Egocentricity (=thinking of oneself as being at the center of the universe and seeing everything primarily from that perspective) is a universal human characteristic—and a persistent problem that needs to be combated.
Explanation of Egocentricity
Babies are born self-centered. In those first weeks/months
they don’t have the ability to understand the world except from their own perspective.
Normal infants, though, grow to an ever-increasing awareness of the world
outside themselves and as young adults outgrow much of their egocentricity.
We start life thinking about “me” and, in a healthy/happy
childhood proceed to see things proudly from the standpoint of “my
family,” “my community,” “my church,” “my country,” and so
on. Whatever is “mine” is normative and “the best.”
(Yesterday was Father’s Day, and I wonder how many children,
of any age, sent cards or other items to their fathers boldly proclaiming, “World’s
Greatest [or Best] Dad!”—here
is a link to numerous images saying that. Since he is my father, he
must be the best!)
Unfortunately, most people never fully grow out of their
egocentrism in order to see themselves and their surroundings more objectively—and
more correctly. Thus, they are continually inflicted with observations/evaluations
skewed by egocentric bias.
Mature people seek to combat/overcome such bias by endeavoring
to understand the world from the viewpoint of other people also and not just
their own. This is an ongoing issue with which we all must struggle.
Examples of Egocentricity
Consider two examples of objectionable egocentricity I have
recently observed.
** Example #1 – Reason for School Shootings
Here is a meme I have seen several times on Facebook:
This is an example of people seeing
things only from their own (limited) perspective and intimating that if things
were just like they experienced the rash of contemporary school shootings could
be curtailed.
Such people fail to note that the
countries where homicides by guns are the very lowest are countries where the
percentage of Christians is also very low and where there certainly is not, or
was not, daily classroom prayer and reading from the Bible.
The homicide death rate by guns per
100,000 people is 0 (zero!) in Japan and Hong Kong! As only about 2% of the citizens
in Japan and around 11% in Hong Kong are Christians, the public schools in
those countries most certainly do not start the day with Bible reading and (Christian)
prayer—and never did.
Maybe there is some reason for mass
shootings in U.S. schools (and elsewhere) other than “taking God out of our
schools.”
** Example #2 – Reason for High Gas Prices
Currently, inflation is definitely a big problem in the U.S.—and
some wrongly-focused politicians are now declaring that having
to pay $5-6 a gallon for gasoline is a more critical issue than the serious
threat to U.S. democracy seen in the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 last
year.
Many Republican politicians—and Facebook memes, again—directly
accuse President Biden’s flawed policies as being the main reason for the inflated
gasoline prices in the U.S.
According
to a recent report, though, on June 13 a gallon of gasoline (in U.S. dollars)
costs $10.22 in Norway, $9.06 in Central African Republic, $8.39 in the U.K., $7.82
in New Zealand—and $5.19 in the U.S. It is amazing how Pres. Biden has so much
influence on gas prices around the world!
Or, isn’t this just another example of how people tend to view
things only from their own egocentric (or ethnocentric) perspective rather than
understand matters as they really are?
Elimination of Egocentricity
Egocentricity can/will never be completely eliminated even
in the most mature among us. But we all can meaningfully work toward the elimination
of unacceptable egocentricity through concerted efforts to try to see things
from other people’s point of view also—and to search for objective truth.
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This is a marvelous blog, Leroy! And a very important one.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad you didn't cite any of MY egocentric posts on Facebook as examples! LOL
I have a couple of thoughts. Your blog led me to think about the claim that infants are egocentric, "self-centered," as you put it. It seems to me that it might be a categorical mistake to apply "egocentric" to babies. And you brought me to this thought with your very next statement: "In those first weeks/months they don’t have the ability to understand the world except from their own perspective." I'm thinking now, applying "egocentric" or "self-centered" to them doesn't make sense. They're simply babies without the capacity to understand the viewpoint of the other. George Herbert Mead is especially to be recommended for an understanding that the self develops only in the process of interaction with others and as the ability to "take the role" of the other.
