Podcast Summary
The self is an illusion according to Buddhism and some Western philosophers: Buddhism and certain Western philosophers argue that the self is an illusion, with implications for ethics, cognitive science, and our understanding of ourselves.
Learning from this conversation between Sam Harris and Jay Garfield on the Making Sense Podcast is that the self is an illusion. This idea, which is a central tenet of Buddhist philosophy, can be difficult to grasp, even for those who are open to the concept and practice meditation. Jay Garfield, a philosopher with a diverse background in areas such as cognitive science, logic, and Buddhist studies, discusses how he was influenced by Buddhism and its framing of the self as an illusion. He explains that this idea is not unique to Buddhism, as it can also be found in the works of Western philosophers like David Hume. The conversation delves into the implications of this idea for ethics, cognitive science, and our understanding of ourselves as subjects and persons in the world. The discussion offers a cross-cultural perspective on this complex and intriguing philosophical question.
The Self is an Illusion or a Construct: Buddhist philosophy challenges us to distinguish between the self, which is an illusion, and the person, who truly exists.
According to the speaker, the self is an illusion or a construct, and it's essential to distinguish between the self and the person. The speaker, who is a professor of philosophy with a focus on Buddhist philosophy, has spent decades studying Indian and Tibetan Buddhist texts and placing them in conversation with Western philosophy. He emphasizes the importance of engaging with Buddhist ideas in philosophy, particularly when considering questions about the nature of the human person and the existence of a self. He also clarifies that his engagement with Buddhism is primarily academic and philosophical, rather than religious or meditative. The speaker's primary teachers and sources of commentary have been in the Golupa tradition, which is known for its scholarly emphasis, but he also reads broadly in other traditions and lineages. The speaker argues that the self is non-existent and a chimera, but we do exist as persons. He encourages replacing the idea of self-existence with the idea of person-existence.
The self as an illusion: Understand self as part of the world, interdependent, causally conditioned, and embedded in social contexts, not as a separate entity.
The concept of a self as an individual, unchanging entity separate from the body and mind is an illusion. According to the speaker, this illusion is deeply ingrained in our thinking and is present in various philosophical traditions. He suggests that when we consider ourselves as beings, we should instead understand ourselves as part of the world, interdependent, causally conditioned, and embedded in social contexts. The speaker uses a thought experiment to illustrate that we don't consider ourselves identical to our bodies or minds, but rather as something that owns them. He also mentions that philosophical theories about the self are like trying to understand the nature of a mirage. Instead, we should strive to understand ourselves as persons, not as separate entities, for a deeper and richer understanding of human existence.
The Illusion of Inner Self: Understanding the illusion of an inner self can help challenge assumptions and foster a deeper connection with our bodies and the world around us.
Our sense of self as an inner subject, separate from our body and the physical world, is an illusion. Most people experience themselves as conscious beings occupying a body, rather than being fully identified with it. This perspective influences our understanding of free will and our desire for peak experiences where we feel unified with our experiences. However, this illusion of an inner self can also create a sense of detachment from the world, making us feel like spectators rather than active participants. Understanding this illusion can help us challenge our assumptions and foster a deeper connection with our bodies and the world around us. It's an important inquiry as it can lead to a more mindful and engaged way of living.
Understanding the self-illusion: The self-illusion can hinder self-understanding, lead to moral egoism, and cause psychological suffering. However, moving beyond it in flow states can lead to expertise, happiness, and selflessness, a universal solvent for psychological suffering.
The self-illusion, our belief in a permanent, separate self, can hinder our understanding of ourselves and our relationships with others. It can also lead to moral egoism and reactive attitudes like blame and anger. However, when we move beyond this illusion in flow states, we can experience real expertise, happiness, and the absence of psychological suffering. This insight into selflessness is a universal solvent for psychological suffering and is a fundamental aspect of Buddhist soteriology. From both the objective and subjective perspectives, the self-illusion doesn't make sense as there is no truly separate self, but rather we are an expression of the physical universe. The goal is to make this terrain plausible enough for individuals to investigate and potentially experience this absence of self, leading to happier, more effective lives.
