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

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Thomas Metzinger (Author)
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4.1 out of 5 stars 44 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Basic Books; Reprint edition (July 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0465020690
  • ISBN-13: 978-0465020690
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA must read on consciousness and the self
By Thomas W. Clark on May 21, 2009
Format: Kindle Edition
I heartily agree with the positive opinions of others here - this is a first class addition to the lay person's literature on consciousness by a world class philosopher. Absolutely fascinating and revolutionary. I've written a detailed review at [...] , some sections of which I've excerpted here:

Even after giving up belief in the supernatural "up there," many atheists and humanists continue to harbor quasi-supernatural intuitions about the self and free will "in here." The little god of the soul, the categorically mental agent or homunculus in charge of the brain, is still alive and well in the thinking of many secularists. As a result, some of the most profound developments in the ongoing project of scientific enlightenment are still ahead of us.

I am pleased to report that Thomas Metzinger's The Ego Tunnel is a major contribution to this project, written for the curious and fearless lay person wanting to know who, precisely, we are. I strongly recommend this book. Here is the self fully naturalized, a radical revision of the conventional wisdom about our essential nature - are you ready? It's also a must read for anyone interested in consciousness and the mind-body problem, since Metzinger has a well-developed, empirically supported representational theory that explains many of the puzzles about conscious subjectivity.

His two main themes, self and consciousness, are closely linked, and they culminate in two rather unsettling conclusions. First, selves don't exist in the way most folks suppose. Second, the solid, three dimensional public reality that is so palpably there in our waking lives turns out to be a private model of reality.Read more ›
23 Comments 141 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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5.0 out of 5 starsFascinating blend of neuroscience and philosophy
By Brian Hines on April 21, 2009
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I'm an avid reader of books about the brain, consciousness, and what the "self" is (or isn't). Metzinger's is one of the best. Thankfully, he isn't content with simply describing the current state of neuroscience, which can be dry to a non-scientist like me, with all its talk of physical brain functions and such.

Metzinger also addresses important philosophical and ethical problems such as free will, the concept of soul, how we can be certain an experience is real, consciousness exploration through drugs and other outside means, and whether happiness or truth-seeking is the best foundation of a meaningful life.

"The Ego Tunnel" is a great example of how one shouldn't judge a book by a single critical review. I read Owen Flanagan's review in New Scientist and questioned whether I should buy this book. I'm glad that I made up my own mind, because that review was way off the mark, in my non-humble opinion.

I didn't find a trace of the philosophical grandiosity that Flanagan talked about. Instead, I found big problems being addressed, as noted above. Hey, I'm going to die! We all are, one day. Whether I have a self, or soul, that is separable from my physical body is of more than a little importance to me.

This may be a settled question among academic neuroscientists, but it certainly isn't among the people I know. Which, naturally, includes myself. I lean toward a Taoist/Buddhist conception of the cosmos these days, and found much to support that way of viewing reality in Metzinger's book: science and philosophy blending in a pleasingly coherent fashion.

But he stresses the need for each of us to dig our own ego tunnel (not that we have any choice).Read more ›
2 Comments 72 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
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4.0 out of 5 starsMore informal in style than his other works, but lots of gems...
By Carolyn Suchy-Dicey on April 21, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Those who want a formal description of Thomas Metzinger's theory of the self should go to his earlier works or his recent TICS article to find it. For those who find that kind of writing inaccessible, The Ego Tunnel is a good bet for an accurate, and often elegant, description of the work being done (and the work that should be done) in the sciences and philosophy on consciousness and the self.

The Ego Tunnel was written for those outside of consciousness research to answer Metzinger's felt imperative: "Scientists and academic philosophers cannot simply confine themselves to making contributions to a comprehensive theory of consciousness and the self. If moral obligation exists, they must also confront the anthropological and normative void they have created. They must communicate their results in laymen's language" (215). The Ego Tunnel is thus a double success: it communicates Metzinger's work on the self together with a normative groundwork for consciousness research in "laymen's language" while at the same time offering insight into the mind of one of philosophy's best consciousness researchers.

The book is split into three sections: the first offers the main problems with accounting for conscious experience, ending with the problem of subjectivity; the second gives evidence to think that there is no self to answer the problem of subjectivity and offers an alternative solution; the third is a first look at the ethical obligations that arise from this finding.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Compelling contemporary view of the self in light of cognitive science and philosophy

Published 4 months ago by Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 starsalthough I thought there were some pretty fundamental ideas that...

This was an interesting read, although I thought there were some pretty fundamental ideas that needed more explaining or defending. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Skylark
4.0 out of 5 starsFascinating

We live in a wonderful time when scientists are beginning to learn how our brains make "us". Read more

Published 9 months ago by Citris1
5.0 out of 5 starsA very important and interesting reading, though quite hard ...

A very important and interesting reading, though quite hard for a lay-reader and not devoid of its drawbacks. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Mark
1.0 out of 5 starsToo deep or involved for the average person including those ...

Too deep or involved for the average person including those interested in lucid dreaming. Leave it for someone else interested in going to that length of study.

Published 12 months ago by George
5.0 out of 5 starsChanged my mind

This book changed how I thought about consciousness. As a Neuroscience student in college, it was an amazing way to expand my knowledge on various subjects you don't always get... Read more

Published 13 months ago by Megan
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

fascinating book

Published 14 months ago by Helen Vo-Dinh
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is terrific stuff!

Should be required reading in all colleges first year - psych, philosophy, anthropology, sociology - transcends them all and continues on. Read more

Published 15 months ago by Dominic724
5.0 out of 5 starsmuch more readable/written for the layperson than Metzinger's other...

much more readable/written for the layperson than Metzinger's other excellent work, "Being No One." I'm about halfway through this and totally enthralled. Read more

Published 17 months ago by ValueKilmer
2.0 out of 5 starsThe blind leading Nobody

This book seems aimed at laymen like me using research of neuro and cognitive scientists of the past 30 years. Read more

Published 18 months ago by Bohdan Hodiak

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