The Self Delusion

By Tom Oliver,

Book cover of The Self Delusion: The Surprising Science of How We Are Connected and Why That Matters

Book description

We are much more connected to nature and each other than it seems. We perceive ourselves as autonomous, discrete individuals with an unchanging inner self that persists throughout our lifetime, but this is an illusion.

On a physical, psychological and cultural level, we are all much more intertwined than we…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Self Delusion as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

You probably view any connection to nature that you feel as a purely emotional and/or intellectual experience. 

But what if we’re not individuals disconnected from other people and nature, but instead connected to nature and one another by biology and evolution in ways that have powerful implications for our ability to create societies that sustain both us as people and the planet we live on? 

Like all our book picks, this one chimes with our own research – the more we learn about our real place in the world and how our world creates our realities, the better able we’ll…

If you love The Self Delusion...

Ad

Book cover of I Am Taurus

I Am Taurus by Stephen Palmer,

The constellation we know as Taurus goes all the way back to cave paintings of aurochs at Lascaux. This book traces the story of the bull in the sky, a journey through the history of what has become known as the sacred bull.

Each of the sections is written from…

Want books like The Self Delusion?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Self Delusion.

Browse books like The Self Delusion

Book cover of Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst
Book cover of Humankind: A Hopeful History
Book cover of The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,690

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Self Delusion, you might also like...

Book cover of Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World

Diary of a Citizen Scientist by Sharman Apt Russell,

Citizen Scientist begins with this extraordinary statement by the Keeper of Entomology at the London Museum of Natural History, “Study any obscure insect for a week and you will then know more than anyone else on the planet.”

As the author chases the obscure Western red-bellied tiger beetle across New…

Book cover of What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs

What Walks This Way by Sharman Apt Russell,

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in human nature, fungus, and dinosaurs?

Human Nature 32 books
Fungus 27 books
Dinosaurs 99 books