Conscious

This experiment tells us that light acts differently depending on whether or not it is being measured. Without a measurement, light acts like a wave; and when it is measured, it takes on the characteristics of individual particles.

Presentism: Time is in fact flowing and only the present moment is “real”; or
Eternalism: We live in a “block universe,” where time is more like space—just because you are in one location (or moment) doesn’t mean the others don’t exist simultaneously

The term “self” is usually used to describe a more complex set of psychological characteristics—including qualities such as self-confidence or a capacity for empathy—but a “subject” still describes an experience of self in its most basic form.

He describes the brain as a “prediction engine” and explains that “what we perceive is its best guess of what’s out there in the world.” In a sense, he says, “we predict ourselves into existence.”

Pollan points out that “our sense of individuality and separateness hinges on a bounded self and a clear demarcation between subject and object. But all that may be a mental construction, a kind of illusion.”

Pollan points out that “our sense of individuality and separateness hinges on a bounded self and a clear demarcation between subject and object

Toxoplasma can cause a variety of behavioral changes in humans and is thought to be a trigger for schizophrenia and other mental illnesses in many people. According to McAuliffe’s reporting, “people with schizophrenia are two to three times more likely to test positive for antibodies to the parasite than those who don’t have the disorder.”2

Did I decide to write this book? In some sense, the answer is yes, but the “I” in question is not my conscious experience. In actuality, my brain, in conjunction with its history and the outside world, decided. I (my consciousness) simply witness decisions unfolding

The concept of a conscious will that is free seems to be incoherent—it suggests that one’s will is separate and isolated from the rest of its environment, yet paradoxically able to influence its environment by making choices within it

But when I discuss the illusion of conscious will here, I’m speaking of the illusion that consciousness is the will itself