Sam Harris and Roger Penrose discuss the mysteries of consciousness and selfhood.
Is the Self merely an illusion?
With a free trial, you can watch the full debate NOW at https://iai.tv/video/the-divided-self-sam-harris-roger-penrose?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
Many have sought to divide the self into separate parts. From Aristotle's distinction between the rational and irrational self to Freud's separation of the conscious and unconscious mind, from Kahneman's fast and slow self to McGilchrist's selves of the left and right brain. But critics argue it makes no sense to see the self as divided. From Descartes to Sartre, many philosophers have concluded that to be conscious is to be conscious of something and there can be no further self hiding within consciousness. After all, if there are two aspects of the self does it not require a third to oversee or combine them? Meanwhile, neuroscience has been unable to identify a self at all let alone multiple selves.
Should we give up the idea of distinct selves as simply incoherent? Should we conclude that a single self is necessary to account for conscious experience and to enable responsibility for action? Or are multiple selves a better way to explain the wildly divergent thoughts and contradictory behaviours that we can sometimes exhibit?
#consciousness #samharris #rogerpenrose
Joining us live from the US via Zoom, neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris, Nobel Prize winner Roger Penrose and director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience Sophie Scott discuss whether the self is divided.
The Institute of Art and Ideas features videos and articles from cutting edge thinkers discussing the ideas that are shaping the world, from metaphysics to string theory, technology to democracy, aesthetics to genetics. Subscribe today! https://iai.tv/subscribe?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=https://iai.tv/video/the-divided-self-sam-harris-roger-penrose
00:00 Introduction
00:33 Sam Harris on the illusion of Self
03:45 Roger Penrose on quantum mechanics and consciousness
For debates and talks: https://iai.tv
For articles: https://iai.tv/articles
For courses: https://iai.tv/iai-academy/courses