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The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self Paperback – 27 Jul 2010

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Thomas Metzinger (Author)
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Thomas Metzinger (Author)
4 out of 5 stars 14 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Basic Books; First Trade Paper Edition edition (27 July 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0465020690
  • ISBN-13: 978-0465020690
  • Product Dimensions: 14 x 1.9 x 21 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 125,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'A leading figure in 'conciousness studies' here offers a scintillatingly unusual work of neuroscientifically informed philosophy... Metzinger writes with urgent curiosity, refreshing parts that other philosophers of mind don't ordinarily reach.'
--The Guardian

About the Author

Thomas Metzinger is former Chairman of the Philosophy Department at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, where he now directs the Theoretical Philosophy Group. He presented the prestigious Foerster Lecture in 2004 at the University of California, Berkeley. His previous book, Being No One: A Self Model Theory of Subjectivity, was celebrated as "a milestone of modern philosophy of mind" by the US journal Philosophy of Science.

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA work of science and philosophy that is both profound and 'spiritual'
By C. Collins on 8 Mar. 2011
Format: Paperback
'Profound' is a much overused word but, with reference to Thomas Metzinger's book, 'The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self', it is wholly appropriate. This is a book that extends far below the surface of things, beyond the external and the superficial, that penetrates to the depth of our being and which touches, as a result, on the very things that many people hold to be the essence of what it is to be 'human'. Metzinger, in fact, does far more than merely touch on such things - he reaches right inside your guts, up to his shoulder and beyond, and roots about as though he's trying to turn you inside out; undoubtedly, many people won't appreciate having many of their most sacred notions challenged in quite this forceful a manner but this book encompasses both the sacred *and* the profane without being, I hasten to add, in the least bit contemptuous of those religious ideas, or mores, that it might appear to render utterly obsolete. If you're fired-up by the idea of discovering just how fantastically, mind-bogglingly, counter-intuitive reality 'really' is - or probably is - then this book is most certainly for you.

Metzinger succeeds, in my opinion, in two key respects: Firstly, in showing why the broad sweep of his own thinking, with regards to the reductionist 'science of mind', is most certainly both reasonable and plausible - given the evidence in front of us - and even quite probable. Secondly, he succeeds, brilliantly, in identifying and clarifying many of the implications, or perceived implications, of that thinking, should it turn out to be, in its essence, correct. For example, Metzinger writes (p.130):

"If one takes the scientific worldview seriously, no such things as goals exist, and there is nobody who selects or specifies an action.Read more ›
1 Comment 15 of 16 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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5.0 out of 5 starsIf I spoke about these ideas in public, they will throw a net over me!
By Moises Pittounikos on 17 Nov. 2012
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I really enjoyed The Ego Tunnel and you can tell that Thomas Metzinger is a highly gifted and very imaginative 'neurophilosopher' (whatever that is). This book is a summary of his magnum opus, Being No One: The Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity, also highly recommended. However, because it is a long summary, the first part of The Ego Tunnel feels somewhat chopped down, like a pamphlet, for the general reader and the final part goes sci fi, with robots, singularities and watered-down Brave New World ethical dilemas that are not a patch on Aldous Huxley's little dialogue at the end of his masterpiece... You can forgive me for loosing interest towards the end then.

Metzinger's copernican revolution in thought (he doesn't compare himself to Copernicus, though he probably thinks he's a later day revolutionary) is predicated on the rubber hand illusion and its cousin, the hyped-up out of body illusion. You can see both illusions on You Tube.

For the uninitiated, both illusion are impressive but if you open any psychology text book, there are pages upon pages of illusions and party tricks, like the picture that looks like a duck and a rabbit at once, or the image that can either be a young lady or an old women. These days, people are putting impressive optical illusions on Facebook all the time and persective illusion have been known for years. So these illusions are well known but no one is going to build an ontology on a party trick, which, if we are honest, is what the rubber hand illusion is. So keep this in mind when reading this still readable book.

