21 February

“So just how useful are conscious thoughts? Their function is generally limited to giving people a sense of self-identity. Despite the illusion that our thoughts give us agency and power, they actually arise as by-products of our circumstances and our actions – they are not often the cause of them. We are little more than a bunch of conditioned reflexes labouring under the illusion that we are superior controllers. We do have inner lives, apparently, but to change the way we behave requires interventions that influence our non-conscious self. The will - at least for most people most of the time – is little more than a self-delusional consciousness. At best, we have only a small degree of control over our public self.”