Know Thyself

Know Thyself: The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge takes the reader on tour of the nature, value, and limits of self-knowledge.

"A first glance at the problem of self-knowledge often yields a first answer: we simply turn our gaze away from the outside world to the inside world and see what we have within, immediately and transparently. But as this absorbing book shows, matters are significantly more nuanced than that simple picture would suggest. Mitchell S. Green, combining razor-sharp acuity with a wonderfully lucid style, interweaves historical and contemporary work on this topic in a revelatory way, uncovering what it actually means to ask and answer questions of self-knowledge. And with chapter summaries, study questions, and further-reading lists, this concise volume will leave no reader behind. An enlightening and enjoyable guided tour through a matter of universal interest." --Garry L. Hagberg, Bard College "Mitchell S. Green is succeeding in bringing philosophy back to its proper historical place: Without presupposing any special background knowledge, this book is for anyone who is curious about living a good life and interested in the topic of self-knowledge. Know Thyself is written clearly and engagingly, is well-structured, and offers a lot of helpful further informationa both welcome and important contribution which I also recommend for classroom use." --Jan Michel, Bochum University

Autorentext

Mitchell S. Green received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, a B.Phil. from the University of Oxford and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He currently teaches at the University of Connecticut. In addition to approximately 50 journal articles and book chapters, he has also published Self-Expression, Engaging Philosophy: A Brief Introduction, and Moore's Paradox: New Essays on Belief, Rationality and the First Person (co-edited with J. Williams).

Klappentext

Know Thyself: The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge takes the reader on tour of the nature, value, and limits of self-knowledge.

Inhalt

Preface

1. Socrates and the Examined Life

2. Descartes' Essence

3. Ryle's Re-Casting of the "Mind-Body Problem"

4. The Freudian Unconscious

5. The Adaptive Unconscious

6. Self-Misleading, Empathy, and Humility

7. Persons: Some Western Approaches

8. No Thyself: A Buddhist Perspective

Glossary of key terms

Bibliography

Name and Subject Index