ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Daniel Dennett

Okay, so there's this guy named Daniel Dennett who is really interested in how our brains work and how they create our thoughts and feelings. He thinks about what it means to be conscious – that's when you're aware of things around you and have thoughts and feelings – and he asks a lot of questions about it.

Basically, Dennett thinks that our brains are like big computers. Just like how a computer can process a lot of information and use it to do things like play games or solve problems, our brains can process a lot of information too. But instead of playing games or solving problems, our brains use that information to create our thoughts and feelings.

One of the things Dennett is most known for is his idea of the "self." He says that the idea of a "self" – which is like your identity, or the sense you have that you're the same person from one moment to the next – is actually something that our brains create. In other words, there's not really a "self" that exists on its own – it's just something our brains make up.

Dennett also thinks a lot about how our minds relate to our bodies. One thing he talks about is the feeling of being in control of our bodies. You know how when you decide to move your arm, your arm moves? Dennett thinks that this feeling of control is also something our brains create – it's not like there's a little person inside your brain controlling your movements.

Overall, Dennett is really interested in figuring out how our brains work and how they create our experiences. He has a lot of ideas about what's going on in there, and he asks a lot of questions to try to understand it better.