Bruce Hood

It is not the size that matters but how you use it.

People are not random, but rather do things on purpose because they have goals that control their behaviour.

we exist as the reflection of those around us.

other cultures provide a different framework that shapes a different type of self. Even hermits and outcasts from society are defined by their rejection of the principles that the rest of us accept. But whether we are distancing our self from the herd, or ingratiating our self as part of the herd, it is the existence of others that defines who we are.

Knowing that the self is an illusion cannot stop you thinking that it exists and even if you succeed, as Buddha and Hume did, then maybe it is best not to try in the first place. But knowledge is power. Understanding that the self is an illusion will help to reconcile the daily inconsistencies that you may experience in the way you think and behave.

But because all experience is so faithfully simulated, the humans are blissfully unaware of their true fate.

We process the outside world through our nervous system in order to create a model of reality in our brains. And just like The Matrix, not everything is what it seems.

Most of us think that we are not simply our brain. In fact, we are our brains, but the brain itself is surprisingly dependent on the world it processes and, when it comes to generating the self, the role of others is paramount in shaping us.

Our brain constructs models of the external world. It can weave experiences into a coherent story that enables us to interpret and predict what we should do next. Our brain simulates the world in order to survive in it.

We don’t have sufficient information, time or resources to work it all out accurately so we make educated guesses to build our models of reality.