We think we know ourselves. But does this knowledge allow us to reach our true selves? Can we really know ourselves? Sometimes, our own reactions surprise us: our emotions are triggered without warning and dreams are imposed on us. So what makes us function? Are we something other than our brains? The researcher, who can only believe in one explanation at a time, thinks that a biological reality governed by the laws of operation of living matter cannot co-exist with another reality that does not follow the same laws. Yet this exhibition shows that, even if we only accept one reality, there are many ways of escaping the dilemma of determinism. By seeking to separate the roles of the genome, the body, the brain and personal and collective histories in our mental functioning, we will begin to grasp the influence of the autonomy and freedom that each of us enjoys in expressing our individuality.

The self is this group of elements that results from a combination of biological factors and a personal history. My memory, my affectivity, my thoughts and my relationships with others reflect this dual source. This is what finally makes me recognise myself as myself and enables others to recognise me as a person different to them. My brain is a player in my individuation, my private self.

Marc Jeannerod
Professor at Claude Bernard University, Lyon.
Director of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences.