Know Thyself Know Thyself

E205 - Anil Seth: Your Perception of Reality & Self Is a Hallucination

Jul 28, 2026 · 2h 11m

Summary

Host Andrea interviews neuroscientist Anil Seth, who explains perception as a "controlled hallucination" where the brain actively constructs reality rather than passively receiving it. They explore how individual biases create unique subjective experiences, using optical illusions and the "dress" phenomenon to illustrate perceptual diversity. The discussion extends to the nature of consciousness, questioning if it is tied to life itself and examining the limits of using subjective experience as evidence for metaphysical claims.

Listen ad-free on Castria