Brain and Self – A Neurophilosophical Account

We have experience and are conscious of the world. Who, though, is conscious? This is the subject, or self, of experience. While in the past the concept of self has been a matter of philosophical discussion, psychoanalysis shifted it into the domain of psycholog y where it surfaced as ego. More recently, brain imaging allows researchers to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying our subjective experience of a self. This chapter focuses on discussing the different concepts of self as based on philosophical accounts. These are then complemented by neuroscientific data on the self and self-reference. Finally, both philosophical and neuroscientific accounts are directly compared to each other while at the same time their relevance for psychoanalysis of self and ego are pointed out.