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Related Experiment Videos

The self as a responding-and responsible-artifact.

Daniel C Dennett1

  • 1Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA. ddennett@tufts.edu

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|November 20, 2003
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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The study contrasts the illusion of a unified self with a biological model of competitive processes. This illusion of self is an evolved feature for communicating agents to explain their actions.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Mind
  • Evolutionary Psychology

Background:

  • The traditional view posits a unified, Cartesian self as the driver of intentional action.
  • This concept faces challenges from neurobiological evidence suggesting distributed processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To contrast the Cartesian self with a biologically plausible model of agency.
  • To explain the 'illusion of self' as an adaptive trait in communicating agents.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis integrating neuroscience and philosophy.
  • Examination of agency through the lens of competitive neural processes.

Main Results:

  • Agency arises from partially coherent, competitive processes rather than a unified self.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The illusion of self is an evolved mechanism for communication and accountability.

    • Conclusions:

    • The unified self is a powerful illusion, not a biological reality.
    • Understanding agency requires considering evolved communicative functions.