Thank you for your hard work in discerning this wisdom. This has been something I have mulled over many times (very poorly and not nearly as eloquently as you have developed the idea here). I feel like the concept of the observer should be a no brainer, Freud's id ego and super ego popped into my head while typing this up which is not a perfect parallel, but the concept of "the one who floats above and can pry and dig into every crevice of your brain" type persona clicked and I have definitely struggled with feeling like I had to be this way. It is absolutely pervasive in western culture, people not realizing they are living someone else's dream and then dying is kinda par for the course rn.
No critics to your piece! It’s extremely well and made me think. Just wondering, where do you think the line is for simply wanting to appreciate and remember life as it is? This is mainly in regards to when you discuss how “it substitutes the representation of experience for experience itself.” This may be me misinterpreting but I feel the False Observer is present simply in a journal of some sorts, as the writer is placing their narrative of an event, whether true or untrue onto paper, even if the chances of someone actually reading it are little to nothing. Would that be an example of the False Observer or a way of capturing life? I suppose it could also depend on the person, just wondering your view as that’s what this essay has really prompted me to think about.
Great insights! If you haven’t looked at already, I think Michel Foucault’s writing on the Panopticon/Panopticism applies to this heavily
I think you’re pointing at the exact distinction the framework is trying to make. Journaling, memory, reflection, photography, storytelling, even self-observation are all deeply human and often healthy. The issue is not representation itself. The issue is when representation becomes dominant enough that it starts replacing direct participation in life altogether. A journal can absolutely be a way of metabolizing and deepening experience rather than escaping it. The key distinction for me is whether reflection returns you more fully to life, presence, and encounter or whether it increasingly pulls you away from them into continuous self-rendering and self-management instead. And yes, Foucault’s work on Panopticism definitely overlaps with some of the social scaling aspects of the framework.
Unbelievably incredible work! Love that sentence on how reality without documentation feels 'incomplete' for so many now- so terrifyingly true. Since I've permanently deleted social media, I've found the false observer disappearing at an astounding rate. It takes persistence. Going on walks with no phone, no nothing, is a great way for people to start, I reckon. Feels very fucking liberating.
Thank you for your hard work in discerning this wisdom. This has been something I have mulled over many times (very poorly and not nearly as eloquently as you have developed the idea here). I feel like the concept of the observer should be a no brainer, Freud's id ego and super ego popped into my head while typing this up which is not a perfect parallel, but the concept of "the one who floats above and can pry and dig into every crevice of your brain" type persona clicked and I have definitely struggled with feeling like I had to be this way. It is absolutely pervasive in western culture, people not realizing they are living someone else's dream and then dying is kinda par for the course rn.
No critics to your piece! It’s extremely well and made me think. Just wondering, where do you think the line is for simply wanting to appreciate and remember life as it is? This is mainly in regards to when you discuss how “it substitutes the representation of experience for experience itself.” This may be me misinterpreting but I feel the False Observer is present simply in a journal of some sorts, as the writer is placing their narrative of an event, whether true or untrue onto paper, even if the chances of someone actually reading it are little to nothing. Would that be an example of the False Observer or a way of capturing life? I suppose it could also depend on the person, just wondering your view as that’s what this essay has really prompted me to think about.
Great insights! If you haven’t looked at already, I think Michel Foucault’s writing on the Panopticon/Panopticism applies to this heavily
I think you’re pointing at the exact distinction the framework is trying to make. Journaling, memory, reflection, photography, storytelling, even self-observation are all deeply human and often healthy. The issue is not representation itself. The issue is when representation becomes dominant enough that it starts replacing direct participation in life altogether. A journal can absolutely be a way of metabolizing and deepening experience rather than escaping it. The key distinction for me is whether reflection returns you more fully to life, presence, and encounter or whether it increasingly pulls you away from them into continuous self-rendering and self-management instead. And yes, Foucault’s work on Panopticism definitely overlaps with some of the social scaling aspects of the framework.
Unbelievably incredible work! Love that sentence on how reality without documentation feels 'incomplete' for so many now- so terrifyingly true. Since I've permanently deleted social media, I've found the false observer disappearing at an astounding rate. It takes persistence. Going on walks with no phone, no nothing, is a great way for people to start, I reckon. Feels very fucking liberating.
I feel sooo seen whenever I hear / read anything from you🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