> The idea that the "self" is a process rather than a thing, which is basically what this claimed "new scientific discovery" amounts to, is actually not new to cognitive science.
It definitely isn't new. Humans reify reflexively. A more straight-forward HN-friendly example is infinity -- it's a process (algorithm) that we treat like a number.
All numbers are just processes we treat like a number. "Four" is not a "real thing", it's a mental model / description that sometimes applies to real things; infinity too.
It definitely isn't new. Humans reify reflexively. A more straight-forward HN-friendly example is infinity -- it's a process (algorithm) that we treat like a number.