Description
In Personal Identity and Literature, Hogan examines what makes an individual a particular, unique self. He draws on cognitive and affective science as well as literary works - from Walt Whitman and Frederick Douglass to Dorothy Richardson, Alice Munro, and J. M. Coetzee. His scholarly analyses are also intertwined with more personal reflections, on for example his mother’s memory loss. The result is a work that examines a complex topic by drawing on a unique range of resources, from empirical psychology and philosophy to novels, films, and biographical experiences. The book provides a clear, systematic account of personal identity that is theoretically strong, but also unique and engaging.
Table of Contents
Foreword: Shame Introduction: Know Thyself 1. Basic Principles 2. Kinds of Self 3. Becoming Oneself: Society and Identity 4. Understanding Ourselves: On Empathy 5. Shame, Guilt, and Trauma 6. Subjectivity and Loneliness Afterword: A Question of Dignity Works Cited
