The Ego Tunnel

February 9, 2009
Consciousness, mind, brain, self: the relations among these four entities are explored by German cognitive scientist and theoretical philosopher Metzinger, who argues that, in fact, “there is no such thing as a self.” In prose accessible mainly to those schooled in philosophy and science, Metzinger defines the ego as the phenomenal self, which knows the world experientially as it “subjectively appear
to you.” But neuroscientific experiments have demonstrated, among other things, that the unitary sense of self is a subjective representation: for instance, one can be fooled into feeling sensations in a detached artificial arm. So the author argues that the ego is a “tunnel” that bores into reality and limits what you can see, hear, smell and feel. Metzinger tests his theory by ranging over events of the consciousness such as out-of-body experiences, lucid dreaming and free will, and he concludes by probing ethical actions and what a good state of consciousness would look like. Most readers will have difficulty penetrating Metzinger's ideas, and those who do will find little that is genuinely new.

February 15, 2009
For Metzinger (director, Theoretical Philosophy Group, Johannes Gutenberg Univ.; "Being No One") the mind/body dichotomy will never be solved until we admit that our notion of a "self" does not exist. He explains that the self is created by our consciousness to make sense of the physical world. This process is what Metzinger calls the "Ego Tunnel." The Ego Tunnel takes our experiences of the outside world and organizes them for our understanding. Humans developed a notion of a self from this process because we determined that there must be someone who is having these experiences. According to Metzinger, research in neuroscience is finding that our actions, which feel like intentions, may be a product of brain states. These findings have begun to unravel our belief in the self and will in turn lead to a deeper understanding of brain functions and conscious thoughts. Metzinger's intended audience is the lay reader, and he does a superb job of presenting his theory and introducing philosophical issues related to consciousness. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2009
Author of the revolutionary Man a Machine (1747), Julien La Mettrie would marvel that one of his boldest intellectual heirs is now challenging even the mystery of the conscious self. In this groundbreaking analysis, Metzinger interprets consciousness as the control center of a primate brain that acquired immense evolutionary advantages by generating an internal virtual model of external reality. At thenexus of this neurological model stands the self, itself actually a part of the virtual model it integrates. This sophisticated understanding of the brain as an ego machine accounts remarkably well for the lived experience of being someone, a someone who transforms a bombardment of stimuli into a seamless present while still engaging in off-line planning for the future and reflection on the past. But Metzinger warns that this new science of consciousness will raise troubling ethical questions as it moves from explanation to intervention through potent new technologies for enhancing mental abilities and modifying emotional moods. Those daunting questions ensure more than casual interest among readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)