Another thing, as you point out towards the end of your blog, egocentrism is typically more of a psychological and individualistic concept, whereas, with regard to viewing everything from one's own racial, ethnic, or national perspective is more typically identified as "ethnocentrism." Each of these, of course, have their own labels: "racism," "ethnocentrism," "nationalism." It seems to me we could add "sectarianism" for viewing everything from one's own religious perspective, perhaps also for one's political ideology. (I'm secretly hoping that I'm giving you ideas for future blogs. LOL)
Anton, thanks much for the two paragraphs that help me to clarify/amplify what I was trying to say in this morning's blog post.
DeleteYes, technically I suppose that it is incorrect to speak of babies as being self-centered (egocentric) as certainly there is not yet any sense of self, which is something that is developed later. But in your wondering if I had made a "categorical mistake" when I said that babies "don’t have the ability to understand the world except from their own perspective," you re-stated that in what I take to be a statement in complete agreement: "They're simply babies without the capacity to understand the viewpoint of the other." That is basically what I meant by referring to babies as "self-centered" or "egocentric." And I intend(ed) my statement as a descriptive one; I certainly didn't mean anything pejorative by it.
Your point about egocentrism being more individual than what perhaps should more correctly be labeled "ethnocentrism" (or some similar term) is well taken. That is the reason I did use the word "ethnocentric" in the next to last paragraph. But, basically, aren't attitudes of ethnocentrism, racism, nationalism, sectarianism--and I would add tribalism--all just extensions of egocentrism?
Clearly I was not being as clear as I meant to be. In fact, I was affirming your statement "that babies don't have the ability to understand the world except from their own perspective." It was that statement that led me to realize their is a problem (logically a categorical mistake, I think) in using egocentric (maybe self-centered too) for them, which I've heard and read many times, maybe even said it myself before reading your excellent blog. I do have doubts that your actual phrase "self-centered" is a categorical mistake, depending on how it's understood in context. It's literally true, of course, and so much better than "egocentric" which carries different moral freight, in my view.
DeleteIndeed, you're right that the collective -isms can be seen as extensions of the individualistic egocentrism. I think the psychologists even talk along those lines, wherein individuals identify entirely with a collective of some sort as a kind of "inflation" of the self. I'm probably quibbling too much over language. I wonder if we could think of these as something like a set of concentric circles, starting at the individual level and expanding out: egocentrism, sectarianism, racism ethnocentrism, nationalism, speciesism, and so on. I don't know how much or whether each of these has its own distinctive characteristics that would make a continuum problematic. Hm...
My apologies for the typos, one of which makes a sentence senseless.
DeleteAdd to this the American commitment to hyper-individualism and you get an anti-societal movement that now preaches that your own freedom is more important than that of your neighbors. In fact, in this necrotic view of being American, the suffering and death of one's neighbor or fellow citizen is the ultimate affirmation of one's individual freedom. This was on full display on Jan. 6.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your pertinent comments, Mike. -- Yes, "hyper-individualism" such as seen in those adamantly opposing all gun-control legislation in the name of "freedom" is certainly, it seems to me, an expression of problematic egocentricity. And yes, the Jan. 6 debacle seems to be a clear expression of egocentricity run rampant. (Thanks also for using the word "necrotic," which enriched my vocabulary.)
Delete"A point well made, Leroy." (Thinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky)
ReplyDelete"Quibbles" from local Thinking Friend Vern Barnet:
ReplyDelete"Your point is a helpful reminder, with good examples.
"However, since infants have no sense of self -- they must learn even to distinguish between their bodies and the rest of the world, I would not call babies self-centered. Further, as they develop, they demonstrate empathy and a sense of fairness. I make this point to avoid anything that could be interpreted as the odious doctrine of 'original sin.' In some societies, the sense of self is intimately balanced with a sense of a social group - Ubuntu.
"Second, while avoiding egocentrism, it is also important to avoid mob-think. I am sure you are aware of Reinhold Niebuhr's Moral Man and Immoral Society. We today known many otherwise lovely, caring people acclaiming a former President who lies."
Thanks for sharing your "quibbles," Vern.
DeleteConcerning your first point, I refer you to my response to Anton's comments above. But to go a bit further, while some small children might demonstrate something that somewhat resembles empathy and a sense of fairness, I seriously doubt that such is a universal characteristic of infants.
