Against Identity - The Wisdom of Escaping the Self

In Against Identity, philosopher Alexander Douglas seeks an alternative wisdom. Searching the work of three thinkers - ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi, Dutch Enlightenment thinker Benedict de Spinoza, and 20th Century French theorist Rene Girard - he explores how identity can be a spiritual violence that leads us away from truth.

Through their worlds and radically different cultures, we discover how, at moments of historical rupture, our hunger for being grows: and yet, it is exactly these times when we should make peace with our indeterminacy and discover the freedom of escaping our selves.<>

About the author

Alexander Douglas was born in Canberra, Australia where he studied music and philosophy. He now teaches the history of philosophy and the philosophy of economics at the University of St Andrews. He has published two books on the philosophy of Benedict de Spinoza and one on the philosophy of debt. He has grown increasingly interested in combining ideas from Western and East Asian philosophy. He loves music, literature, history, and engineering. He lives with his wife in Edinburgh.

Report

Deeply interesting... a superb critique of contemporary self-obsession Steven Poole Guardian

Product details

• Authors: Alexander Douglas
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 08.05.2025
• EAN: 9780241648216
• ISBN: 978-0-241-64821-6
• No. of pages: 272
• Dimensions: 147 mm x 224 mm x 27 mm
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Natural sciences (general); Non-fiction book > Philosophy, religion > Miscellaneous; PHILOSOPHY / Political, PHILOSOPHY / History & Surveys / Modern, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Social & political philosophy, social and political philosophy, Western philosophy from c 1800, Social and cultural anthropology, Political science and theory, History of Western philosophy