Self Illusion
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3.9 • 9 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The Self Illusion is about the science of self—the truth behind the illusion that we all share, that we exist as individuals inside our bodies and are in control of our own thoughts and behaviours. Recent developments in neuroscience tell us that we are a multitude of unconscious mechanisms interpreting the world but largely under the influence of those around us. We are not the individuals we think we are.
The truth, that we are not truly individuals but are instead the product of the collective imagination, may startle many readers who fervently believe that they are in full control of who they are and what they do. Bruce Hood, a world-renowned expert on the brain, reaches deep into our evolutionary past to find out what makes us tick. Next, he shares his own fascinating research about child development and ultimately takes us inside our heads to explain how and why we act the way we do, even in the new frontier of Twitter and Facebook.
The Self Illusion is a highly accessible, often entertaining and ultimately provocative book about the nature of you, yourself and I.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In his fascinating newest, Hood, director of the Cognitive Development Centre at Bristol University, explores the ways in which the human brain tricks itself and uses others to create an identity. But while we are hardwired with the ability to construct a sense of self, Hood argues that it is our environment and the people contained therein that ultimately directs how we do it. The author writes, "People shape themselves to fit other people's perceptions." The definable self, then, is illusory. Using thought experiments, case studies, and research, Hood presents compelling, if sometimes disturbing, arguments. Along the way he touches on the creation and function of memory, free will, the Whitmanesque multitudes contained behind the "I," and the timely topic of digital avatars and Facebook profiles. As complicated as it is to be oneself in the world, Hood's work doesn't make it any easier, but it does make it very interesting. While the notion of the self as illusion might seem disheartening, Hood maintains that our carefully constructed selves are what allow us to continue operating as social animals, "And that, in the end, is a good thing."
Customer Reviews
A must read!
Simple way to better understand your self... Illusion