Self-Knowledge and the Self [Paperback]

David A Jopling (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415926904 | ISBN-13: 978-0415926904 | Publication Date: September 17, 2000 | Edition: 1

In this clear and reasoned discussion of self- knowledge and the self, the author asks whether it is really possible to know ourselves as we really are. He illuminates issues about the nature of self-identity which are of fundamental importance in moral psychology, epistemology and literary criticism.
Jopling focuses on the accounts of Stuart Hampshire, Jean-Paul Sartre and Richard Rorty, and dialogical philosophical psychology and illustrates his argument with examples from literature, drama and psychology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Jopling's discussion is carried on with remarkable clarity. His presentation of the diverse philosophical positions is balanced and fair. . . . Self-Knowledge and the Self is a work of excellent, sound scholarship, a most significant contribution.
–Hazel Barnes, author of Sartre and Flaubert

Jopling's book is the most sustained and serious contemporary philosophical reflection on the Delphic injunction Know thyself of which I am aware. Drawing on literature and psychotherapy as well as solid argumentation, it gently but persuasively exposes inadequacies in the individualistic theories of Hampshire, Sartre, and Rorty and sketches the advantages of a more dialogic approach. Ideally, readers should come away not only knowing what it means to know oneself, but also, in some respects, actually knowing themselves better!.
–William L. McBride, author of Social and Political Philosophy

In this impressive survey, Jopling not only provides incisive critiques of the major contemporary theories of self-knowledge but also introduces a significant alternative approach, one that stresses the role of dialogue and communication.
–Ulric Neisser, editor of Remembering Reconsidered

About the Author

David A. Jopling is Associate Professor of Philosophy at York University in Toronto.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (September 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415926904
• ISBN-13: 978-0415926904
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,183,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An up to date overview..., July 9, 2002

By 

Yuri Kuzyk (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Self-Knowledge and the Self (Paperback)

Jopling does an admirable job of tackling the philosophy (and, to a certain extent, the psychology) of self-knowledge. The book's introduction lays out the general scope of his arguments and background, both of which are quite diverse. Jopling draws on many sources of inspiration but mainly focuses on some of the more recent works in this area. More telling is the section in the Introduction titled "Four Philosophical Psychologies" - finally, a philosopher similar to Faber ("Objectivity and Human Perception: Revisions and Crossroads in Psychoanalysis and Philosophy") who is unafraid to confront the nexus of thought and being.

He first looks at different approaches to the self and how the different modes of self-inquiry lead to some problems. Then he leads into a discussion on self-detachment and self-knowledge including transparency and reflective detachment borrowed from Hampshire's work. Jopling includes some excellent references to psychology while also developing the philosophical overview.

Jopling then moves to the grittier questions of being versus identity. His discussion of Sartre's work, particularly the contrast with previous philosophers is very informative and interesting. Then Jopling moves to the post-modern view epitomized by Rorty. The problems associated with the infinite spiral of narratives is laid bare.

Jopling's final chapter focuses on dialogic self-knowing. Interestingly enough, Jopling uses Margaret Laurence's "The Stone Angel" to draw in the threads of self-knowledge theory and psychology. I enjoyed the use of literature to illustrate the fact that self-knowledge "takes the form of injunction, attestation, and avowal".

An excellent companion to Faber's work.