The Philosopher's Autobiography: A Qualitative Study

(Hardback)

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Throughout the ages philosophers have examined their own lives in an attempt both to find some meaning and to explain the roots of their philosophical perspectives. This volume is an introduction to philosophical autobiography, a rich but hitherto ignored literary genre that questions the self, its social context, and existence in general. The author analyzes representative narratives from antiquity to postmodernity, focusing in particular on three case studies: the autobiographies of St. Augustine, Rousseau, and Sartre. Through the study of these exemplary texts, philosophical reflection on the self emerges as a valid alternative to Freudian psychoanalysis and as a way of promoting self-renewal and change.

Reviews

"Shlomit Schuster brings an overwhelming breadth and depth of scholarship in philosophy, philosophical counselling, biographical studies, and qualitative research to her comprehensive and provocative work....[p]rovocative, imaginative, and scholarly. It is filled with new ideas and insights. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in understanding how philosophy and philosophizing have influenced the lives of Augustine, Rousseau, and Sartre."-Biography/Project Muse
It is likely to prove infinitely rewarding for anyone who is interested in learning more about the relationship between autobiography and philosophy--with all this entails for our understanding as existential psychotherapists of self-constructs.-Journal of Existential Analysis
Shlomit Schuster brings an overwhelming breadth and depth of scholarship in philosophy, philosophical counselling, biographical studies, and qualitative research to her comprehensive and provocative work....[p]rovocative, imaginative, and scholarly. It is filled with new ideas and insights. I recommend it highly to anyone interested in understanding how philosophy and philosophizing have influenced the lives of Augustine, Rousseau, and Sartre.-Biography/Project Muse
"It is likely to prove infinitely rewarding for anyone who is interested in learning more about the relationship between autobiography and philosophy--with all this entails for our understanding as existential psychotherapists of self-constructs."-Journal of Existential Analysis

Author Bio

SHLOMIT C. SCHUSTER is an independent scholar and lecturer based in Jerusalem. She is the author of Philosophy Practice: An Alternative to Counseling and Psychotherapy (Praeger, 1999) and several scholarly articles, as well as the managing editor of the Journal of Radical Psychology.