Self is a Network Phenomenon

Buddhist Geeks · Jul 21, 2015 · 19m

We’re joined again by Neuropsychologist and Theravada teacher, Rick Hanson. This time we explore the Buddhist proposition of anatta, or selflessness, from the point of view of neuroscience and the brain. Rick explores whether a self actually exists using the following 4 core attributes of how a self is often defined:

1. It is unified & coherent

2. It is stable & enduring

3. It is independent

4. It is the whole of experience

Looking at current research on how the self manifests in the brain, as what Hanson calls a “network phenomenon”, he deconstructs each of these four attributes, arguing…