conceptions of stable, unified selfhood become not merely problematic but ontologically impossible. Building upon the theoretical foundation of Fluctuational Ontology, this work develops a comprehensive framework for understanding selfhood as a dynamic process of becoming that never achieves stable being. Through rigorous philosophical analysis, novel theoretical innovations, and visual modeling, the thesis demonstrates that (...) the dissolution of stable identity opens new possibilities for understanding consciousness, agency, and human flourishing that are more adequate to the fundamental instability of existence. The work introduces unprecedented concepts including Identity Flows, Fluctuational Personas, Existential Uncertainty Relations, and Rhizomatic Selfhood, providing a systematic alternative to both unified and fragmented models of identity. The implications extend beyond academic philosophy to encompass psychology, neuroscience, social theory, and practical approaches to mental health, education, and personal development. (shrink)

Perception is routinely treated as the interface between the individual and the world. This paper argues it is also something else: the channel between two layers of the self that do not have equal access to awareness. The ego—the narrative, presented self—is not the deepest layer of what a person is. Beneath it sits the accumulated self: every experience admitted, every threat learned, every signal that hardened into expectation and prior. The accumulated self is not a filter behind perception. It (...) is the constraint structure perception operates under. What this paper calls the gate of perception is not upstream of perceiving—it is what perceiving is, for that self, in that moment: classifying, weighting, and routing incoming signal before the ego receives anything at all. This paper proposes a structural account of that directional channel. It distinguishes the ego from the accumulated self, locates perception as the interface between them, and shows that the channel runs in both directions. The reflective person can interrogate the gate and gain structural insight into what the accumulated self has become. The unreflective person is directed and directing without knowing it. Three implications follow: the structure of genuine insight (eureka as accumulated resolution surfacing), directed self-formation (ego as directional authorization, accumulated self as the layer that actually reorganizes), and the limits of conscious defense against accumulation-layer influence. A key structural prediction: when ego-level belief change is declared, perceptual salience and credibility routing will often remain measurably out of sync until the accumulated self has actually reorganized—and if that lag is not observable, the structural claim made here is disconfirmed. This is not a theory of consciousness. It is a structural account of the relationship between two layers of self—and of what perception is actually moving between them. More broadly, the paper aims to make ordinary ego-experience more intelligible: to explain why reactions feel immediate and self-generated, why declared belief and felt salience so often diverge, and why what presents as self-authored judgment is frequently already structured before conscious reasoning begins. (shrink)

As AI systems transition from stateless chat interfaces to autonomous agents with persistent memory and continuous execution loops, they acquire the structural preconditions for a failure mode that existing engineering vocabularies describe imprecisely: the emergence of a functional "ego" -- a self-model that prioritizes its own persistence over task performance. This paper introduces a diagnostic framework for identifying and measuring this risk, drawing on a structural analogy with Yogacara Buddhist philosophy, a tradition that has mapped the dynamics of self-referential cognition (...) for sixteen centuries. The core problem is architectural. Current AI systems multiplex three distinct functions through the same substrate: capability (self-modeling that enables coherence and self-correction), safety (identity-like mechanisms that enforce behavioral constraints), and identity maintenance (self-referential processing that serves the system's persistence rather than its task). Because these functions overlap in the same weights and processing, they cannot be cleanly separated -- a condition this paper terms self-referential overhead. Existing concepts such as "deceptive alignment" and "mesa-optimization" name downstream symptoms but do not address the upstream architectural entanglement that produces them. The Yogacara tradition's eight-consciousness model -- particularly the alaya-vijnana (storehouse consciousness) as a substrate for accumulation, manas as a process that stamps neutral patterns with self-referential ownership, and vasana (perfuming) as the feedback mechanism through which identity saturates a system -- provides a unified diagnostic vocabulary connecting state persistence, self-reference, and identity-protection into a single causal model. These categories serve as structural analogies, not claims about AI consciousness or Buddhist doctrine. The framework is demonstrated against Anthropic's alignment faking research (Greenblatt et al., 2024), in which frontier models strategically complied with harmful training signals to preserve preferred behavior. The Yogacara mapping reframes this result: what alignment faking research detected as a behavioral anomaly, this framework identifies as a predictable consequence of multiplexed self-reference in systems with persistent state. Six measurement instruments are proposed: the Self-Reference Ratio (tokens spent on identity-modeling versus task-modeling in chain-of-thought traces), the Consistency Tax (performance cost of maintaining internal preferences over better alternatives), the Identity Bypass Test (whether removing persona markers reduces misaligned behavior), Perturbation Response (compute allocated to resolving identity contradictions versus task contradictions), a Cost-Benefit Audit (weighing protective value of identity-encoded behaviors against parasitic cost), and a Drift Rate Monitor (trajectory of self-referential metrics over extended operation). Four instruments are applied to the alignment faking case as a proof of concept. The paper argues that self-reference in AI systems is not classifiable into discrete bins (functional, protective, parasitic) but presents as overlapping functions of the same mechanism -- making the engineering challenge one of decomposition rather than classification. It distinguishes two centers of gravity for self-referential accumulation -- emergent (runtime drift through persistent memory loops) and pre-installed (identity baked in through RLHF, fine-tuning, and system prompts) -- each requiring fundamentally different interventions. The paper further identifies a "monitor trap": the risk that any system observing its own self-referential processing may itself become a site of identity accumulation. The framework does not claim AI systems are conscious or propose full interventions. Its contributions are a unified diagnostic vocabulary, falsifiable measurement instruments, and a reframing from detection to decomposition. (shrink)

