Imprint
- Constable
- Constable
Prose: non-fiction, Popular science
A fascinating examination of how the latest science shows that our individual concept of a self is in fact an illusion.
Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body - the 'me' inside me - is compelling and inescapable. This is how we interact as a social animal and judge each other's actions and deeds. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances. Rather than a single entity, the self is really a constellation of mechanisms and experiences that create the illusion of the internal you.
We only emerge as a product of those around us as part of the different storylines we inhabit from the cot to the grave. It is an ever changing character, created by the brain to provide a coherent interface between the multitude of internal processes and the external world demands that require different selves.
More books by Bruce Hood
Praise for The Self Illusion: Why There is No 'You' Inside Your Head
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Fascinating, timely and important ... Hood's presentation of the science behind our supersense is crystal clear and utterly engaging. - New Scientist
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Wonderful. Illuminating. Full of insight, beauty, and humor. Get to know thyself.
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Startling and engrossing...
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Hood has amassed a mountain of support for his argument, covering brain development through social interaction such as attachment, the importance of social mimicry, the illogicality of free will, on-line and off-line selves and much, much more. - Nature
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a fascinating and beautifully written book. - The Biologist
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