The Idea of the Self: Thought and Experience in Western Europe since the Seventeenth Century

by Jerrold E. Seigel

What is the self? The question has preoccupied people in many times and places, but nowhere more than in the modern West, where it has spawned debates that still resound today. Jerrold Seigel combines theoretical and contextual approaches to explore the ways key figures have understood whether and how far individuals can achieve coherence and consistency in the face of inner tensions and external pressures. Clarifying that recent "post-modernist" accounts belong firmly to the tradition of Western thinking they have sought to supercede, Seigel provides a persuasive alternative to claims that the modern self is typically egocentric or disengaged. Both a Fulbright Fellow and a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, Jerrold Seigel is currently William R. Keenan Professor of History at NYU. His previous books include The Private Worlds of Marcel Duchamp (University of California Press, 1995) and Bohemian Paris: Culture, Politics and the Boundaries of Bourgeois Life (Viking Penguin, 1986).

Genres: Philosophy, History

734 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2005

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spent a year reading and discussing this book -- it really covers the entire history (since the seventeenth century) of the self, with excellent discussions from Leibniz and Locke, Mandeville and Hume, Smith, Rousseau, Kant, Bergson (to name a few of the more well known ones) plus lots of figures I hadn't studied before (like Maine de Biran, Janet and Fouillé) -- for it's sheer breadth, it is excellent, but sometimes long winded. However, with regards to Britain, France, and Germany, Seigel is uncomparable. A good companion to Charles Taylor's Sources of the Self.

[Andrew Kneeland · Rating 2 out of 5]

The current leader for most difficult seminary reading.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkably deep and clear. I think I gained a better understanding of every thinker treated in the book.

[John]

It takes a few pages to become accustomed to Seigel's rather dense, complex style, but having made that adjustment, I find the book absolutely fascinating - so far. The title expresses the subject of his book very well, and a must-read for those interested in European intellectual history.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Begins well with a thorough and interesting typology of theories & philosophies of identity. The book weakens as it progresses. This is mostly due to the verboseness of the later chapters.