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Shrinking the Self

Jose Luis Perez Velazquez, Vera Nenadovic

Being and becoming 2021 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-78264-1_15 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Buddhism
Keywords Selfhood Non-attachment Transience
Key points Argues that reducing attachments to objects and people can diminish the sense of self and ego.

Abstract

In this chapter, we will see how it is possible to diminish our selves. Phenomenal self-consciousness involves a relation between the self and objects; the more and stronger the connections between the individual and objects or other people, the greater nourishment for the sense of self. In our world with so many opportunities to possess things, robust attachments arise. Reducing the attachments may reduce the size of selves and egos.

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