"The ego is a term used in psychology and philosophy. Its importance as a source for will was stressed by Max Stirner. I know that this has been discussed on the forum, especially by @Gus Lamarch

Tolle looks at the significance of the concept of ego in connection with the 'self'. He suggests that,
'The word "I" embodies the greatest error and deepest truth, depending on how it is used. In conventional usage, it is not only one of the most frequently used words in language (together with the words: "me", "mine", and "myself") but also one of the misleading. In normal everyday usage, "I" embodies the primordial error, a misperception of who you are, an illusory sense of identity.

Tolle looks at the way ego involves formsof identification, including possession, one's own body, beliefs and all aspects of attachments. He says that, 'The ego tends to equate having with being. 'Also, egoism is a way of defending one's own perspective in a shallow way and that this also occurs on a collective level, as the mind-set, " We are right and they are wrong"...'This included the Christian and other groups defence of war.

He looks at the idea of 'going beyond ego', which involves being able to cast aside logic attachments. However, he does stress that going beyond ego is a stage of development after ego is developed as opposed to prior to it as a foundation for development.

I feel that Tolle's ideas are important for thinking about human values and the future. It is not easy to go beyond aspects of ego identification and even though I aspire towards it I am not sure if I could ever come anywhere near to it, and it may be the stage of true self-mastery.

What do you think of the value and limits of the ego in life and human thinking. Is ego a stumbling block in philosophy? To what extent has it led to humanity's downfall and is possible to achieve a vision beyond the perspective of egoism?