survival of the fittest适者生存

In The Early Sessions Book 6, regarding the concept of "survival," Seth does not develop it on the level of biological evolution's "survival of the fittest," but instead focuses it on the psychological structure of the "survival personality," its mechanisms of communication with personalities in the physical world, and a critique of the limitations of a survival based solely on the physical ego.

First, Seth clarifies the fundamental difference in psychological balance between the survival personality and the ordinary personality in physical life. In physical life, the individual displays outwardly its "outer face," namely the physically-oriented ego, while the inner psychological reality is hidden beneath it, because the physical ego cannot afford to carry and process these inner realities; its core purpose is only to assist the personality in operating effectively within the physical environment ^[1]. The survival personality, however, exhibits a completely different psychological balance: the outer ego no longer displays outwardly its dominant face, but steps back from its position and coexists equally with the other aspects of the personality ^[1].

Second, Seth explores in depth the unique operational mechanism by which the survival personality communicates with personalities within the physical system. Because the survival personality relies mainly on telepathy for communication, it does not think in words but experiences concepts in a more direct manner, a manner that physically-oriented individuals cannot directly understand ^[2]. Therefore, in order to achieve communication, the survival personality must carry out a psychological "reshuffling," temporarily inserting the ego back into its old dominant position so as to translate and explain concepts into terms that the physical personality can receive and understand ^[2]. This reassembly of the ego produces a certain disorientation in the survival personality, similar to the psychological reorganization that the ego undergoes when a physical individual dreams. In this process, the inner self of the survival personality transmits concepts to this reassembled ego, in the same way that the subconscious transmits concepts to the ego in physical existence ^[2].

Finally, Seth severely criticizes the narrow view of "survival" based solely on the survival of the physical ego. He points out that those events and experiences forgotten or ignored by the physical ego actually continue to influence the individual's activities; otherwise physical survival would be extremely brief ^[1]. If a survival were built only upon the survival of the physically-oriented ego, then such a survival would be "as shallow as a paper silhouette," and even a "false survival" ^[1]. The physical ego mistakenly believes that it represents the whole of psychological identity, but this is only an illusion; it contains only a portion of the sense of identity, while those feelings, sensations, and memories of which it knows nothing are the foundation that builds the individual's psychological identity and brings a sense of continuity. The intimate knowledge of one's own identity exists in all parts of the self and never depends on the survival of the physical ego ^[1].

In summary, the discussion of "survival" at this stage of the book centers on deconstructing the uniqueness of the physical ego, pointing out that the true survival personality transcends the limitations of the physical ego and maintains communication with the physical world through a special mechanism of psychological reorganization ^[2][1].

In The Nature of Personal Reality, Seth reveals the true dimensions of life's survival and growth through his exposition of "value fulfillment" and "biological essence." First, regarding the definition of growth, Seth denies mere expansion in physical space. In the camouflage physical universe in which human beings dwell, growth usually involves occupying more space and projection in time; but in the inner universe of reality, what corresponds to this kind of growth is "value fulfillment" or "quality expansion" ^[1]. This inner growth implies neither any expansion in space nor any projection in time; it is the deepening and realization of life in quality and value ^[1]. Second, true survival and integrity require the individual to fully affirm their own biological essence and capacity for action. If an individual, like Tining, makes no effort in the face of their own situation and instead tries to find someone else to face it on their behalf, they will continually reinforce their own sense of powerlessness ^[2]. Seth points out that this denial of the capacity for action is "one of the most serious abdications of both the psyche and the biological essence," and will make a person feel more trapped than an animal in a terrible situation ^[2]. When this inner power is suppressed and transferred to external others or external sources, the individual falls into superstition and fear of external forces (such as long-distance hypnosis, demonic forces, and so on), and prayer at such times is merely a weak surrender to evil forces rather than a true belief in the good ^[2]. Seth emphasizes that whether one is superstitious about external evil forces or blindly convinced that taking vitamins can save one from disease, as long as one assigns the components of one's own experience to external sources, one is essentially giving up one's own power ^[2]. Therefore, true survival and biological integrity require the individual to stop attributing experience to the outside, to affirm their own individuality, and to take responsibility for their own actions ^[2].

In The "Unknown" Reality Vol 1, Seth expounds a view of survival and fulfillment that transcends traditional mechanical competition, through the survival states of different species, the neurological equipment of the body, and the guidance of consciousness over biological experience.

First, Seth points out that true survival and reproduction are not based on cruel competition, but on cooperation and mutual assistance within and between species. Taking dolphins as an example, they display a strong sense of personal loyalty and intimate family patterns, and possess highly developed individual and group recognition and social behavior. In other words, "they cooperate with one another" ^[1]. This cooperation is not limited to members of the same species; dolphins also make special efforts to help other species ^[1]. This cross-species assistance and cooperation powerfully reveals the inner connection and love among living beings.

Second, Seth proposes the view of the "greatest fulfillment" of species. He points out that the physical universe actually becomes a threshold of probabilities, and "all probable species find their greatest fulfillment within that system" ^[1]. In this system, there is no single, exclusive standard of survival; rather, each species is neurologically attuned to its own reality and its own "time" ^[1]. For example, in other probabilities, aquatic mammals are dominant, and they even "farm" in a manner similar to human marine aquaculture ^[1]. This shows that the success of life lies in the subjective value fulfillment of its unique probabilities, rather than in winning out in a single-dimensional mechanical competition.

Furthermore, from a biological perspective, the body itself is innately equipped with extremely rich neurological responses that transcend ordinary understanding. Seth mentions that the human body is "innately equipped with neurological responses" that seem biologically invisible to human beings, and what directs these neurological cognitions is the individual's "consciousness and beliefs" ^[1]. At the depth of biological equipment, human beings are in fact biologically "equipped to handle different sequences of time while still being able to manipulate within a particular time framework" ^[2]. This multidimensional biological sense of integrity and equipment enables life to experience reality beyond a single timeline.

Finally, Seth explores the conflict between this innate biological freedom and acquired conditioning. At birth, before structural learning has begun, human beings are far freer neurologically and perceptually, and can even bring the individual worlds both within and outside of time sequences simultaneously; the physical eyes can see the present and the future at once without distinction ^[1]. However, because responses to events outside of time cannot gain the recognition, approval, and action support of adults, infants quickly learn to accept only certain nerve impulses that can bring results, and thus learn specific neurological patterns at a very early age ^[1]. This conditioning process for the sake of adapting to society is often frightening, and children's nightmares often serve as a biological and psychic release, allowing those perceptions outside of time that were buried because they could not be effectively responded to in the face of parental conditioning to surface explosively ^[1].

In summary, the concept of "survival" that Seth presents in this book is by no means Darwinian mechanical competition, but rather emphasizes loving cooperation among species, the greatest value fulfillment within each species' own unique reality, and the body's innate, sound neurological equipment capable of handling multiple time sequences.