Making Sense with Sam Harris

#268 — The Limits of Self-Knowledge

Nov 24, 2021

In this enlightening discussion, Stephen Fleming, a cognitive neuroscience professor at University College London and author of "Know Thyself: The Science of Self-Awareness," delves into the intricacies of self-awareness. They explore the fascinating yet flawed nature of metacognition and how it ties to intelligence. Topics include the challenges of error monitoring, self-deception, and maintaining self-awareness under stress. Fleming sheds light on the neural processes behind our inner dialogues and the crucial role of social interactions in shaping our self-perception.

36:29

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Episode guests

Stephen Fleming

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Exploring Self-Awareness and Metacognition

10min

Understanding Metacognition

10min

The Intricacies of Self-Awareness

12min

Exploring the Nature of Inner Dialogue and Self-Awareness

2min

Sam Harris speaks with Stephen Fleming about the neuroscience of self-awareness. They discuss the nature and limits of metacognition, the relationship between self-knowledge and intelligence, error monitoring, theory of mind, mirror neurons, deception and self-deception, false confidence, probabilistic reasoning, where metacognition fails, cognitive decline, calibrating one’s confidence, and other topics.

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