Thalia Wheatley - What are Selves?

What does it mean to be a ‘self’? What characteristics distinguish a self from a non-self? What are the boundaries between self and non-self? Is there a difference between a self and a person? What follows from the existence of selves?

Thalia Wheatley is currently an associate professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Closer To Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[karolinaska]

I love that she pointed out the Cambodians didn't recognize the same aliveness among Caucasian faces. I think this speaks to any ethnic group not commonly exposed to other ethnicities; there seems to be a sense that only those most like us are "alive" or "a person". We should keep this in mind when trying to work for peace between groups. Representation matters, and this is not a political statement. Great insight.

[fredcampos]

It seems we get something ingrained that allows us to recognize an understand subtle queues displayed

[Al_she_Red]

nice!, really nice! that is good science.

[DelayedFlight]

Thaleia is symmetrical, has some standards of beauty. Loveable.

[mohdnorzaihar]

We can connect when we gain almost the same "experiences" as the other have

[goldendive]

1 min in, "the eyes the eyes the eyes" like okay plz stop

[Ekam-Sat]

एतदपि एकः अहम्; जीवने विभिन्नः अहम् इति, एकाकी न भवामि।

[PaulHoward]

"Alive" is a relatively arbitrary designation, because every form is of a self. Every interaction is based on choices.

[gokhanqurnaz]

I wonder why there is no Turkish in your videos while there are many languages?

[sustainabilityaxis]

Very interesting findings. However, one generalization about other animals inability to operate on the similar fashion may be overlooked probably by equating their senses at same level as of human, which actually may not be the case. As animals have much more sensitivity in certain areas like smell, vision and hearing etc. unlike humans. They sense, or try to, aggression and friendliness in initial encounters. Secondly, the guest appears to be facing limitation of language to put her findings in proper words/shape, my personal opinion. Keep up your good work.

[ResmithSR]

My cat is drawn to me because I feed her Whiskas twice a day. Not that complicated really.😂

[BillMurey-omzw]

Most think selves are islands when we really are archipelagos.

[BillMurey-omzw]

Don't be a human supremacist, a whole lot of other animals communicate through eyes.

[evaadam]

If you want to understand your "SELF", you have to realize and acknowledge the existence of your supernatural qualities which is the "free will to choose to believe anything for any reason" that natural physical matter does not have...

..from understanding the light that I received, humans possess free immortal souls with the power of free will to choose what to believe that makes them accountable. This is why humans are unique.. Animals have no free souls but are only driven by natural instincts beyond its control, not free and so not accountable...

...in other words, the word "SELF" that humans commonly used to define their being is your free immortal soul who recognizes its independence from the physical world including independence from our physical bodies...

A robot, or computer, driven by its programmed switches can not have a sense of independence, no different than animals that are driven by natural instincts as its program, not free and so not responsible..

...but human beings can freely feel or sense this independence which shows clearly  that we are NOT ALL PHYSICAL !  From understanding the light that I received, our selves are our free immortal souls sent here for a chance of salvation through faith...

... but you only have ONE SELF which is your free conscious immortal soul who never sleeps, always awake, who is the free entity who can independently observes dreams while the brain snores. There is no such thing as SUB-SELF or SUB-CONSCIOUS that Godless Materialists are trying to confuse you with, to weaken your

[robertdavenport]

A corollary to this might be going to a wake. There is something deeply disturbing about the absolute stillness of a corpse . Not that it prompts you to think of your own death, just that this ' person ' is not responding in any way. For me, at least, a very unnerving experience where the expectation of what should be an interchange is totally one sided.

[gordonquimby]

The eye is the window to the soul. Who knew?

[ResmithSR]

We are all unique and unlike inflation we are all transitory. 😂😂😂

[ijvgxqr]

Selves self identify using information receptors and processors. Any expression of self requires contrast - or the illusion of it.

[avi]

I appreciate this quest but at some point there has to be some collation of all these views on self, awareness, consciousness, mind, brain...etc. Otherwise there is no building of knowledge, no connecting thread with memory of past learnings. I am getting lost - who said what when and how does that add to anything? Do, for example, Graziano's views/models count as authoritative? DiMasio? Penrose? Dennet?

[simonl]

When the interviewee unintentionally, and seemingly without awareness, lays out a possible neurological source of racism (and so ways to reduce it)