Methodology to Break Through Our Culture of Narcissism

Reading through the latest Martin Geddes essay —

“Crypto Metaphysics” — London, Wed 12th March

— I was struck by his references to today’s prevailing culture of narcissism as well as his recognition that it is due to people’s reliance on the ego. Geddes assumes that’s because narcissists “lack a true self” (soul, essence). I assume that narcissists don’t lack a true self, but that they are unaware of its existence, being stuck at an early developmental stage —  which I speculate is the age of two, the “terrible two’s,” when the child learns to distinguish between inside and outside, and the two words  “me” and “mine” dominate.

This early stage is then buttressed by our so-called educational system, from pre-kindergarten on through graduate school, where we are taught to (more or less briefly) memorize what’s coming inside from the outside, and to be good, i.e., socially acceptable.  That’s about it!

Forgive me if I over-simplify. Or do I?

Here are three relevant excerpts from his essay:

So here we are, inside a culture of narcissism i.e., where ego completely covers the inner self, so there is no way for the inner self to push through into authentic expression.

This culture is nothing new. Way back in 1971, as a graduate student and teaching fellow in philosophy at Boston University, I stumbled upon a methodology which forces the student to uncover the inner self. And employed it, successfully.

Then, in 1972, I applied for a position at New College of California and was hired over hundreds of other applicants, thanks to the first sentence of my letter of application: “I want to help undo what was done to me.” While there, I employed the same methodology as a teacher, and, not surprisingly, was subsequently fired as “too experimental” for that experimental college.

My (Unusual) Methodology as a Teacher