"How things seem is not how things are. For most of us, most of the time, it
seems as though the self is an enduring and unified entity, an essence, a unique
identity: the recipient of wave-upon-wave of perceptions, and
decision-maker-in-chief about what to do next. We sense, we think, we act. This
is how things seem. How things are is very different. The story emerging from a
rich blend of philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience is that the self is not
'that which does the perceiving'. Instead, the self is a perception too. Or
rather, it is a collection of related perceptions. Experiences of the world, and
of the self, are created by the brain following a common principle -- a
principle of 'best guessing', or what we might call 'controlled
hallucination'."
Neuroscientist Anil Seth shares more in this compelling piece.