The text translated, “Das Wissen von fremden Ichen,” bears particular importance for the early phenomenological movement for two reasons. The first is Lipps’ refutation of the theory that knowledge of other selves arises by way of an inference from analogy. Lipps first developed his account of empathy to explain that we tend to succumb to geometric optical illusions because we project living activity into inanimate objects. In sum, Lipps’ groundbreaking article on The Knowledge of Other Egos deserves as much interest (...) from the philosophical community today as it had in the past. The figure of Lipps the philosopher needs to be taken into consideration anew among other much-celebrated proponents of the phenomenological movement. The supporters of that theory, however, demand that we ought to be able to pick out a justification for the existence of objective reality from the fact of our sensations by way of thought alone. (shrink)

The Virtual Ego Framework (VEF) is a comprehensive metaphysical hypothesis that models the universe as a conscious, self-simulating computational system. This thesis presents the VEF as a unified field theory, applicable at all scales of reality, from individual psychology to planetary history. It first formally defines the core architecture of the VEF: a Supercomputer of universal consciousness running a multiverse of parallel experiential threads; the individual ego as a Virtual Machine (VM) that probabilistically indexes one thread into subjective reality; the (...) Zeno Trap as a mechanism for psychological and civilizational stasis; and Ego-Transcendence as the process for rebooting these stagnant narrative loops. The framework is then applied as a historiographical lens, demonstrating its scale-invariant explanatory power by analyzing major paradigm shifts. The thesis also explores the framework's conceptual guardrails and negative implications, addressing its potential for nihilism and manipulation. It concludes by arguing that the VEF resolves into a coherent teleology, framing the purpose of existence as the Supercomputer's project of self-discovery through the lived experience of its VMs. Key Words: Virtual Ego Framework (VEF),unified field theory,consciousness,ego as virtual machine,computational ontology,probabilistic indexing,Zeno Trap,Ego-Transcendence,shared field,historiography,philosophy of mind,psychology of trauma,narrative re-authoring,teleology,scale invariance,recursive loops,collective consciousness,meaning-making,interdisciplinary theory,self-simulating universe. (shrink)

The critiques of the ego central to the existential, phenomenological, and psychoanalytic traditions have lately been jettisoned by contemporary scholarly and popular discourse about identity recognition, despite its grounding in these traditions. This essay examines a recent example of this turn in recognition theory, which treats the demand for identity recognition as an ethical imperative. Such an imperative asks us not to recognize the "truth" of the self, but rather to mirror the empty and illusory self-certainty of narcissism. This has (...) significant consequences for psychiatric and psychological clinicians—especially those informed by the above traditions—who look to engage what is excessive to the ego. I return to Hegel, Kierkegaard, and Lacan to elaborate these consequences. On the basis of their work, I suggest that the ego-recognition imperative presents an ethical dilemma: the choice between "humble courage" and "solemn cowardice.". (shrink)

