Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman Ep82 Re Broadcast "Why Do Your 30 Trillion Cells Feel Like a Self?" Part 1
Dec 29, 2025
Explore the fascinating puzzle of selfhood and continuity in a constantly changing body. The ship of Theseus sparks a debate on identity amidst cellular turnover. Delve into how memories can shift our perception of self, revealing the instability of personal recollections. Consider thought experiments about age in an afterlife and the peculiar End-of-History illusion that leads us to underestimate future changes in beliefs and preferences. Join a journey through the fluid nature of identity and how we navigate our future selves.
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Self As A Continuity Illusion
- Your body and brain continuously replace their parts, making you physically a ship of Theseus.
- Yet cognition creates an illusion of a single continuous self despite the material turnover.
George Washington's Joke Axe
- David Eagleman recalls his father joking that an axe was George Washington's despite many replaced parts.
- The story illustrates how objects (and selves) can feel continuous despite component changes.
Memory Is A Rewriting Process
- Memory ties versions of ourselves across time but is itself unstable and reconstructive.
- Each recall reactivates and reshapes memories, so memory is a story we keep rewriting.