Self-Consciousness

There is not a single answer to the question of what self-consciousness is. As Patricia Churchland says, it is more a fabric of answers woven together [http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/342]. It is clearly a complex construct of the brain. When we think, certain patterns are brought into existence. Since a brain contains more than 100 billion neurons, each pattern is a vast collection of nearly invisible little things or processes. When we think of ourselves, a pattern is brought into existence, too. It is the identification of a vast collection of nearly invisible little items with a single thing: yourself. Unfortunately, there is no immaterial "[[Self|self]]" hovering over hundred billion flickering neurons except the abstract idea. The brain is able to represent abstract ideas, goals, plans, and beliefs although they don't exist as a real counterpart. '''If god is a coordinated hallucination of people, then the mind is a coordinated hallucination of neurons''' - a powerful hallucination used to orchestrate a large group of interacting agents. Religion, the belief in a god, synchronizes brains by periodic rituals to form larger, unified system of behavior. Similarly, the belief in a self synchronizes brain-parts and modules to form a unified system of behavior. In both cases, the belief creates a unifying sense of group agency greater than the sum of the individual agents in the group. The idea of a unified [[Self|self]] and the concept of a soul as the originator of the own thoughts is an illusion and hallucination.