Are You an Illusion?

Mary Midgley argues that there is more to our selves than a jumble of brain cells and that the rich variety of our imaginative life cannot be contained in a narrow bounds of materialism. She explores the source of our current attitudes to the self and reveals how ideas, traditions, and myths have been twisted to fit in with sciences current preoccupation with the physical and material. Midgley shows that the subjective sources of thought are just as necessary in helping to explain the world as the objective ones.

Format: Hardback
Length: 170 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

In a fervent defense of the significance of our own thoughts, feelings, and experiences, the renowned philosopher Mary Midgley demonstrates that there is far more to our selves than a mere collection of brain cells. Examining the remarkable gap that has emerged between our understanding of our sense of self and the current scientific understanding, Midgley argues compellingly and persuasively that the diverse tapestry of our imaginative life cannot be confined within the narrow confines of a highly puritanical materialism that equates the brain and the self. Engaging with the works of prominent thinkers, Midgley delves into the origins of our current attitudes toward the self and uncovers how ideas, traditions, and myths have been twisted to seamlessly align with the scientific obsession with the physical and material. Midgley argues that the subjective sources of thought, namely our own experiences, are equally essential in helping to explain the world as the objective ones, such as brain cells.

Are You an Illusion? offers a thought-provoking analysis of the scientific assertion that has purportedly eliminated the self, and it provides a welcome infusion of common sense from one of our most esteemed philosophers into a debate that urgently requires it. This Routledge Classics edition features a new Foreword by Stephen Cave.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032533711