BEYOND EGOCENTRICISM, TOWARDS EGOISM (originally published in C4SS) by Cayce Jamil

Foto von Josh Sonnenberg auf Unsplash

​“Man is the last evil spirit or spook, the most deceptive or most intimate, the craftiest liar with honest mien, the father of lies.” – Max Stirner, 1844 (2017: 129)

Beyond Egocentrism
When the heliocentric model of the universe was proposed in the 16th century, it was an enormous scandal. The pope eventually condemned Galileo as a heretic, banned the publication of his books, and kept him on house arrest until his death. Why did the Church respond so aggressively? The decentering of Earth from the universe inherently challenged crystalized beliefs about humanity’s importance. In the heliocentric model, our planet loses its significance in the cosmos. Not only did it challenge religious dogma, on an emotional level it was far less satisfying (at least at first glance). Similarly, Darwin’s evolutionary theory was another blow to the significance of humanity. Evolution, like heliocentrism, decentered humans from their environment. The significance of human existence continued to be challenged. The traditional view of the importance of humanity appears to derive rather spontaneously and without much reflection. When challenged about their self-importance, there is an emotional reluctance to accept scientific observations (Elias 1978).

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