OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity

The book offers interesting insights into the complex relationship between our social interactions and our sense of self. It convincingly explores how external factors shape our identities. The chapters cover intriguing topics, albeit in a somewhat disorganized manner. The writing style is straightforward and thought-provoking. However, the author's argument that the self is an illusion lacks a convincing conclusion, offering only a set of unconvincing hints. This leaves room for further debate, including the possibility that the concept of the self as an illusion is, in itself, an illusion. Nevertheless, the book provides a valuable perspective on selfhood and encourages readers to question their understanding of the self.

Bruce Hood's The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity is a great book to read for anyone that is interested in learning how we form our "self" identities. Hood chronicles the journey of how our brain develops self from birth and well into adulthood using a psychological and neuroscience approach to verify statements and metaphors to help readers understand complex ideas. This review will give a brief synopsis of the book's overall organization, main point and interesting ideas.Structure:In the prologue Hood briefly introduces themes to be discussed in the book. He writes, "Who we are is a story of our self - a constructed narrative that our brain creates." In the first chapter he delves more deeply into the anatomy of the brain and how the human brain has evolved to allow humans to "coexist in groups". Moreover in chapter two Machiavellian baby, Hood examines how childhood is like the "research and development phase" where the species that spend longer in R&D end up more "sociable". In chapters four through eight, Hood examines how outside influences shape our identity, the things we value, and how we remember. He does through using antidotes of fictional characters like the character Derek's search for identity from the 2001 movie Zoolander and real-life case studies. In the final chapter Hood presents his thesis for book in order to summarize how the brain creates the illusion of self.Thesis:Hood makes the point that the brain creates self in order to make sense of reality. Chapter by chapter he goes through how the concept of self is generated from our experiences through childhood and into adulthood while constantly being shaped by society. "If you think about "I" and the "me" that we usually refer to as self, it provides a focal point to hang experiences together both in the immediate here and now, as well as to join those events over a lifetime." Although every time a memory is remembered it is reshaped by current experience and the self " that is constructed is not necessarily an accurate or consistent version". He concludes that self is merely an illusion in order to make life "purposeful and fulfilled" in order to survive.Interesting Points:One idea I found very interesting in the book was the concept of mirror neurons. Hood cites the work of the Italian neurophysiologist Giacomo Rizzolatti who saw that when a monkey picked up a peanut, neurons fired in the areas of the brain controlling movement. These same neurons fired when the monkey watched the experimenter perform the same action. These mirror neurons give insights into "other people's goals and intentions". Hood notes that since our actions are connected to our minds, by understanding our own minds we know what others are thinking. This interests me because it shows how humans can have empathy towards one another.Secondly, I also found interesting the idea that we have a built in capacity to smile which was proven when babies "who are congenitally both deaf and blind, who have never seen a human face, also start to smile at around 2 months". Smiling has been linked to areas of the brain that are responsible for social behavior. When a person smiles, those around them smile and in turn triggers the corresponding happy "feelings in the emotion centers of our brains that usually associated with this facial expression". I found this fascinating because not only does our brain have ways to adapt and learn about other people, but also we have a built in mechanism to begin the social networking process.Another concept I found very interesting is the "chameleon effect" to describe when we "change in behavior to match others around us". Hood notes that we only mimic those we like, in turn they mimic us in a "synchronized sycophantic symphony of mutual appreciation". This idea is intriguing because if a person does good deeds then they inspire others to do good deeds. However, this also explains mob mentality, in which we conform not because of the "power of the group or peer pressure that shapes our behavior, but rather our desire to be accepted". Sometimes the rule of the mob doesn't always have the best intentions, such as in the Nazi concentration camps.Recommendation:The book is a great read and gives very insightful ideas into why self is created by the brain. Although I am not convinced entirely that self is merely an illusion that the brain creates. Maybe because if this were true then it would mean we are not in control of our lives but constantly being shaped by others. If others were constantly shaping us would we eventually converge into specific ways of thinking? With the advent of the web it's becoming more and more possible to catch glimpses as how others in the world behave and influence these behaviors through selective communication. In conclusion this is a great book to read and I highly recommend this to potential readers.

In his book Bruce Hood argues, that the popular notion of a "coherent self' living inside us is an illusion. He argues that the "self" changes according to the circumstances and our influences. He says, not only is the self a product of others influence on us, but we try and learn to become others.This book also challenges the notion of contra causal Free Will and points out the consequences of belief in it.As has been pointed by many, the realization that both "freedom of the human will" and "a coherent self" are persistent illusions can have real consequences in the way we organize our societies, most importantly in some of the basic assumptions of our criminal justice systems and the realization also leaves no rational/logical basis for human hatred.To a lay man in the field of neuroscience, like me, the book doesn't seem too technical, except in few places. It is also funny and entertaining to read.So, for the reasons stated above , I recommend people to read it.

This is an excellent book and one that was a joy to read. Having a fascination with conscioussness and the idea of 'self', I have read almost everything by Antonio Damasio, Joseph Ledoux and VS Ramachandran et al. Damasio in particular, although clearly a genius, does not make the lightest of reading and it can take many months to wade through his books, sometimes being reduced to reading only a couple of pages at a time.This is much more easy going but crucially, it does not sacrifice scientific explanation for an easy ride. I think Damasio could learn a lot from Hood when it comes to writing style.It is also very pleasing to see a scientist draw philosiphical conclusions from neuroscientific evidence. Although Ramachrandan sticks his neck out somewhat in 'the tell-tale brain', Hood is quite happy to draw the most fundamental philosophical conclusions which is enlightening in itself as it least it reassures you that you are drawing proper inferences from the evidence (at leat that is if you come to the same conclusions).If you plan to read this is a light introduction to the subject or if it is intended as a resume of the current scientific standpoint, it is an excellent resource.

Bonnes remises en question d’idées supportées depuis des années.