As I wrote above, I was using "self-centered" only as a descriptive term and it was not meant to be pejorative in any way. While this matter may not be completely unrelated to the doctrine of original sin, I was not implying anything about that and do not wish at this point to get into a discussion of that doctrine which may not be as "odious" as you seem to think--although certainly it has been (and perhaps still is) presented in some rather odious ways.
I am a big admirer of the concept of "ubuntu," and perhaps you remember my 4/24/21 blog post was titled "The Beautiful Concept of Ubuntu," and in that post I wrote, "Implementing the beautiful concept of 'ubuntu" could help mightily in creating a just and peaceful society."
https://theviewfromthisseat.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-beautiful-concept-of-ubuntu.html
But the basic problem is this: egocentricity is strong in all societies, even in those southern African societies that have traditionally emphasized "ubuntu." The problem is in its implementation, and perhaps "ubuntu" has not been implemented any more than Jesus' words (citing Lev. 19:18), "love your neighbor as yourself."
Here are substantial comments received in an email from Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"Thanks, Leroy, for some great comments and observations.
"The early Church Fathers regarded concupiscence as the basis of original sin, but it seems that our natural egocentricity, or selfishness, is the real basis as it is something we cannot completely eliminate from our nature. As you point out, babies are egocentric, but they do not generally suffer from concupiscence. We can only control our egocentricity and endeavor to minimize its negative effects.
"The ultimate purpose of the major religions is to modify, or even change, human nature. While it is impossible to completely change our human nature, we can certainly change our attitudes and behavior. All the major religions stress the importance of humility, compassion, simplicity, honesty, and a passion for truth. While some saintly individuals have been able to adopt those values in their lives, the great majority of people struggle with them (if they struggle at all) because the tendency to egocentricity in each of us is so strong.
"As for school prayer and Bible reading, we did not have those things when I was in primary and secondary schools in the 1950's and 1960's, perhaps because I grew up in a college town where secularism had more of a foothold. But your observations about Europe and Japan are absolutely correct. Those places also show that gun laws can work.
"Regarding oil prices, there is little Biden can do about them except to lift the sanctions on Russia and thereby sacrifice Ukraine to Russian aggression, but even that might not lower oil prices very much. Americans have become spoiled with artificially low gasoline prices, which have in effect been subsidized by high prices elsewhere. We should have done something about our insatiable thirst for gasoline a long time ago."
As I said to Vern above, I don't want to get into the theological doctrine of original sin at this point, but certainly babies cannot be "accused" of the "sin" of concupiscence--and I would not even use the term "selfishness" to describe the self-centeredness or egocentricity of infants. That is just the way they are, and gradually a sense of self develops and over time the growth of empathy and love for others develops. But, unfortunately, we all have to struggle to overcome the strong self-centeredness of childhood, and many do not overcome their egocentricity sufficiently. That is why combating egocentricity is an ongoing endeavor.
DeleteI would like to expand on Vern's point about babies and their inability to distinguish even between their bodies and the rest of the world. It seems to me that that distinguishing would begin with seeing a "my" part of the world, and an "other" part of the world. Then comes the discovery that there is also a difference between "me" and "my." Getting stuck there would be the very picture of egocentrism.
ReplyDeleteChristian thinking works frequently with the categories of "spirit" and "flesh." Other religions use other words for it, but I think it is essentially othering the "me" of the "flesh" while giving us a "spirit" place to stand. My Sunday School class just finished a book that takes a secular look at the process in "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. He spends the book leading us through examples of logical fallacies we all fall into without even knowing it. One simple example is "anchoring." When we are presented with a number or familiar fact before being asked an unrelated question, it literally changes our answers. Only by being self-aware of the weakness of our own thinking are we at all likely to find a way to overcome such built-in bias.
Perhaps we should all learn from the babies, our circle of interest and responsibility does extend to the whole universe. God does love the whole world. God is love. We are God's stewards, to tend the garden of experience God has given us.
