The self as a responding-and responsible-artifact.
The powerful illusion of a unified, Cartesian self responsible for intentional action is contrasted with the biologically sounder model of competitive processes that yield an only partially coherent agency, and the existence of the illusion of self is explained as an evolved feature of communicating agents, capable of responding to requests and queries about their own decisions and actions.
Dennett
Daniel C
DC
Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, USA. ddennett@tufts.edu
D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D003142:Communication; D003243:Consciousness; D004532:Ego; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions; D008606:Mental Processes; D012649:Self Concept