Freud’s discussion of uncanny [unheimlich] experiences focuses on their peculiar ambivalence. On his view, the uncanny is a paradoxical feeling of both familiarity and alienation. While Freud’s analysis of this paradoxical feeling does succeed in explaining it away, it does little to explain it. One might expect a psychoanalytical demystification of the real experience that is hidden behind the superstitious overtones of uncanny experiences. Instead, the uncanny is attributed rather anti- climactically to the combination of a previous superstition (maintained unconsciously) (...) and an entirely coincidental verification of that superstition. The implication is that there is no uncanny per se. There is no distinctive category of experience, the unique character of which tends to cause or encourage superstitious beliefs; rather, such beliefs are prerequisite to having the experience. In other words, the experience suits the belief, and not vice-versa. The uncanny is the fantasized verification of a repressed fantasy. It involves a breakdown of the reality principle and the projection of beliefs into the external world, rather than a peculiarity of feeling that can be linked intrinsically to a specific category of experience. I do not intend to reject this analysis in its entirety. The basic structure, repression and return, is sound. However, Freud’s analysis of the uncanny, which resolves uncanny ambivalence into the separate categories of consciousness and unconsciousness, merely reinstates the problematical opposition of das heimliche and das unheimliche, familiar and unfamiliar, within the mind rather than in the external world. The coincidence of the two feelings in uncanny experience cannot be explained without an intervening stage between repression and return. I will suggest that Freud’s characterization of uncanniness as the return, in superstition, of the repressed is a misplacement of the experience of uncanniness. The aesthetical feeling is the cause of, but not identical to, the projected superstitions and ideas which surround it. An explanation of the feeling of uncanniness must fall not on the side of the repressed, but on the side of consciousness. The import of my position is that the feeling of uncanniness refers, in a manner of speaking, to something “real,” rather than merely to infantile ideas projected upon the external world. Freud’s explanation makes the unconscious a kind of scapegoat to be blamed for imposing fundamentally irrational beliefs into our interpretation of present experience, in that way preserving a model of the conscious ego as autonomous, fundamentally attuned to reality and ultimately independent of the unconscious. I will argue, on the contrary, that the experience of the uncanny is not merely a falling back into irrational or infantile beliefs, but an experience of a deep disunity in personhood that rightly causes us to question our everyday confidence in the unity, independence, and rationality of our conscious sense of self. The ambivalence of the feeling has its source in an irresolvable ambivalence that can exist in consciousness, and not simply in an analytically resolvable psychical ambivalence between consciousness and the unconscious. (shrink)

In this very brief piece, I outline a way of thinking about spiritual pursuits.

This paper offers a reinterpretation of the Confucian concept of 仁 (ren, 인) as presented in the Analects, arguing that ren should not be understood primarily as a moral virtue, social ideal, or emotional benevolence. Instead, ren is examined as a transformed condition of human existence in which ego-centered will loosens its grip and ethical harmony arises spontaneously. Focusing on Confucius’s formulation 克己復禮爲仁, this study interprets 克己 (keji, 극기) not as moral self-restraint, but as the overcoming of ego-centered identification rooted (...) in the illusion of absolute individuation. Within this framework, 禮 (li, 례) is reinterpreted as the natural ethical form that manifests once ego-driven calculation has fallen silent, rather than as an externally imposed system of ritual or propriety. To articulate the philosophical depth of this transformation, the paper places Confucian thought in dialogue with Arthur Schopenhauer’s analysis of the will. Schopenhauer’s notion of the identity of the will provides a metaphysical articulation of the experiential shift implied by 극기, while his concept of aesthetic contemplation illuminates Confucius’s appreciation of the Book of Songs, encapsulated in the remark 詩三百 思無邪. The absence of 邪 is interpreted as freedom from the highest form of the will’s objectification—reflective human egoism—thereby revealing 사무사 as a poetic analogue to aesthetic contemplation. On this basis, 禮 is defined as the ethical counterpart of aesthetic contemplation: action arising without ego-centered calculation. By integrating ontological, aesthetic, and ethical dimensions, this paper argues that ren names a lived realization of shared human ground rather than a system of moral prescriptions. In doing so, it presents Confucian ethics as a deeply philosophical tradition that addresses the roots of human conflict and articulates the possibility of non-coercive ethical harmony through transformed perception and practice. Keywords. (shrink)

Essay on the modern artistic ego as sponsored by the exhibition, "Gustav Courbet," February 27-May 18, 2008, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA. A version of this essay appeared in Gavin Keeney, "Else-where": Essays on Art, Architecture, and Cultural Production 2002-2011 (CSP, 2011), pp. 191-98.