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Full Description
Self-Knowledge introduces philosophical ideas about knowledge and the self. The book takes the form of a personal meditation: it is one person's attempt to reflect philosophically upon vital aspects of his existence. It shows how profound philosophy can swiftly emerge from intense private reflection upon the details of one's life and, thus, will help the reader take the first steps toward philosophical self-understanding. Along the way, readers will encounter moments of puzzlement, then clarity, followed by more perplexity and further insights, and then—finally—some philosophical peace of mind.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Why?
Learning with this Book
Knowing One's Physical Nature
"I've just gotta be me"
My left hand
Other body parts
Hidden body parts
A methodological moment: being philosophical
Mirrors
My skin
Family photographs
My brain
A motivational moment
Overview of the day
Further Reading
Knowing One's Mental Nature
"The real me, the inner me"
A non-physical me?
Another methodological moment: introspection
Listening to one's mind
Discovering myself? Creating myself?
Partial people?
An underlying self?
Whose thoughts are these?
A persisting self?
An unchanging inner self?
Memories
A valuable inner self?
Intelligence
Moral worth
Personal values
Inner character
Free will
A pause
Overview of the day
Further Reading
What Kind of Thing Would Self-Knowledge Be?
Some pessimism about knowing what self-knowledge is
Some optimism about knowing what self-knowledge is
Self-knowledge and other knowledge
Floating minds
Deeply unique self-knowledge
Mere opinion
Self-confidence
Accurate confidence
Luck
Normal circumstances
Reliability
Good evidence
Agreeing with other people
Unusual knowledge
Self-knowledge
Where to next?
Overview of the day
Further Reading
How Might Self-Knowledge Be Gained?
Methods? Which methods?
Intuition
Dreams
Literature and movies
Actions
Psychological and medical studies
Friends and family
Experience and maturity
Back to basics
Tomorrow, into battle
Overview of the day
Further Reading
Confronting Doubts about Whether Self-Knowledge is Possible
Doubts, more doubts
Sensing and observing
Reasoning and memory
Complexity
Meaning
Inductive reasoning
Test case: love
Self-deception
Self-involvement? Self-detachment?
Dreaming and the senses
Knowing something fallibly
Usual knowledge
Infallibility
Two pictures of fallibility
Living fallibly
"That's life"
Philosophical progress
Overview of the day
Further Reading
A Possible Philosophy Course
