On Myself, and Other, Less Important Subjects
(Hardback)
Available Formats
Publishing Details
On Myself, and Other, Less Important Subjects
By (Author) Caspar Hare
Introduction by Mark Johnston
Princeton University Press
Princeton University Press
13th October 2009
United States
Classifications
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Ethics and moral philosophy
Philosophy: epistemology and theory of knowledge
126
Short-listed for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 2010
Physical Properties
Hardback
136
Width 140mm, Height 216mm
28g
Description
Caspar Hare makes an original and compelling case for "egocentric presentism," a view about the nature of first-person experience, about what happens when we see things from our own particular point of view. A natural thought about our first-person experience is that "all and only the things of which I am aware are present to me." Hare, however, goes one step further and claims, counterintuitively, that the thought should instead be that "all and only the things of which I am aware are present." There is, in other words, something unique about me and the things of which I am aware. On Myself and Other, Less Important Subjects represents a new take on an old view, known as solipsism, which maintains that people's experiences give them grounds for believing that they have a special, distinguished place in the world--for example, believing that only they exist or that other people do not have conscious minds like their own. Few contemporary thinkers have taken solipsism seriously. But Hare maintains that the version of solipsism he argues for is in indeed defensible, and that it is uniquely capable of resolving some seemingly intractable philosophical problems--both in metaphysics and ethics--concerning personal identity over time, as well as the tension between self-interest and the greater good. This formidable and tightly argued defense of a seemingly absurd view is certain to provoke debate.
Reviews
One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2010 "This short book raises all the big questions that drive much of modern philosophy--metaphysical questions regarding personal identity, solipsism, and self-consciousness; and normative questions concerning what one should value and how one should act. Written clearly, but technically, this often-illustrated volume not only will provoke debates on key issues in contemporary philosophy, but also offers well-defended solutions to those debates."--Choice
Author Bio
Caspar John Hare is associate professor of philosophy at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
