The Self Delusion

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The Self Delusion makes the bold claim that our faith in the primacy and indivisibility of the individual is in fact false. On a physical, psychological and cultural level, we are all much more intertwined than we know: - We cannot use our bodies to define our independent existence, because most of our 37.2 trillion cells have such a short lifespan that we are essentially made anew every few weeks - The molecules that make up our bodies have already been component parts of countless other organisms, from ancient plants to dinosaurs - We are more than half non-human, in the form of bacteria and protozoa cells and genes, some of which can influence our moods and even manipulate our behaviour - And we cannot define ourselves by our minds, thoughts and actions, because these mainly originate from other people - the result of memes passing between us, existing before, after and beyond our own lifespans But that doesn't mean we should all simply reject the evolutionary illusion of individualism that has allowed us to succeed as a species. Instead, Tom Oliver makes the compelling argument that we have a better chance of facing some of the big global challenges ahead, such as loneliness, social inequality and environmental damage, if we can start to understand and accept the complex connections between us and see beyond our individualistic mindsets to view our place in the world as it really is.