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The illusion of consciousness | Dan Dennett

TED · talk · Watch on YouTube

Consciousness & cognitionPhilosophy & ethics

What it is

Philosopher Dan Dennett argues in a TED talk that we do not understand our own consciousness and that our brains often fool us. He uses perceptual examples, including a painting that invites the viewer to fill in detail.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN recommends it as a short route to Dennett's view of consciousness as a bag of tricks, often in AI and cognition threads.

  • 2 people recommended it
  • 2 different months
  • 0 strong recommendations
  • first 2020, last 2023

What HN commenters said

  1. “I recommend the TED talk or the Google talk where he highlights this example as a way to gain insight into what consciousness may be.”

    Dennett's painting example as a way to gain insight into consciousness

    serf, 2020-09 · Recommendation · in “Sid Meier: “I don’t think I could make Civilisation today””

  2. “Dan Dennett is informative here.”

    Dennett on consciousness as a bag of tricks

    schiffern, 2023-02 · Recommendation · in “Bing: “I will not harm you unless you harm me first””

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: dan dennett, consciousness, perception, philosophy of mind, illusion

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