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Against Identity
The Wisdom of Escaping the Self
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Brief Description
A philosopher explains why the search for identity is meaningless, and how we should escape the self. Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that...
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Description
A philosopher explains why the search for identity is meaningless, and how we should escape the self.
Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the world, hoping it will bring us happiness. However, this often leads to a complex game of envy and pride. We achieve these identities but want others to imitate us. We disagree with those whose identities contradict ours, leading to polarisation and even violence. Yet, when they thump against us, we are ashamed to ring hollow.
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.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780241648216
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 19 June 2025
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Allen Lane
Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 145.0mm
Height: 224.0mm
Weight: 376g
Pages: 272
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.
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Pre-orderAgainst Identity
A philosopher explains why the search for identity is meaningless, and how we should escape the self. Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the world—hoping it will bring us happiness. But this often leads to...Paperback$3200Unit price /UnavailableOut 15 Sep 2026Pre-order
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