Self Expressions: Mind, Morals, and the Meaning of Life (Philosophy of Mind) [Hardcover]

Owen Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 25, 1996 | ISBN-10: 0195096967 | ISBN-13: 978-0195096965 | Edition: 1ST

Human beings have the unique ability to consciously reflect on the nature of the self. But reflection has its costs. We can ask what the self is, but as David Hume pointed out, the self, once reflected upon, may be nowhere to be found. The favored view is that we are material beings living in the material world. But if so, a host of destabilizing questions surface. If persons are just a sophisticated sort of animal, then what sense is there to the idea that we are free agents who control our own destinies? What makes the life of any animal, even one as sophisticated as Homo sapiens, worth anything? What place is there in a material world for God? And if there is no place for a God, then what hold can morality possibly have on us--why isn't everything allowed? Flanagan's collection of essays takes on these questions and more. He continues the old philosophical project of reconciling a scientific view of ourselves with a view of ourselves as agents of free will and meaning-makers. But to this project he brings the latest insights of neuroscience, cognitive science, and psychiatry, exploring topics such as whether the conscious mind can be explained scientifically, whether dreams are self-expressive or just noise, the moral socialization of children, and the nature of psychological phenomena such as multiple personality disorder and false memory syndrome. What emerges from these explorations is a liberating vision which can make sense of the self, agency, character transformation, and the value and worth of human life. Flanagan concludes that nothing about a scientific view of persons must lead to nihilism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Marked by many sparkling insights."--The Modern Schoolman

"Owen Flanagan is as wise in matters of the Heart and Spirit as he is distinguished in matters of modern science and philosophical theory. These extraordinary essays set a new standard in the exploration of timeless human concerns--the nature and nurture of the self, the grounds of self worth and collective meaning--partly because Flanagan addresses them as they are illuminated by the nascent sciences of the mind-brain. This volume is a doorway into the moral reasoning of the 21st century. Most importantly, it brings hope, not despair. Enter, and join the new dialogue."--Paul M. Churchland, Professor of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego

"If God is Dead, what are we (our Selves) to do? In the Fear-and-Trembling tradition of Soren Kierkegaard, Owen Flanagan boldly expresses his Self!"--J. Allan Hobson, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

"Any person who has a naturalistic view of human beings must face the fundamental question of how morality and meaning are possible in human life. Flanagan artfully weaves together work from the cognitive sciences, recent philosophical accounts of persons and value, and his own deep insights into what it means to live a human life. He constructs a scientifically and psychologically realistic account of personal identity that makes sense of human morality and the human quest for a life that has meaning and purpose."--Mark Johnson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Oregon

About the Author

Owen Flanagan is at Duke University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1ST edition (January 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195096967
• ISBN-13: 978-0195096965
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good discussion; repetitive if you've real Flanagan!, July 17, 2003

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Self Expressions: Mind, Morals, and the Meaning of Life (Philosophy of Mind Series) (Paperback)

Flanagan is in the avant garde of a slowly growing branch in philosophy; those that use philosophy of mind to foray and forage into ethical theory. To me, the discilpine makes all too much sense. After all we have to have figured out (to some degree) who we are and how our selves are 'ourselves' before we can make many informed decisions on how we live.

The book remains very true to its subtitle. The first essays are very much on the mind (from a neurological and phychological standpoint. Warning: these essays repeat much of what Flanagan has written in "Consiousness Reconsidered" and subsequently in "Dreaming Souls". Of note are the essays "Is a science of the conscious mind possible" where Flanagan champions his brand of holism: taking the data from philosophy, psychology, neurology, evolutionary biology and possibly even religion. The mistake most pessimists make, Flanagan argues, is they ignore or discount the 'soft' sciences like psychology and philosophy and focus on the 'hard' ones. The problem is the 'hard' can answer the what quetions, but the 'soft' are the only ones that could possibly answer the 'why' and 'how'. Also of note is an essay on multiple personality disorder and how it is possible to have more than one self. Suprisingly, Flanagan suggests that we all, in a sense, have multiple selves - we are just better at integrating them so they are more like 'sub-selves'.

The next bit focuses on morality. Of note here is an essay called "I remember you" about the risky businesss of recovering memory. Flanagan, unsuprisingly, shows that it is rare that a memory will recall how the event actually was, but, that usually they embelish themselves a little. He even offers a fun personal example of a false memory he had and how the memory - not the event as it happened - was what affected his life the most. Also, an essay called "Children, other minds and honesty" explores the gradual process children go through learning that and how other people think, and by extension, how to act with them.

The next set of essays covers "the meaning of life". Flanagan is pretty close to pragmatism, in that, he freely admits that we create our own values, but it is as much a social as a personal process. Sometimes morals get in the way of values we've set for ourselves, and sometimes they accord completely. Like James, Dewey, and O.W. Holmes, Flanagan reasizes that morals are instruments and are more 'guidelines' than 'laws'.

Overall a solid book that represents all three subjects - mind, morals and the meaning of life - with equal care, grace, and excitement. As I said, those who've read Flanagans books before will find much re-used information here, but as his ideas are always engrossing, it may just be worth hearing some of them again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good discussion; repetitive if you've real Flanagan!, July 17, 2003

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Self Expressions: Mind, Morals, and the Meaning of Life (Philosophy of Mind Series) (Paperback)

Flanagan is in the avant garde of a slowly growing branch in philosophy; those that use philosophy of mind to foray and forage into ethical theory. To me, the discilpine makes all too much sense. After all we have to have figured out (to some degree) who we are and how our selves are 'ourselves' before we can make many informed decisions on how we live.

The book remains very true to its subtitle. The first essays are very much on the mind (from a neurological and phychological standpoint. Warning: these essays repeat much of what Flanagan has written in "Consiousness Reconsidered" and subsequently in "Dreaming Souls". Of note are the essays "Is a science of the conscious mind possible" where Flanagan champions his brand of holism: taking the data from philosophy, psychology, neurology, evolutionary biology and possibly even religion. The mistake most pessimists make, Flanagan argues, is they ignore or discount the 'soft' sciences like psychology and philosophy and focus on the 'hard' ones. The problem is the 'hard' can answer the what quetions, but the 'soft' are the only ones that could possibly answer the 'why' and 'how'. Also of note is an essay on multiple personality disorder and how it is possible to have more than one self. Suprisingly, Flanagan suggests that we all, in a sense, have multiple selves - we are just better at integrating them so they are more like 'sub-selves'.

The next bit focuses on morality. Of note here is an essay called "I remember you" about the risky businesss of recovering memory. Flanagan, unsuprisingly, shows that it is rare that a memory will recall how the event actually was, but, that usually they embelish themselves a little. He even offers a fun personal example of a false memory he had and how the memory - not the event as it happened - was what affected his life the most. Also, an essay called "Children, other minds and honesty" explores the gradual process children go through learning that and how other people think, and by extension, how to act with them.

The next set of essays covers "the meaning of life". Flanagan is pretty close to pragmatism, in that, he freely admits that we create our own values, but it is as much a social as a personal process. Sometimes morals get in the way of values we've set for ourselves, and sometimes they accord completely. Like James, Dewey, and O.W. Holmes, Flanagan reasizes that morals are instruments and are more 'guidelines' than 'laws'.

Overall a solid book that represents all three subjects - mind, morals and the meaning of life - with equal care, grace, and excitement. As I said, those who've read Flanagans books before will find much re-used information here, but as his ideas are always engrossing, it may just be worth hearing some of them again.