Ego

The idea that the structure of the "ego" is a device to focus attention on a physical form is fascinating.

In a sense the idea is echoed in Hofstadter's "I am a strange loop", in which a conscious being is hypothesized to be constructed by layers upon layers of self-reflection.

Being overly attuned to the self, the ego has a bad rep for narcissistic tendencies. But the structure itself serves the purpose of an anchor.

The artificial separation of the "self" and the "other" is a fascinating topic. I wonder whether different disciplines can advance enough that they meet in the middle somewhere and we might be able to crack the code somehow.