The Self Illusion cover art

The Self Illusion

Why There Is No "You" Inside Your Head

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The Self Illusion

By: Bruce Hood
Narrated by: Bruce Hood
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About this listen

The Self Illusion provides 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 is compelling and inescapable. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances.

©2012 Bruce Hood (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Inspiring Thought-Provoking Mental Health Human Brain

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Critic reviews

“Fascinating, timely and important ... Hood's presentation of the science behind our supersense is crystal clear and utterly engaging” ( New Scientist)
“Wonderful. Illuminating. Full of insight, beauty, and humor. Get to know thyself” (David Eagleman, author of Sum)
“Startling and engrossing” (Robin Ince)
All stars
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Not as I had expected however I found it interesting and well presented overall so did stick with it until the end. I liked it gave examples and explained each concept although I don't whole heartedly agree with them all it did give me food for thought and broader thinking which is a win in itself. I would recommend this book as it's a good piece for consideration and worth more than one listen to perhaps fully appreciate it

Informative and well presented

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beautifully read by the author, very interesting concepts about our self-illusions which will be helpful in everyday life and give us a greater understanding of human psychology.

fascinating

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A couple of times at the beginning of this book I found it a little bit dull but it steadily got much more interesting definitely worth a read.

it starts slow

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Utterly fascinating and educational in understanding and learning of the self and it's impact on self awareness of the mind and what it is like to be alive in an interesting epoc in human history. Exceptionally narrated by the author, it is easy to listen to and very well read. Will be going back to listen to this again to refresh what I have learned.

Beautifully read and utterly fascinating!

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Well narrated & great content. Gives great insight into how the mind works. Highly recommend this book/audio book.

Really good listen

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It explores a theme that I have been interested in, and have read a few books of this genre (most notably books like 'Sapiens', 'Predictably Irrational' and 'Thinking, Fast and Slow'). This book dives straight in to the latest scientific thinking on what constitutes an individual’s ‘self’ and shares research and experiments by the foremost experts in this field. While I have read many of the examples narrated here in other books, the author strings them together in a coherent way to make the passages stimulating.

The book is filled with insights and, in equal measure, imponderables. For anyone who likes to question the mysteries of the universe and the meaning of life, this is a great place to start. It is packed with powerful statements (which are then explored in detail) such as this quote by Isaac Bashevis Singer: “We must believe in free will. We have no choice.”
Or this one: “I am not who you think I am or who I think I am. I am who I think you think I am.”
Or indeed this one: “Our identity is the sum of our memories, but it turns out that memories are fluid, modified by context and sometimes simply confabulated. This means we cannot trust them, and our sense of self is compromised. Note how this leaves us with a glaring paradox—without a sense of self, memories have no meaning, and yet the self is a product of our memories.”

A profound book on a complex topic

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Perfect bedtime book. Better than counting sheep. Could work indefinitely but there must be others to try.

Cures insomnia.

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The narrator spoke clearly and at a pace that can be easily followed,the points and samples he mentions leave you in no doubt.After listening to this narrator over and over gives you new insight every time to me an e-book very hard to put down..

Wonderful and refreshing

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It was an interesting book. It had a lot of information I didn't know yet. I'm not new to to this topic, but I still learned a lot. I'd recommend this book to any open-minded individual, as it would probably be to much for people with closed mindset.

Enlightening

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It took me a while to complete this audio book but that was mainly because I had to concentrate quite hard to absorb some of the details and repeat the occasional chapter.
That said, the chapters were short and succinct on the whole and the content was really interesting.

Fascinating insight into how we tick

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