Self: Ancient and Modern Insights about Individuality, Life, and Death - Tapa dura

a fascinating excursion into important area of philosophy. The richness of the tradition that Sorabji presents so deftly shows how important questions about the self are. (Michael Petheram, The Philosophers' Magazine)

So rich and complex a work as this can hardly be expected to elicit the complete agreement of any reader, but I am persuaded that it will prove intellectually fecund for all. (Péter Lautner RHIZAI)

extraordinarily rich and provocative book...[Sorabji's] accomplishments in this book are outstanding...Anyone interested in the history and/or contemporary theory of the self and related notions would profit from reading it. (Raymond Martin, Mind)

His book is a historical tour de force, and it also helps to give context and perspective to classic ideas of self...Sorabji's approach is sufficiently analytical to engage philosophers, and comprehensive enough to appeal to more general readers in search of more selective enlightenment. (Anthony Long, Times Literary Supplement)

Sorabji's book has the immense virtue of allowing us to discover a vast corpus of texts dealing with the problem of self. The learned and thoughtful review of philosophical perspectives has a remarkably wide range that you will not find anywhere else. Undoubtedly, this work will turn out to be an indispensable reference for any readers wishing to broaden their minds beyond contemporary Western philosophy. (Jean-Louis Hudry, The Philosophical Quarterly)

[a] remarkably versatile and enthusiastic exploration of ancient thinking about selfhood... There has never been a book remotely like this one in its profusion of ancient references on ideas about human identity and selfhood and the sheer quantity of information it provides, all admirably furnished with up-to-date bibliography and footnotes... [a] historical tour de force. (Anthony A. Long, Times Literary Supplement)

a fascinating excursion into a crucial area of philosophy. The richness of the historical tradition that Sorabji presents so deftly shows how impotant these questions about the Self are. (The Philosophers' Magazine)

Richard Sorabji presents a brilliant exploration of the history of our understanding of the self, which has remained elusive and mysterious throughout the spectacular development of human knowledge of the outside world. He ranges from ancient to contemporary thought, Western and Eastern, to reveal and assess the insights of a remarkable variety of thinkers. He discusses a set of topics which are at the heart of our understanding of ourselves: personal identity; memory; the importance of seeing one's life as a whole; the relation between self, intellect, will, and agency; self-awareness; the stream of consciousness; embodiment; death and survival. He rejects the view, found in various philosophical and religious writings, that the self is an illusion, and develops his own original conception of the self as essential to our ownership of our experience and our apprehension of the world.