The Ego Trick

Mind blowing. Unless yours already is a Zen mind, perhaps. I suspect Julian Baggini has revealed an intellectual pathway to a state of mind that you might otherwise reach purely through months, years or maybe decades of mindful meditation. He quickly clears a path through a jungle of philosophical, psychological, theological, biological, neurological and logical entanglements and leads you into a magical meadow where the cool breeze blows over the brooks under a bright sky and your `you' just dissolves. And then he vanishes leaving you gasping but grinning ear to ear. Where was he hiding all these years anyway, I wonder.Just in case you find what 'The Ego Trick' doles out a little difficult to digest emotionally (not intellectually) maybe this will help: Swami Vivekananda once said "You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita" and he explained that "You will understand the Gita better with your biceps, your muscles, a little stronger." (He was referring to futbol/soccer, of course.) I would venture to suggest that you will digest Baggini better with your brain, your mind, a little massaged through some mindful meditation training.

This is an excellent primer on a complicated subject put in plain english. Baggini knows his stuff and leads the reader carefully through the maze that is the theory of identity.

This is a very good book. The author takes a philosophical approach rather than a neuroscience view that a lot of recent books have taken. What results is an immensely thoughtful book. This is a very difficult subject and one that I struggle with but after having read this book I certainly feel more informed if not satisfied.The author discusses ideas and interviews with philosophers, scientists, multiple personalites, transgenders, and others and mixes it all up with his own viewpoint to argue rather persuasively that the self is not what it seems - the singular unifying core that remains relatively unchanged in each individual.Highly recommended.

I bought this book primarily because Tom Hiddleston spoke so highly of it during an interview a few weeks ago, though I should add that the content did sound very interesting on its own merits. Not only was I quite impressed with the insights this book had to offer, I even found myself taking notes and marking passages - something which, previously, I had only done somewhat begrudgingly for university courses. It has a flow which makes it easy to follow, and a pull which actually makes it quite difficult to put down. I definitely would recommend this to anyone interested in matters of philosophy and what it means to refer to one's sense of self.

We are not the same person in old age as we were in middle age, as young adults, and when we were born. This excellent book helps explain why, and other reviewers go into the specifics of the subjects described therein. It is a depressing book if you like to think there is a soul that somehow vanishes into the ether after death, and remains whole, perhaps to reincarnate into another being, but those details are up to whatever religious beliefs you hold. This is an empiric approach to who we are. The present is what we are, and that is what counts.

Book had a little bit of writing in it and the book did not interest me.

I have rated this with 5-STARS not because I love it - I hate it. It is just TRUE. I have had to re-adjust my beliefs as to who or what I am. But I wanted to know what is real. If you also want to know, read this book despite the fact that you will be sorry. It doesn't take readers through all that is. It just examiners various philosophical opinions of personal identity. I found this to be very unsettling.

What a wonderfully easy read and comprehension of the complex subject of being human. The self is indeed an ego trick as Baggini says, for it is nowhere to be found and yet it is all of me, and you, an us, and it...Baggini has the fortunate gift of conceptualising and explaining what used to be gobble de gooked by philosophy and psychology about the self, or selves.I much appreciate this man..s workDr ted ToddAustralia

Oh ye gods I had to read this as part of Uni course. Up until page 90 its full of pompous pontification, then he finally gets to the point and it starts making sense. Thereon its a beautiful enlightening book. But I have to be honest up to page 90 I was ready to throw the book at the wall or use it for a sleep aid.

The centre piece of this book is that the illusion of a singular consciousness within the human mind is caused by a bundle of different elements projected together, a bit like white light being composed of many different colours.The book indicates the evidence for this theory and its implications.Superstitious views such as the existence of a soul or there being a point in the mind where consciousness dwells are rebutted by various examples of practical evidence.Later in the book, the author offers hope for those thinking these conclusions may be depressing - if we are not the same person who we were when we were children, then we are surely not the same people who will later in life die.

If you've ever wondered about what the self is, then The Ego Trick is an accessible and thorough introduction.Julian Baggini approaches the subject as a philosopher, but draws on ideas from a wide variety of places, from neuroscience to Buddhism. He interviews people whose sense of self has changed dramatically for a variety of reasons and recounts the experiences of those who have suffered various kinds of brain injury that affected their sense of self. He also discusses the idea of self with philosophers of many contrary viewpoints.Each of these intriguing insights leads us closer to understanding the idea of self. It is as if each discussion is a small piece of the puzzle, either giving us one aspect of the self, or showing what the self can't be, in both cases forming a more complete picture. This is not a book which simply states its opinion and preaches it until you wearily submit. There's a real investigation and discovery. The "bundle theory" that is the book's eventual explanation of the self emerges from these disparate ideas which seem to have only grasped small aspects of the whole self.Like myself, many people will find the book challenging to their pre-conceived ideas of self, which is exactly why they should read it. The discoveries I made while reading it were often unsettling at first. For example, the tendency for people to apparently change their selves in different situations. When given due consideration, however, this made me feel more understanding towards people whose selves seem quite different from my own.Those who've read Julian Baggini's other books will be familiar with his highly-readable and non-technical style. The Ego Trick is more in-depth and more thoroughly researched than his previous work and is so demands more concentration. That said, this isn't a book aimed at philosophy geeks, but at anyone with an enquiring mind. If anything, I'd say it could've gone into more detail, but this balance is always a fine one.In conclusion, this is an excellent and amazingly-accessible discussion of the self that encourages non-philosophers to understand what is a pretty complex topic.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a difficult subject which stretches across several disciplines and traditions and the author has succeeded in bringing the most important people and points together. He pays attention to the common sense view about the self, what it feels like to be oneself. He looks at the traditional Christian view of the soul, as well as the Buddhist views. He also presents arguments and views from the history of ideas, from philosophy of mind. But then he also looks at psychology and brain science. He does not merely consult the literature, but has corresponded and/or interviewed many prominent scholars and not only those with whom he might agree. The book does provide an answer and does not just present competing viewpoints, but the answer does not close the conversation. In fact, it opens many future possibilities for thought and research. He provides a good bibliography to support his research and provides opportunity for further reading. The author makes it clear that the view of the self as an inner essence, or a soul within the body (the pearl view), is not persuasive anymore. The current view of the self as a combination, a construction is favoured, the so-called bundle view. I strongly recommend it as an introduction.

I may have given this book 5 stars because I agree with 99% of the conclusions it comes to about the existence or not of the "self". But I probably agree with everything in "On Being" too, but "On Being" is unreadable and smug whereas this book is readable and, if not exactly humble, at least with a decent modesty.I liked the reflections on "personhood" rather than "humanness".The last chapter on the future of the self was eye opening. And I had not thought hard about the difference between "human" and "humane" until I read that chapter.