Notes on the Pseudo-Self

Most of us have a strong intuition that we have a self. But what we call our “self” is actually a pseudo-self for the following reasons:

1. Social Construct: Our concept of the “self” is fundamentally a product of social interactions and cultural contexts. Unlike our physical body parts, which can be seen and touched, the “self” cannot be directly observed. It is an abstract construct shaped by societal norms, expectations, and relationships. This means that our identity is influenced by how we are perceived by others, and it exists only in relation to social frameworks, rendering it an imaginary entity rather than a concrete reality. In the Buddhist classic Milinda Panha, King Milinda asked the monk Nagasena what he was. The monk answered that Nagasena is just a name for designation.

2. Illusion of Free Will: We often believe that we exercise free will in our choices and preferences. However, our tastes and values are significantly influenced by a combination of biological factors and cultural conditioning. Our upbringing, societal influences, and biological predispositions shape our decisions, leading to the conclusion that our so-called free will is merely an illusion. We may feel autonomous, but our choices are deeply embedded in external circumstances, suggesting that our will is not as free as we perceive it to be. The absence of free will follows directly from the…