#99 - Colin Deyoung & Adam Safron - Sam Harris is WRONG (the self is real)

Colin Deyoung is a personality psychologist, personality neuroscientist, the creator of the Cybernetic Big Five Personality theory and professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota.

Adam Safron, Ph. D., is a Cognitive Scientist and psychologist who studies the nature of preferences and motivation from mechanistic, developmental, and evolutionary perspectives. Recently, he has proposed a model of embodied agency and free will and is working on a unified mechanistic account of psychedelics.

This conversation delves into the complex nature of the self, exploring its psychological, philosophical, and practical implications. The discussion begins with the distinction between the 'I' and 'me' aspects of self, as articulated by William James, and extends to the illusory nature of self as viewed in Buddhist philosophy. The speakers examine how consciousness functions as a model that shapes our understanding of reality and the self. They also discuss the importance of values in defining identity and the challenges of integrating conflicting goals. The conversation concludes with reflections on the implications of selfhood in the context of artificial intelligence and future developments.

Check out the papers:

https://journals-sagepub-com.dcu.idm.oclc.org/doi/full/10.1177/10888683221083777

Timestamps:

00:00 Exploring the Concept of Self

07:07 The I and the Me: Understanding Selfhood

10:40 Epistemology vs. Ontology: The Nature of Consciousness

18:03 Illusions of Self and Consciousness

22:45 The Role of Consciousness in Action

34:28 Transformations of Self: Continuity and Change

36:36 The Nature of Self and Values

39:12 Core Values and Personality

41:03 Understanding Self Through Values

43:58 The Journey of Self-Discovery

46:32 Integration and Self-Realization

49:22 The Role of Goals in Self-Understanding

54:05 AI, Selfhood, and Alignment

Get full access to Raising the Cross at www.mahonmccann.com/subscribe