UID:
almafu_9959241521302883
Format:
1 online resource (vii, 136 pages) :
,
digital, PDF file(s).
Edition:
1st ed.
ISBN:
1-317-48841-5
,
1-317-48842-3
,
1-315-71026-9
,
1-283-45673-7
,
9786613456731
,
1-84465-432-X
Series Statement:
Art of living series
Content:
Who am I? In a world where randomness and chance make life transient and unpredictable, religion, psychology and philosophy have all tried, in their different ways, to answer this question and to give meaning and coherence to the human person. How we should construct a meaningful me and to make sense of ones life is the question at the heart of Mel Thompsons illuminating book. Although Thompson begins by exploring the workings of the brain, he shows that if we are to consider the nature of the self, it is not enough to argue about such things as how mind relates to matter, or whether neuroscience can fully explain consciousness. Such an approach fails to do justice to the self that we experience and the selves that we encounter around us. We need to engage with the more personal, existential questions: how do I make sense of my life? And am I responsible for the person I have become? Thompson investigates the gap between what we are and what others perceive us to be to ascertain whether we are genuinely knowable entities. He explores the central dilemma of how one can have a fixed idea of me to shape and direct ones life when, in a world of constant change, events will rob us of that fixed idea at any moment. Perhaps we would be better to let go of the need for me, asks Thompson, but would a self-less life be possible, or desirable? Drawing on the writings of literature, philosophy, religion and science, as well as personal reflection and anecdote, Thompson has written an engaging and thought-provoking work that recaptures the notion of me from the neuroscientists and situates it at the heart of finding a place in the world.
Note:
Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).
,
Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Getting beyond our neurons; 2. The mind goes hunting; 3. Roads to success?; 4. The temptations of integrity; 5. Living in cyberspace; 6. Mapping one to one; 7. Letting go; 8. The illusion of "me"; Postscript: where does that leave "me"?; Further reading; References; Index
,
English
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-138-15263-3
Additional Edition:
ISBN 1-84465-166-5
Language:
English
DOI:
10.4324/9781315710266
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