Essays on Self-Deception

By Dr Neel Burton — Psychiatrist, philosopher, and wine writer; Fellow of Green Templeton College, University of Oxford; author of over twenty books.

The greatest lies are the ones we tell ourselves.

We like to think that we know our own minds. But much of what we think and do is shaped by motives, fears, and desires that we cannot—or will not—acknowledge.

At the root of self-deception lies dread an fear. We deceive ourselves because there are things we cannot bear to acknowledge: about ourselves, about other people, and about the world. To keep these threatening truths at bay, we deny, repress, rationalise, project, and otherwise distort reality.

These psychological defences can help us to cope, but they can also prevent us from understanding ourselves and confronting the problems in our lives. Sometimes it takes a crisis—or even a depression—to break through them and force us to reassess who we are and how we are living.

But self-deception extends far beyond the traditional defence mechanisms. We deceive ourselves about love, ambition, status, happiness, morality, and even the reasons for our beliefs. We may deceive ourselves about the lives we are leading and the people we have become. Sometimes an entire society can participate in the same illusion.

The essays gathered here explore the many ways in which we hide from ourselves—and how psychology, philosophy, literature, mythology, and greater self-knowledge might help us to see more clearly.

Featured Essays

What If My Life Is Not Mine? — Sartre, Bad Faith, and the Freedom We Deny

The Root of All Anxiety — The Deepest Cure for Fear and Anxiety—No Prescription Required

The Problem with Critical Thinking — Why Are People No Wiser Than Before?

The Myth Of Narcissus and Its Meaning — A Psychiatrist and Philosopher Interprets the Myth of Narcissus

The Ambition Trap — The Psychology and Philosophy of Ambition

Can Romantic Love Save Us? — The History and Psychology of Love—and What It Reveals About Love Itself

The Secret to Self-Esteem — Self-Esteem vs Self-Confidence: Why Confidence Isn’t Enough

What Depression is For — My Philosophy of (Most) Depression

Nietzsche’s Prophetic Vision of the Last Man — And His Challenge to Us: The Übermensch

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World — Diogenes, Free Speech, and the Freedom to Become

Nietzsche, the Stoics, and Eternal Return — What If You Had to Live Your Life Again?

India’s Boldest Idea: The Illusion of the Self — The Buddha and Buddhism on the Illusion of the Self

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