Explanation and Reflection of Dennett’s Quote

: Effective leader behaviour, Leading change & Innovation, participative leadership & Empowerment
August 27, 2020
: Building Cultural Bridges Inside American Business
August 27, 2020

Explanation and Reflection of Dennett’s Quote

The concept of ‘self’ has been discussion in several fields, especially philosophy because of its importance in understanding the human character. There are several notions, which include the one that stipulates that the realization of self and the need to take care of ‘self’ create selfishness. The question whether ‘self’ can be plural has been in minds of many and thus it creates a situation where this concept can be expounded upon. Dennett’s quote implies that the identification of ‘self’ creates a situation where one desires to nurture the ‘self’. From Dennett’s quote, it is clear that ‘self’ creates a huge desire for it to be satisfied to the extent that it has no space for the satisfaction of other things beyond ‘self’. The recognition of ‘self’ results in the creation of boundaries where all the elements within the ‘self’s’ boundary are favorable to it.

Selfishness arises out of a process where one recognizes their importance above the other members of the society. First, a person realizes that he or she is important because of a certain element. This element creates desires in that person that leads to the classification of the concepts in an individual’s environment. This classification leads to three groups namely neutral, favorable, and non-favorable. The classification creates boundaries where the ‘self’ is comfortable. This boundary creates a distinction between one person and the next hence creating selfishness. However, a unity of self can create harmony between people if the boundaries that protect the needs of an individual are shared. In conclusion, ‘self’ leads to selfishness if the individual focuses self-preservation where all efforts are focused his or her preservation.