Self-awareness early philosophical discussion of self-awareness is that of John Locke. Locke was apparently influenced by René Descartes' statement normally translated 'I think, therefore I am' ("Cogito ergo sum"). In chapter XXVII "On Identity and Diversity" of Locke's "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" (1689) he conceptualized consciousness as the repeated self-identification of oneself through which moral responsibility could be attributed to the subject—and therefore punishment and guiltiness justified, as critics such as Nietzsche would point out, affirming "...the psychology of conscience is not 'the voice of God in man'; it is the instinct of cruelty ... expressed, for the first time,
Ergo Proxy to steal the spotlight from Vincent. This gave them the opportunity to split the narrative between the two characters instead of having a single protagonist lead the story. In Japan, "Ergo Proxy" aired on pay-TV satellite broadcasting network WOWOW from 25 February 2006, concluding on August 12, 2006. "Ergo Proxy" was then released by Geneon Entertainment onto nine DVD volumes from May 25, 2006 to January 25, 2007. The series was licensed by Geneon Entertainment USA for Region 1 release, which began on November 21, 2006 and spanned six volumes. The English dub of "Ergo Proxy" premiered on Fuse TV