Is the Self an Illusion?

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David Perry: We are social animals, we're socially constructed. A lot of the aspects of who we are really stand and start reflection to those around us. He says there's a lot of variance even with genetically identical individuals. And I explore this to some extent in the book talking about the differences between concepts of self in the Far East and in the West.

Is the person you believe to be the protagonist of your life story real or a fictional character? In other words, is your very self real or is it an illusion? According to psychologist Bruce Hood, the person at the center of your life isn't really there; it's all neurological smoke and mirrors. Sure, you have the sensation that you have a self, and that sensation is real, but the beliefs and ideas that spring from it are not. Learn all about it in this episode in which you'll hear some new material mixed with a rebroadcast of episode four's interview with the author of The Self Illusion, Bruce Hood.

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