The Curse Of The Self
Mark R. Leary has been recognised as one of the 25 most productive scholars in psychology (1986-1990) but given my poor opinion of the field, that’s not much of a recommendation. He even quotes Carlos Casteneda but is aware that the books might be a hoax. The capacity for self-awareness evolved amongst human beings living in groups as hunter gatherers. The relatively recent increase in complexity of human culture means that we now live in conditions far different than those under which the self first arose. All the negative aspects of egotism are a result of this discrepancy between the conditions under which the self first evolved and modern life. I was hopeful that the book would provide insights into how to improve my own quality of life and it does suggest quieting the self, fostering ego-skepticism, reducing egotism and ego-defensiveness and optimising self-control all of which form some parts of spiritual practice.