When Protecting a Point of View Becomes the Point

Werner Erhard offered an unusual distinction of ego: not merely as a thing someone has, but as an activity of perpetuating one's own point of view.

The wording matters because it changes what can be observed.

A trait can feel fixed.

An activity can be noticed while it is happening.

We can see ourselves selecting evidence that preserves the existing view.

Repeating the explanation that keeps us right.

Hearing disagreement only as something to defeat.

Reinterpreting new information until it fits the old conclusion.

The problem is not having a point of view.

We cannot encounter a situation from nowhere.

The problem begins when the survival of the viewpoint becomes more important than the inquiry it was supposed to serve.

Then seeing gives way to defending.

The useful question is behavioral.

What am I doing right now to keep this view intact?

What evidence would I permit to count against it?

What becomes visible if I stop requiring the conclusion to survive?

We do not have to destroy perspective.

We can become responsible for the work we do to preserve it.