Let us summarize some of the claims and conclusions that have been drawn so far to see where we need to go next.
Self = Continuity of Group
Self is defined as the continuity of a larger organ-ization of cells that transcends the individual cells that make it up. This applies to all levels. The concept of Self is an emergent feature of organizing cells, going hand in hand. Self is an inherent feature of the continuity of organization.
Human Sense of Self, a result of Self Reflection
Note that a sense of Self is not implied by the notion of Self. In some ways the sense of Self emerges with the ability to self reflect and not before. Hence we are not claiming that all the less complex life forms or the disembodied corporations of life have a sense of Self, because self-reflection doesn’t seem to exist. While there is no sense of Self, there exists a Self.
Replaceable Body and Brain not the Self
Under this definition of Self - the Person, defined as the Body-Brain complex, including the Emotions, is not the Self, but is there to serve the Self, that is the continuity of the organism. The Brain helps protect the Body whose serves the Self. However, the Body is not the Self - as all its individual parts can be replaced and the Self of the Organism continues.
These statements about Self also apply to the disembodied collection of Bodies, which we refer to as Corporations. All collections of cells, whether embodied and disembodied, i.e. anthills and corporations, inherently have a Self. As with Organisms, the Cells of the Corporation, which in this case are Bodies, are secondary to the continuity of the Corporation - its Self.
Conflict between Self Preservation of Individual and Group
There are two natural tendencies that seem to come into conflict. We’ve claimed that individuals naturally organize themselves into larger groups, at all levels of the biological hierarchy from the micro to the macro levels. Further we’ve claimed that these larger groupings survive in part by sacrificing of the Individual to the Whole. We’ve also claimed that every biological organism has this urge for continuity, which we call the Self. This leads immediately to the concept of Self-preservation. There is an obvious conflict between the Self-preservation of the Individual and the Self-preservation of the Group.
How is this resolved?
In the process of self-organization the individual relinquishes part of his Self to create and support the Self of the Whole. Self Sacrifice to Whole is natural, not illogical. Strength in numbers is the logic. Frequently it is necessary to sacrifice the Old and Weak for survival of Whole. However what survives is the Self of the Group that the Individual Selves have given themselves up to. The survival of the Individual members is not the issue except as it relates to the survival of the Group.
Simultaneous with self-organization comes the natural tendency to sacrifice the Individual Self for the preservation of the Self of the Whole. We see this tendency in every life form. We call this Cancer or Sickness in the Human Body when certain cells or viruses reproduce themselves at the expense to the Whole.
Multitude of Unique characteristics of each Self obscures commonalty
We’ve presented the theory that an Emergent feature of Self is uniqueness, i.e. character or personality. This feature generates a tremendous variety - which obscures the commonalty of Self. While each Self, from micro to macro, share certain common characteristics these congruencies are overwhelmed by the multiplicity inherent in character. There are more unique features to each Self than common ones by an order of dimension. Because of the endless number of unique features that each Self has, it is easy to miss the features they share in common. The most important is Self-preservation - which leads to the corollary that the whole is more important than the parts - which is connected with the corollary that it is necessary to sacrifice the parts for the whole.
The Self is not in the Brain
Where is the disembodied Self with uniqueness and the will to survive?
Common sense tells us that the Embodied Self is in the Brain of the Body. The natural extension to this idea is that because the Disembodied Group has no localized Brain it must not have a Self.
While the Self needs a Body, it is not the Body. The Self is the continuity of the Body. While the Self's urge for actualization is served by the combination of Body and Brain and associated with the survival of this complex, it is neither the Body nor the Brain.
The Self represents the continuity of Whole over the parts that make it up - including the Body and its command center, the Brain. The Self emerges from the Body, but out survives the individual cells, which make up Body.
Example: The Country with its Disembodied Self survives, while the founders, which are its Cells are long gone. Generations come and go while the Self of the Country survives, independent of the parts that make it up.
Self resides Nowhere/Everywhere
If the Self is not in the Brain or the Body, where does the Self reside?
The same place, whether Embodied or Disembodied - Nowhere or Everywhere.
It is easy to place the Self inside the Body, because of its heavy association with the Body. Yet, the Self is not the Body. It is an emergent feature of the Body. Similarly, the rainbow is an emergent feature of the interaction between the electromagnetic radiation and the Human Body/Mind. Yet the rainbow is not the electromagnetic radiation nor is it the Mind. It is between the two, while neither.
Self = Emergent feature of mixture of Body and Time
Similarly the concept of Self is a result of the interaction of the Body - no matter how small - or how disembodied - with the Space-time Continuum.
Thus the entity of Self, while connected with the Body, is not the Body itself. Instead, the Self is the result of a mixture - a friction - a heat energy from rubbing dissimilar elements - that is given off - experienced as beauty or existence - Being.
Let us give an example of the power of the disembodied Self. While the immaterial Body of humans, called a country, only has an immaterial shell to protect itself, these powerful immaterial things are the stuff history is made of. The notion of country propells the masses of material bodies called humans - the Cells of these immaterial selves called countries - into mass destruction and chaos. These interacting disembodied corporations of humans have also inspired flights of fantasy to reflect the beauty of the struggle - a major motivating force behind the fine arts - another emergent feature of self organizing humans.
Only those with Self Reflection have Sense of Self
Anyway, to hammer home the point.
The Disembodied Corporation have just as much of a Soul or Self as do the Embodied corporeal Humans that make it up. The main difference, as mentioned at the beginning of this tract, is that while the rest, from smallest to the largest, from embodied to disembodied, all have a Soul or Self, the bodies with Self Reflection are the only ones with a sense of Self or Soul.
Certain animals, especially the predators seem to have this sense - while certain animals and humans don’t. Therefore the tendency to self-reflection and sense of self-identity is not a feature consistent throughout the species. Some do and don’t to varying degrees with varying times and places.
Respect Self of the Disembodied Group to avoid becoming its Victim
The point of all this verbiage is that the Self of the Disembodied Corporation, while not possessing the same type of intentionality as humans, still possesses an agenda which could be counter productive to individual goals or survival. Being aware of this tendency - giving respect to it - might allow one to escape its implications. Being unaware - not giving respect to this power of the Group - could easily lead to inadvertent victimization.
Home The Firing Process IV. Self & Will Previous Next Comments