Why do humans have ego ?

[Estro Felino]

Hmmm... I'm confused. Are you equating ego with selfishness?

Yes. In my language selfish is egoista. So the word ego is extremely negative.
Use Self instead, if you mean the individualistic mind.

An overinflated ego can certainly tend towards selfishness, but the ego by itself is the sense of self; it's our point of reference, as far as I'm aware

I am a Christian and I think that the ego makes our existence squalid and animalistic.

We have evolved from the animal stage (or at least, I have), so I have a superior awareness that makes me believe my will matters as much as others' will. So there is no Ego. There is "Nos" which means "We".

 

[PureX]

And is it possible for a human to get rid of their ego ?

The function of our ego is to maintain a coherent, effective concept of reality. The problem with that, of course, is that our concept of reality needs to be adaptable to the constant influx of new information. And when that new information causes us to have to "rethink" our current reality paradigm, the ego struggles against that, causing internal dissonance. And to avoid this dissonance we may fall pray to irrational denial, or even to lashing out against whatever is inflicting the new information on us.

So we don't want to eliminate our ego, as it does have a very important and necessary purpose to fulfill. But we do need to learn how to take command of it so we can set it aside on those occasions when we need to reconsider and change our current reality paradigm to accommodate and assimilate new information.

 

[Soandso]

Yes. In my language selfish is egoista. So the word ego is extremely negative.

Ah, ok. That makes sense, then

Use Self instead, if you mean the individualistic mind.

English has a more neutral view of the word. I'll continue to use the word "ego" the way it was intended in English to avoid confusion - after all, the OP is about the ego meant as the sense of self

I am a Christian and I think that the ego makes our existence squalid and animalistic.

I don't share your view

We have evolved from the animal stage (or at least, I have), so I have a superior awareness that makes me believe my will matters as much as others' will. So there is no Ego. There is "Nos" which means "We".

I agree that thinking about things outside of ourselves is vital if we are going to grow and improve as a species, but how can we do anything in a useful way if we don't first build ourselves up to make those positive changes?

 

[Estro Felino]

I agree that thinking about things outside of ourselves is vital if we are going to grow and improve as a species, but how can we do anything in a useful way if we don't first build ourselves up to make those positive changes?

Surely.
As long as others allow you to build yourself. As long as others don't destroy your life.
One question: do you think your will matters as much as others' will?

 

[Soandso]

One question: do you think your will matters as much as others' will?

I don't fully understand your question. I don't assign value to people's wills over others. People have wills; that's it. I don't assign any special value of my will over others, if that's what your asking

That said, people can exert their wills over others if there's a power dynamic, but that's a different topic altogether

 

[Estro Felino]

That said, people can exert their wills over others if there's a power dynamic, but that's a different topic altogether

As it happens in the animal world. The law of the fittest.

 

[crossfire]

What is a reality principal ?

The ego (reality principle) tries to satisfy the id's (pleasure principle) desires in acceptable ways. The superego (perfecting principle) may punish the ego if it gives in to the id's desires in an unacceptable way.

Example: The individual decides to diet to lose weight. When the id desires to eat something not on the diet, the ego can exercise restraint by saying, no, I want to lose weight more than I want to eat that cheesecake (rationalizing not to eat the cheesecake because it does not fit into the goal of losing weight. This rationalization is the reality principle). If the ego fails and the id draws the person into compulsively eating a whole cheesecake, the superego (the perfecting principle) may punish the ego for failing to restrain the id's desires with negative guilt feelings.

 

[crossfire]

The Super-Ego must prevail over the Ego.
That is, the highest moral and ethical principles must prevail over selfishness.

So getting rid of the reality ego is a necessity.

The ego's job is to mitigate between the id and the superego and make peace between them in a manner that is in harmony with reality. What you are calling selfishness is more of an id function.

 

[crossfire]

As an illustration, I'm going to post the first sentences from Buddha's first sermon after his enlightenment, and highlight id, ego, and superego functions in it. I'll hide it behind spoiler tags.

Spoiler

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion

www.accesstoinsight.org

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Varanasi in the Game Refuge at Isipatana. There he addressed the group of five monks:

"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two? That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable; and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable. Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding."​

OK, let me break it down:

"There are these two extremes that are not to be indulged in by one who has gone forth. Which two?

• That which is devoted to sensual pleasure with reference to sensual objects: base, vulgar, common, ignoble, unprofitable;
  
  this is id function--pleasure principle
  
  
• and that which is devoted to self-affliction: painful, ignoble, unprofitable
  
  this is superego function--perfecting principle
  
  
• Avoiding both of these extremes, the middle way realized by the Tathagata — producing vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding."
  
  this is ego function--reality principle. Notice how it produces vision and knowledge and leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding. Without the ego, we will remain ignorant, trapped within the suffering caused by the warring between the id and the superego. The middle path.

​