Peking University, Nov.10, 2011: Professor Han Shihui, Director of the Psychology Academia Committee of Peking University (PKU), gave a lecture on “self” in psychology, philosophy and neuroscience and its bearing on everyday life. "Self" is one of the key concepts of human thoughts, on which a lot of research have been done by philosophers and psychologists. In recent years, cognitive neuroscientists have made progress in analyzing the self-processing mechanism and its social and cultural properties.

Prof. Han giving his lecture

Professor Han began the lecture by illustrating the importance of the concept of “self”. From the question "Who am I" in a film, he unfolded his idea that once the concept of "self" was lost, life would be rid of meaning. In philosophy, passion, will and wealth may all be the most important things in one’s notion of "self"; yet, the notion was not fixed in the changing physical and mental environments. This variability can be proved in circumstances like self-doubt or self-affirmation. In the psychological sense, due to the direct correlation between self-respect and self-evaluation, the latter was usually positive, Han said.

He said that the study of "self" in neuroscience was mainly conducted via the analysis of human brain. By studying the activity level of human brain in undertaking self-evaluation through visual and hearing means, and studying the different parts of brain at work in evaluations of oneself, one’s close friends and others, researchers came to realize that the determined factors of the concept of "self" were different. Interestingly, the experiment on gorillas and elephants indicated that the sense of "self" was not exclusive to human being. And further research needed to be done about the relationship between gene and the conception of "self", Han noted.

In the end, Professor Han stressed that self was inseparable from happiness. He remarked that students need to think about the meaning of "self" in ideal and reality, so as to fulfill the meaning of life.

Written by: Li Yang
Edited by: Liu Lu
Source: PKU News (Chinese)