Ego-- harmful delusion or pragmatic necessity?

[JuliaL]

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With the increase of an objective world view-- specifically, of a scientific process for arriving at truths-- I'm curious what you guys think about the role of the ego in understanding the world we observe.
Traditionally, ego was tied in with religious ideas about the soul-- essentially, each of us is a soul looking out through the body, which we wear like a garment while engaged in the struggle between good and evil, or which we must subjugate in order to more clearly see and follow the will of a Deity.

These days, ego seems to be more of an instinctive tendency to write a myth of the self: though I know about brain function and its contribution to behaviors, I still see rapists (for example) as evil fucks.  I still see myself as engaged in a struggle between the angel and the devil sitting on my shoulder.


So should I see science as a tool of the self-- a way to get better stuff, to enjoy more health, to add interest to my life?  

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Or should I use science as a kind of razor, using it to identify and destroy those parts of my sense of self which are delusional, or counter-productive?  It seems to me the complete annihilation of the self should give one the most objective power of observation and analysis-- but is this paying too high a price?

Mybold.

Depends on the value you place on objectivity and analysis.

Lots of life persists quite nicely without ego, for example, plants, plankton,
or the large parts of your neural network responsible for acid/base homeostasis and temperature regulation.
AFAIK, they don't spend a lot of time reflecting over this decision.  It was made for them by the chain of events leading to their existence.

If you go null, what's the point?  You'd just be another tree.
BTW, can you clarify what is doing the 'observation' if you are gone?