“Just Be Yourself” is a Stupid Advice | just be yourself
Oneofthecontemporaryintellectualsuperstars,aneuroscientistandaphilosopher,SamHarris,arguesinhisblog[1](andinavideo[2])thattheselfisanillusion—anideathatisevidentlynotthatoriginal,asEasternreligionslikeBuddhismandTaoismhavebeenpreachingsimilarideasforcenturies.However,Sam’sargumentsaregroundedinneuroscience,whichisfascinatingonacompletelynewlevel.Hesaid,“Forme,anillusionisasubjectiveexperiencethatisnotwhatitseems.Illusionsareexperiencesinthemind,buttheyarenotoutthereinnature.Rather,theyareeve...
One of the contemporary intellectual superstars, a neuroscientist and a philosopher, Sam Harris, argues in his blog[1] (and in a video[2]) that the self is an illusion — an idea that is evidently not that original, as Eastern religions like Buddhism and Taoism have been preaching similar ideas for centuries. However, Sam’s arguments are grounded in neuroscience, which is fascinating on a completely new level.
He said,
“For me, an illusion is a subjective experience that is not what it seems. Illusions are experiences in the mind, but they are not out there in nature. Rather, they are events generated by the brain. Most of us have an experience of a self. I certainly have one, and I do not doubt that others do as well — an autonomous individual with a coherent identity and sense of free will. But that experience is an illusion — it...