Name: The illusion of consciousness
Uploaded: 2007-04-06T10:33:00Z
Duration: 21 min 34 s
Description: Philosopher Dan Dennett makes a compelling argument that not only don't we understand our own consciousness, but that half the time our brains are actively fooling us.

Philosopher Dan Dennett makes a compelling argument that not only don't we understand our own consciousness, but that half the time our brains are actively fooling us.

The illusion of consciousness

People instinctively trust their own awareness, but our minds are more like clever magicians than reliable narrators. Even when every colored square on a screen changes, most miss it entirely, fooled by their own perception. The brain stitches together a convincing world from sketchy details, suggesting that what feels complete is actually full of gaps. Scientific experiments reveal just how easily consciousness deceives itself—and remind us how little we truly know about our inner lives.