The illusion of the ‘self’ | The Gray Area
Sean Illing talks with neuroscientist Gregory Berns, author of The Self Delusion. Berns claims that the idea of a unified, persistent self is a kind of illusion, and that we are better understood as multiple selves at different moments in time, tied together by a story — which is what we call our identity. Sean and Greg also talk about whether the brain is a computer, how perception works, the limits of thinking too much about thinking, and what psychedelics can do to disrupt and change the stories we tell about ourselves.
This episode originally aired in November of 2022.
Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)
Guest: Gregory Berns (@gberns), author; professor of psychology and distinguished professor of neuroeconomics, Emory University
00:00 Intro
06:34 The story we tell ourselves
10:38 The mystery of consciousness
17:32 Psychedelics and the self
25:49 We are constantly changing, even on a cellular level
34:54 Is the brain really like a computer?
39:41 How other people shape the stories we tell ourselves
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@byteme911
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Podcast really? C'mon man.
@selfdevpsychology2459
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Eckhart Tolle Collab when?
@wilburh2m
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
The mind/body connection is so deep and integrated, no philosophy can describe it in totality because of the limits of words themselves. Our brains merged with bodies are powerfully metaphysical, and if one core awareness is developed into all humans at the beginnings of brain development, it is raw undefined uncategorized EMPATHY – the simplest observation of another living object of any type existing as you exist, from the void of nothingness. Everything extending from that raw awareness is social contruct embued upon us, for better or worse. Psychedelics are very useful in loosening those social constructs and allowing the mind/body interplay to flow more freely and this is where psychological therapy can play an important role in healing.
@sakshambhadoria9998
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
What's the life purpose?
The ability to gel and connect better with self. It leads to increased well being and synergy in life.
@damagedcortex1415
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
I mean, no. It’s immaterial yes but immaterial things aren’t “not real”
@surendramohan6666
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Instead of lecturing on extempore way., better you take the great phylosophy, phylosophers theories and dissect them and compare them with each other. Then you can put up your finer and intelligent logic you want to put in properly.
There is large difference between Eastern thinkers thought and western ones.
You try to understand what the eastern thinkers said about i, thousands of years back.
Without foucussung on whole thing you can not come to conclusions by reading one theory , whether it's your westren or Greek,nd Roman thought.
Then it wud be useful.
Dont forget to take profound commentaries of every religious phylosophers who established their schools of thought .
Then you can do better
@cristianpuerto5549
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
6:47 why is a random/uncertain world scary?
29:21 being anxious & reframing
@Jocelyn-k1s2h
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
"Know thyself" and "I know I know nothing." Both Socrates ……
@Movielee3
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
3 ancient words. Avijja, anicca, and anatta.
@helloInternets
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Hume, Buddhism, and modern cognitive science all agree that the contiguous self is an illusion.
I have yet to reconcile my politics and ethics that value agency and limiting coercion, with a determinist world that denies autonomy's very existence.
I'll do that next weekend when I have free time surely.
@skysands5743
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
I appreciate this channel for the information given, thank you, the news is a headache at the moment
@izenkixiron5173
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Before I watch this, I expect two people to be mentioned in this video:
* the Buddha
* Derek Parfit
@noahcollin9532
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
"Know thyself" and "I know I know nothing." Both Socrates
@Classic_Dank
July 27, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Nice
Comments are closed.