Do the ego and the soul really exist?

To answer this question, we should first specify what we mean by “ego” and by “soul”. The truth is that since almost the dawn of humanity and from different philosophical, spiritual or psychological currents it has been common to refer to these concepts in one way or another. And we also do it today in our daily lives: How many times have we not said that a person has "A very big ego", or that we have felt such a thing "With all our soul"?

Thus, although we use these types of expressions regularly, it is positive that we stop for a moment to reflect on what exactly we are referring to, since since there is no consensus on the meaning of these terms, in the end, each one interprets them in their own way. mode, thus giving rise to great ambiguity and general confusion. In this way, below I will try to reel off what, in my opinion, seem to me the most common meanings for both terms:

About the Ego

Broadly speaking, these would be the most frequent uses for this concept:

• To refer to the merely egocentric or selfish attitudes or characteristics of a person. That is, to indicate those behaviors or attributes focused exclusively on the individual himself without taking the rest into consideration. This idea of ​​"ego" would be the one that is normally used in the language of everyday life..

• To define the set of ideas and beliefs we have about ourselves. Or put another way, it would be the mental construct or abstraction that makes up our individual identity or personality. In this way, "Ego" and "I" would be synonymous and totally equivalent concepts. This is, without a doubt, the most widespread interpretation from the field of psychology today..

• To refer to a kind of mental instance that controls and governs our thought system without our being aware of it. This conception of the "ego" became very popular, especially from the mental map that psychoanalysis drew, in which the mind was divided into two fundamental differentiated structures (conscious and unconscious) and through which, in turn, the idea of "I" or "Ego" as an indivisible unit was fragmented into three other differentiated instances: on the one hand, the "I", which would take place in the sphere of consciousness; and on the other hand the "Super-ego" and the "It", which would nest in the unconscious. Over time, the concept "ego" would be simplified and would be used to refer exclusively to our "Unconscious I" which, basically, would be the one that would ultimately govern our will. It should also be said that this interpretation of the ego was (and continues to be) well received by many mystical or spiritual interpretations, such as in a good part of the movement "New Age " (which has made it very popular).

On the soul

In the same way as the previous one, below, I will present what I consider to be the two most common meanings for this concept:

• As a symbolic way of expressing a deep and intense feeling, desire or emotion. That is, to refer to all those sensations considered "essential" by the individual, especially those that have to do with honesty, love or passion. Thus, usually when speaking of the "soul" we would do so in an equivalent way to when we use other metaphorical expressions such as "heart" or similar. It is in this sense, without a doubt, when we use this word most frequently.

• In a spiritual sense, to refer to the immaterial part of the person that supposedly makes up the true essence of the human being and that, in some way, gives meaning to our life linking us with divinity and transcending our own earthly existence. It is the meaning that is given to it (yes, with different nuances and approaches) from practically the set of religious traditions of all times.

In this way, once we have seen the different meanings that, today, are used for both words, we can agree without fear of being wrong that both the ego and the soul are terms that do not designate any biological or material substance or element.

Or what is the same, they are concepts that belong to the field of abstraction and, therefore, it is practically impossible to locate them in a specific physical area, beyond stating that as "Mental products" that they are, must be originated exclusively from our brain activity, as well as any of our memories or thoughts (contrary to what, for example, claimed Discards that placed the soul inside the pineal gland).

In this sense, works such as "The soul is in the brain" from the well-known scientific popularizer Eduard Punset would point in this same direction: the set of our thoughts, memories, emotions, perceptions and even our spirituality are the fruit and responsibility of our brain.

Now, this fact by itself does not contradict either of the meanings that we have previously analyzed for both concepts. In fact, especially in the case of the "Ego", it seems quite coherent to consider as valid the natural existence of a sense of "I" in individuals that differentiates them from the rest, in a similar way to which we take for granted the existence of the joy or sadness even though we cannot see, touch or physically locate them. I

Even, on a personal level, the term “ego” does not seem inappropriate at all from the different perspectives based on verisimilitude of the unconscious (Freud, Jung, etc.) and which ultimately imply a greater development of human beings on their way to self-knowledge.

However, beyond its poetic or allegorical use, it does seem to me more problematic to consider the concept of the term "soul" valid from a strictly rational point of view, since when arguing exclusively from a spiritual worldview of life and given the impossibility of its empirical demonstration, is inevitably placed in the realm corresponding to matters of belief or faith. That said, it does not mean in any way that said belief is necessarily false, but simply it is not possible to take it for true from a scientific perspective (at least for now).

Finally and by way of conclusion I would like to point out that the "ego" and the "soul", despite agreeing that it may not be prudent to grant them a "real" status of existence, they point in directions that may be most conducive from the point of view of the development of consciousness. So, I hope with this article to have contributed to separate the map from the territory, clarifying some ideas about concepts that, although they can sometimes confuse us, in some way, can also help us to advance on our path of personal development..