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human beings are very inclined to have a story about why they do the things they do

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at some times they seem capable of generating false stories

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we are designed to convince the world that we have coherent motivations

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and in the process we convince ourselves of this

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in terms of evolution

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if people could impress people and preserve their reputation

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this would help survive and successfully mate

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point to a built-in tendency to do this kind of self promotion

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one of the main functions of the conscience is to assist in this self-promotion effort

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Rob Kursban

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the self is more like a press secretary or a public relations department

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broadcasting things out in the world that are useful for this concept of the self within its network of symbols and signs

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but there's a lot of decision making going on that you have no access to

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so we don't often understand the motive behind our own actions

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modular view of the mind

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lack of a self

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the self is mostly in the public relations business

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fits within the general Buddhist theme

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we tend not to see things clearly

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1980 The Totalitarian Ego

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Fabrication and Revision of Personal History

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Anthony Greenwald

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beneffectance

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the way people naturally present themselves to other people

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beneficial: we tend to present ourselves as beneficial to others

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effective: we present ourselves as competent

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most people, when asked, will describe themselves as above average

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when you do the math this can't be the truth

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this view is very resistant to actually evidence

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surveys show that even people who have caused car accidents tend to rate themselves as good drivers

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there is a human tendency to explain away negative outcomes as due to something other than yourself

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this is the reason why people who run lotteries and casinos can easily fine people who lose to them on a sustained basis

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we don't focus on ourselves when explaining negative outcomes

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we tend to focus on ourselves when explains positive outcomes

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this also happens to team contexts

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selective retention

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we are more inclined to remember events that reflect favorable on us

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although we do have negative memories

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we remember the positive events that happen to us in greater detail than negative events

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it is as if we are preparing to report to others these stories

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negative memories don't seem so designed for retelling

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they are to remember and maybe not share

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this is not shocking

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since people are aware of these biases

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but they are much more aware of them in other people than in themselves

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study

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taking credit and seven other

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we are even biased about how bias we are

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individual differences among people

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low-self esteem

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people who deflate themselves

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personality differences

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the fact that people differ doesn't mean that they aren't suffering from illusions

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the primary evolutionary function of the self is not to be a decision maker, but an organ of impression management, a kind of propaganda machine, Jerome Barkow

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in fact, that we are decision makers is a piece of propaganda itself

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since, if I am going to convince you that I did something for the high-minded motives, it helps for me to believe that I was there when the decision was made and that I understand and can articulate on the motives that governed the decision

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being able to present reasons why we do things is an evolutionary trait that has helped people to work with other people and thus survive

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if someone gets up and starts walking somewhere, and you ask them where they are going, and they give you a believable reason, you are much more likely to trust them and work with them

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but if they: you know, it's weird, I just get up, I do stuff, I don't know why, I just get up and I walk places, it doesn't make sense to me, I might to anything on any given day", you are not going to trust this person or want to work with them

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of all the illusions that Buddhism emphasizes, there is probably none other so profound as the illusion about the self as described along these lines

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why are we all so confident that there is one central author of our actions that persists through time

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it certain feels that way

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theses stories that we spin are responding to the fact that other people value certain characteristics in others

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they want other people to be logical, consistent, coherent, and predictable

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this means that the stories you spin need to have these properties, and need to present us as good, social agents

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"Of all the illusions that Buddhism emphasizes, there is probably none other so profound than this illusion about the self."

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whether extrovert or introvert, it can be shown that we don't have a very objective perspective on ourselves and things that happen to us

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two common themes of the self which are probably illusions

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1. an author of our actions

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2. persistence through time

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a self that has some coherent persistence through time

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these are the two themes that the Buddha emphasized as illusions

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the is too much flux and impermanence in our concept of the self for it to be an entity that has reality outside of our perception of it