An Individual's True Essence

In this intriguing keynote from famous British philosopher and author of 'The Ego Trick' Julian Baggini discusses the concept of the self and asks the audience if anyone has one true essence. He shows how there are a wide variety of examples present in today's culture that reflect the idea that everyone has his or her own core uniqueness, but then challenges the audience to think differently about this concept.

He says that our lives are not built on collective experiences that lead us to be unique, but that we are instead made up of these experiences. He explains that there is an ego trick in our minds that makes us believe we are more than we really are. In this philosophical conversation, Julian Baggini shows that we don't have a fixed essence that makes us what we are, but one that is always changing.