Heidegger's Philosophy and Theories of the Self

Explaining and defending a Heideggarian account of the self and our knowledge of the world, this book addresses the fundamental issues of selfhood and the elemental question of what it means to be human. Mitchell critically examines theories of the self derived from two distinct schools of thought: Descartes, Hume, Kant, Sartre and Stirner, representing a tradition which has dominated Western philosophy since Descartes, and who share a dualism which critically influences their theories of self; and Heidegger and Laing, representing a radical departure from the tradition and consequently a very different understanding of selfhood. Mitchell focuses on two key philosophical problems throughout: the problem of knowledge to explore the relation between the self and the world that is not-self, and the problem of identity to explore the relation between the self and itself over time. "This title was first published in 2001. Explaining and defending a Heideggarian account of the self and our knowledge of the world, this book addresses the fundamental issues of selfhood and the elemental question of what it means to be human. Mitchell critically examines theories of the self derived from two distinct schools of thought: Descartes, Hume, Kant, Sartre and Stirner representing a tradition which has dominated Western philosophy since Descartes; Heidegger and Laing representing a radical departure from the tradition. Mitchell focuses on two key philosophical problems throughout: the problem of knowledge and the problem of identity. Mitchell argues that ultimately Heidegger does no more than echo Stirner's empty egoism and provides a bleak, inescapable heroism for the individual."--Provided by publisher This title was first published in 2001. Explaining and defending a Heideggarian account of the self and our knowledge of the world, this book addresses the fundamental issues of selfhood and the elemental question of what it means to be human. The author vcritically examines theories of the self derived from two distinct schools of thought: Descartes, Hume, Kant, Sartre and Stirner representing a tradition which has dominated Western philosophy since Descartes; Heidegger and Laing representing a radical departure from the tradition. The author focuses on two key philosophical problems throughout: the problem of knowledge and the problem of identity. The author argues that ultimately Heidegger does no more than echo Stirner's empty egoism and provides a bleak, inescapable heroism for the individual. Cover Half Title Series Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents Acknowledgements 1 Theories of the Self 2 Max Stirner - The Tyranny of Pure Theory 3 R.D. Laing - All Together Now 4 Descartes, Locke and Hume - Self and World 5 Kant - Let Sleeping Dogma Awake! 6 Sartre - Goldilocks Uncovered 7 Heidegger - An Everyday Story of Beings-in-the-World 8 Heidegger - Goldilocks Divined 9 Conclusion - How to Argue with an Egoist Bibliography Index