The False Self

In this chapter, I will examine how the idea of false self is represented in Emerson and Chinese philosophy. In Emerson, the idea of false self is often represented by the following terms such as egotism, individualism and self-willed. His understanding of false self is characterized by three features: living around the welfare and happiness of the individual, living by opinion, and worshiping the results. In Confucianism, the core term to express the concept of false self is petty person (Xiao Ren). Petty person has the following features: hypocrisy of emotions; harm to vitality and loss of true love. In Daoism, the concept of formed mind and mechanical heart is often used to express the idea of false self. The features of false self in Zhuangzi are judgmental mind by using values and restless mind with no peacefulness.