The Self Illusion - Likewise Book Reviews
" In The Self Illusion, Bruce Hood makes an incredibly compelling case that the sense of "self" we all have is an illusion built by our brains to more easily make sense of the world around us and our place in it. He approaches just about every topic related to the "self" and attempts to demonstrate by many arguments, metaphors, and neurological/psychological studies why these notions of the self are not what they seem. In doing so, Hood addresses the location of the self, infant development, memories, self control, free will, insanity, criminal behaviour, personality, ego-depletion, societal and group influences, and more topics, giving accounts of each that align with his argument that the "self" is illusory. He gives a strong metaphor of the self: we are not a spider in a spider's web, we are a web without a spider. Each strand represents an influence (biological, memories, external factors, etc.) that pulls the web into the shape that we understand as "us". As external influences act on our web, it moulds, shapes, and responds. Hood writes, "Because we are our brains, which create our sense of self, we have no privileged access to this invisible process from an outsider’s perspective" (294). Our "self" is an illusion built by an inconceivably complex network of interactions in our brain, with other brains, and in response to external stimuli. Because it would be impossible to keep up with all these interactions and still operate effectively as a social animal, our mind simplifies all of these processes into a sense of self. I can imagine one saying, "So what? What if the self is an illusion? I still can't get outside of it." Hood accounts for this as well. "Those who reject the notion of a self in control of destiny, lead sadder, less satisfying lives. Those who embrace the self illusion feel fulfilled and purposeful" (Hood 292). He acknowledges that while it is important to understand the true, illusory nature of the self, this doesn't mean one should (or e"