Understanding Self and Reality: Interconnected and Interdependent: We are not autonomous beings, but rather, we emerge from and are embedded in both the physical and social universe. Our sense of self is constructed through language and social relations, and our best science does not account for the self as an independent entity.
Our understanding of self and reality is deeply interconnected and interdependent. We are not autonomous beings, but rather, we emerge from and are embedded in both the physical and social universe. Our actions are part of the physics of things and cannot be otherwise. Moreover, our sense of self is constructed through language and social relations. The concept of conventional existence, as referenced in Buddhism, helps clarify this interdependence. Dependent origination, a key Buddhist concept, means that everything occurs in dependence on a vast network of causes and conditions. This interdependence has three dimensions: causal, where effects depend on causes; conditioned, where things arise in dependence on specific conditions; and interconnected, where everything is interconnected and nothing exists independently. Conventional existence is not a second-class reality, but rather, it acknowledges the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. Our best science does not account for the self as an independent entity, but rather, it falls out of the equation as an illusion.
The interconnectedness and interdependence of all things: Everything, from simple events to complex entities, is interconnected and interdependent, shaping each other's existence and identity
Everything around us, from simple events like turning on a light to complex entities like money or people, is interconnected and interdependent in various ways. The causal relationship between events is not linear but a complex web, and entities depend on each other for their existence and identity. For instance, a dollar bill is worth $5 not because of the paper and ink, but because of the conceptual framework and institutions that give it value. Similarly, a person's identity is constructed through the conceptual imputation of their physical and causal connections. Understanding this interdependence helps us appreciate the constructed nature of our own existence without diminishing its reality. As Hume put it, humans are natural artificers, born to make things, and our existence as interdependent artifacts is a fundamental aspect of who we are.
The self is a construct, not an inherent truth: Our perception of self is not fixed or inherent, but rather a complex construct influenced by our beliefs and experiences. It's important to question the assumptions we make about our subjective experiences reflecting objective reality.
Our perception of self is not a fixed, inherent truth, but rather a construct that we have created and continue to believe exists independently. This idea was compared to the concept of money, which only holds value because we collectively agree on its worth. However, there are limitations to this analogy, as some things, like viruses, exist independently of our perception or understanding. The self, on the other hand, is a complex construct with properties such as priority, unity, subject-object duality, and agency. While it may seem undeniable in our lived experience, it's important to be cautious when assuming that our subjective experiences accurately reflect objective reality. The illusion of a fixed self may be just that - an illusion. The conversation so far has effectively highlighted this illusion, but it's time to explore the implications of this perspective further and consider the potential impact on our understanding of self and reality.
The Self as an Illusion: Modern psychology rejects the notion of a separate will and an exemption from causality, emphasizing we're biological organisms in a causally determined world, leading to a more accurate and less alienating self-understanding.
The concept of a self as an independent, free-willing agent is an illusion. This idea, deeply rooted in Western philosophy and theology, particularly in Saint Augustine's concept of free will, has been used to explain human actions and absolve God from responsibility for evil. However, modern psychological theory does not support the existence of a separate will or an exemption from causality. Instead, we are biological organisms in a causally determined world. Recognizing this can help us avoid illegitimate feelings of pride, shame, guilt, and dangerous attributions of blame. It's essential to understand that our perception of self is a complex neurological construction, and we cannot go directly from phenomenology to metaphysics. Embracing this perspective can lead to a more accurate and less alienating understanding of ourselves and others.
The self is a complex, constantly changing phenomenon: The self is not a simple, unchanging entity but a complex part of the causal nexus, and consciousness is the condition that allows us to be aware of objects, including the feeling of self.
The self, as we commonly conceive it, does not exist in the simple and causally exempt way we might think. Instead, our perception of self is a complex, constantly changing phenomenon. It's more accurate to see ourselves as natural organisms in a causal nexus, rather than as isolated, perfect subjects. This perspective challenges the idea of a simple, unchanging self and instead reveals a more complex, interconnected reality. Furthermore, the feeling of being a self is itself an object of consciousness, not the source of consciousness. This means that consciousness, the condition that allows us to be aware of objects, is not limited by the feeling of being a self. By recognizing that everything, including the feeling of self, appears in the condition of consciousness, we can experience a deeper connection to the world around us and move beyond the limiting duality of subject and object.
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