Ego Tunnel worth buying because it is up to date on consciousness research and Metzinger is smart and you will benefit from what he says.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsIsn't it about time we started living our lives truthfully?
By The Colonel on 5 Oct. 2009
Format: Hardcover
The self is a myth. Your brain is effectively an onboard computer creating a 'transparent' real time virtual reality of it's environment. Consciousness is the binding of various parallel brain processes. The self is actually the brain's plastic model itself, not an external non-physical entity. There is not doubt that these are big claims. Metzinger is primarily a philosopher but is well versed in neuroscience. Here he discusses the neural correlates of consciousness, out of body experiences, lucid dreaming, empathy and AI to back up his ideas. While he admits that we still do not have all the answers about the human mind, we are certainly well on the way. Whether we like it or not, all the evidence certainly seems to suggest that the mind does indeed emerge from the bottom up not the other way way as human has so long believed.

However, for Metzinger this is only the beginning. He goes further to ask what this apparent truth means to humanity. Taking away some of our most cherished beliefs is potentially dangerous. However, denial is equally ridden with peril; prohibition is doomed to failure. Therefore, we need to rethink our ethics in the face of this consciousness revolution. Would it be morally right to allow people to artificially induce any mental state on demand? What will happen to humanity if the global population were to face the truth about their mortality? He doesn't offer any answers but states that it's about time that we started asking ourselves these questions. The truth isn't going away and we need to be prepared to face it. This is entertaining and deeply thought provoking - essential reading.
2 Comments 34 of 39 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsNot convincing enough.

The author states in his introduction that this is a publication designed to have popular appeal. Certainly, the text is far less dense than other works on the subject, but it has... Read more

Published 14 days ago by Caduceus
3.0 out of 5 starsNever crosses the boundary into quackery

Quite a good challenge to our notions of the rational self with references to genuine scientific research.

I wasn't keen on the style. Read more

Published 22 months ago by hfffoman
4.0 out of 5 starsAn eye-opener for anyone interested in consciousness

Thomas Metzinger obviously is one of those few people who can explain and describe complex topics in clear speech, making it all seem easy to understand. Read more

Published on 30 May 2013 by jummonk
2.0 out of 5 starsNot for everyone.

A difficult read, makes you wonder why you bothered.Purely a personal opinion, but I got nothing out of this book.

Published on 4 May 2013 by Mr. J. Schofield
4.0 out of 5 starsThe myth of Thomas

I remember reading a review of this or perhaps "being no one" in New Scientist" in which the reviewer complained that he merely offered hard won scientific ideas and data in a... Read more

Published on 3 Mar. 2013 by DIV
5.0 out of 5 starsthoughts to feed your life

If you want to have an impact into your life decision making, you need to know how your mind works. this book ca help you to reach it

Published on 31 Dec. 2011 by phoenix
5.0 out of 5 starsConsciousness explored

Brilliant minds have laboured long and hard over the last two to three decades to arrive at the point where we have been able to plausibly deconstruct consciousness as an illusion. Read more

Published on 14 Oct. 2011 by John Ferngrove
4.0 out of 5 starsBeing a virtual self inside a virtual reality

According to Thomas Metzinger, we live in a sort of virtual reality. Everything that we experience is ''a virtual self in a virtual reality''...... Read more

Published on 13 Mar. 2011 by Simon Laub
1.0 out of 5 starsFor me, disappointing

I was quite excited to receive this book having read both the reviews and the blurb. After reading it I'm sadly feeling thoroughly mis-sold. Read more

Published on 9 Mar. 2011 by Simon D
5.0 out of 5 starsPhilosophy of Neuroscience for the Everyman

Towards the end of the book the author admits that he is a philosophical parasite and that he feels indebted to the public for having used their funds,and is therefore attempting... Read more

Published on 10 Dec. 2010 by nicholas hargreaves

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