There is nothing more intriguing than one's own ‘self’. Yet there is also nothing more opaque than the process of reflecting on self. It is a familiar mental activity, sometimes involving great effort. But whether this effort produces results is uncertain. Long deliberation may be followed by an impulse to act that flies in the face of one's own good counsel. Despite doubts of this nature, most people who reflect on the matter have a strong desire to be in charge of themselves, however difficult the task and uncertain the outcome. Self, in western society, has become a central idea. It is the focus of an endless number of popular and academic books. Since the seventeenth century, it has become attached as a prefix to an increasing number of words, such as self-esteem. In sum, self is central to our beliefs, and in this important area of our life we do not want to be led – by authority, dogma, or false prophets. It is a journey we take alone whether or not we find ourselves surrendering control to others. It is widely supposed that we have to find ourselves.

The theme running through this book is that our common-sense idea of self as some sort of entity is a human construction, in effect, a virtual reality. This perspective is by no means original.