Sam Harris: What is the Illusion of Self?

Where does our experience of self fit in with our experience of consciousness? This is just one of the many topics discussed in this philosophically exploratory episode with esteemed neuroscientist, philosopher, and New York Times bestselling author of five books, Sam Harris.

Key takeaways:
The problem of death and impermanence
Why we still rely on religion
What is freewill?
Consciousness is not the feeling of self
The illusion of self

Show Notes

Where does our experience of self fit in with our experience of consciousness? 

“I can notice a sound, and notice that consciousness is prior to that sound and not reducible to it, not merely identical to it. The fact that I can notice a sound from outside the sound itself, proves to me that I'm not the sound. The sound is an object from the point of view of consciousness, so too with the sense of self.”

This is just one of the many topics discussed in this Into The Magic Shop episode with esteemed neuroscientist, philosopher, and New York Times bestselling author of five books, Sam Harris. 

Why do we still hold onto religious beliefs when we live in the age of science? How much freewill do we actually have given that fundamentally our mere existence is a biochemical process? Why is consciousness such a hard topic to explore? And what is the illusion of self? 

“I'm not saying that people are illusions. And it's not a mystery, really, that I wake up as me in the morning, and I don't wake up as you. It's more the sense that there is a subject, very likely in our heads, which is the actual position from which we experience our experience. And if there is an experience there, well, then that must be appearing in consciousness in some way. Otherwise it couldn't be noticed.”

This is one philosophically exploratory episode that covers a lot of ground, so sit back, open your mind and get ready to head into the magic shop to find out more. 

On today’s podcast:

• The problem of death and impermanence
• Why we still rely on religion
• What is freewill?
• Consciousness is not the feeling of self
• The illusion of self

Links:

• Sam Harris

What is Into the Magic Shop?

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many were overwhelmed with stress, anxiety and depression. While this epidemic of stress has been growing over the past decade, it has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the divisive nature of political discourse. As a result, many people feel disconnected, inauthentic, and unhappy, while questioning the source of their unhappiness when they presumably have “everything”—an absence of compassion, for oneself and others, is often the source of the problem.

Many of us don’t understand the nature of self-compassion nor the power of compassion to improve our lives and alleviate our suffering. By entering the “Magic Shop”, Jim will share his wisdom and introduce a variety of techniques to change the course of one’s life and share his own lessons learned through the exchange of untold stories of his guests. He will interview authors and experts in the fields of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality and religion, as well as individuals with unique points of view. He will also engage his listeners by answering their questions and also at times interview listeners who are willing to share their own stories of challenge and hardship.