Thanks for your comments, Craig--and for your comments about Danie Kahneman's book, which I was not aware of. (I would like to have read and discussed that with your, and my former, Sunday School class.) I am not sure what he means by anchoring, but I have recently read and been thinking some about built-in biases. Brian McLaren's new (2022) book is "Do I Stay Christian?" and the first ten chapters each give powerful reasons for saying No. Chapter 9 is "Because of Christianity's Great Wall of Bias (Constricted Intellectualism), and what he writes there about various biases is quite important, I think.
DeleteBut I am not sure what you mean that we should all "learn from the babies."
Further to the comment above re "concupiscence" and "original sin," for those readers interested in more detail around these terms and how the Lutheran reformers employed them, I recommend Article 2 of the Augsburg Confession, and Article 2 of the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Both are included in "The Book of Concord," published by Fortress Press.
ReplyDeleteAlso I believe pertinent to this blog post and comments on it is an article written by my systematic theology professor of blessed memory, the Rev. Dr. William Hordern, Man, the Doctrine of, pp. 202-206 (back then sexist language was still prevalent), in "A Dictionary of Christian Theology," published by Westminster. In short, I think what you are referring to Leroy in this blog post when you speak of egocentricity is the theological word sin, and am wondering why you did not employ the latter?
Thanks for posting comments, Garth--and for referring (again) to William Hordern, a theologian for whom I have had great respect. The matter of original sin, though, is a knotty issue that can't be dealt with adequately in just a few words, and as I mentioned in comments to Vern and Eric above, I chose not to get into a theological discussion of that doctrine at this point.
DeleteWhile I certainly believe that self-centeredness / egocentricity leads to and is even the main cause of sin/sinful actions later, I do not believe (as indicated above) that young babies are "sinful" because they are "self-centered." Rather, they are self-centered because that is their only option; that is a part of what helps them to survive.
"An indigenous proverb says we should not judge another until we have walked a distance in that one's moccasins." (Thinking Friend Virginia Belk in New Mexico)
ReplyDeleteVirginia, that is a good and important proverb and one that all of us need to take to heart. But just as with the wonderful concept of "ubuntu" (mentioned above), I am quite sure it was not practiced universally by indigenous people--and most did not walk very far in the moccasins of people from other tribes with whom they were in conflict.
DeleteFrom Thinking Friend Rob Carr:
ReplyDelete"My two cents: egocentricity or egoism or egoic functioning (roughly interchangeable terms) is addressed/confronted/mitigated as you know, by contemplative practices, whether eastern or western, which facilitate a liberation, so to speak, of consciousness from egoic functioning.
"Jesus, of course, was a living embodiment of such a liberated consciousness or psyche.
"The One at whose feet we sit....as our model Mary of Bethany did."
Thanks for your comments, Rob; it was good to hear from you again.
DeleteI certainly agree that "contemplative practices" can do much to facilitate liberation from egocentricity. But that important means of combating egocentricity is practiced by only a small percentage of the general population--and even among those who do practice contemplation there are those who do so far more for their own (egocentric?) peace of mind and reduction of stress than for the purpose of being involved in empathetic activity for the benefit of other people.
And this from Thinking Friend Frank Shope in New Mexico:
ReplyDelete"A number of years ago I worked with a professor at the University of New Mexico and a member of the Congregational Church Christ. His specific PhD was in human development. He was concerned about the continued dumbing down of university classes to accommodate a majority of students who did not have the ability to accomplish the class work.
"He developed a measurement tool, and we administered the assessment to incoming freshman. The findings were that the students were stuck in the ego, child, development stage. The tool also collected data about the children and their early home life.
"The majority of the children started their life experience in childcare with minimal adult bonding. Childcare workers are at the bottom of the pay scale. They only have limited interactions (feeding, diaper changing, etc.).
"Because of the lack of significant bonding the children would fail to move out of the concrete operational stage. Thus being stuck and unable to function in a formal operational stage."
Thanks for sharing this, Frank. I think what you wrote is helpful in understanding the lingering egocentricity and lack of maturity among many of today's youth. But most of those who posted, or "liked," the two examples I mentioned in the above article, were older people (born before 1960) who most likely were not reared by childcare workers.
Delete"Well said, Leroy. Thanks for the amazing stats!" (Local Thinking Friend Linda Schroeder)
ReplyDelete