AI Overview


Cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett used the term "user illusion" to describe how consciousness is a simplified version of reality that allows us to interact with the world:

Explanation

Dennett believed that consciousness is a "user illusion" of the brain, similar to how a phone's interface is a simplified version of the phone's underlying system.

Benefits

Dennett argued that this "user illusion" is beneficial because it allows us to act in the world without needing to understand how the brain works.

Evolution

Dennett believed that the "user illusion" was designed by evolution to meet the needs of its users. He argued that the "user illusion" is a product of "bottom-up" design, rather than "top-down" design by an intelligent being.

Darwinian theory

Dennett believed that Darwinian theory of evolution by natural selection could explain all aspects of human existence and behavior.

Dennett also argued that consciousness is not a single entity, but rather a collection of mental processes that work together to create our subjective experience.