Identity Philosophy

This classic work by psychologist and social philosopher Eric Fromm builds upon his previous popular book To Have or to Be? The Art of Being teaches us to avoid the tantalizing illusions of our consumer-driven world by learning to function as a whole person from a state of inner completeness or being. The transition from an identity of having to being creates a state of enlightened psychological and spiritual happiness.

In 2014, Francis Fukuyama wrote that American institutions were in decay, as the state was progressively captured by powerful interest groups. Two years later, his predictions were borne out by the rise to power of a series of political outsiders whose economic nationalism and authoritarian tendencies threatened to destabilize the entire international order. These populist nationalists seek direct charismatic connection to “the people”, who are usually defined in narrow identity terms that offer an irresistible call to an in-group and exclude large parts of the population as a whole.

Philosophy Explained for Non-Philosophers: Clear Guides to the Ideas That Shape Human Thought Metaphysics Explained for Non-Philosophers: Reality, Existence, Identity, and the Deep Structure of Being is a clear, accessible guide to one of philosophy’s most foundational and challenging fields. Written specifically for curious readers with no formal background in philosophy, this book breaks down complex metaphysical ideas into understandable concepts using plain language, concrete examples, and careful explanations. Rather than relying on abstract jargon, it focuses on the core questions ...

In this, his most influential work, legal theorist and political philosopher Carl Schmitt argues that liberalism’s basis in individual rights cannot provide a reasonable justification for sacrificing oneself for the state—a critique as cogent today as when it first appeared. George...

We all know how identities - notably, those of nationality, class, culture, race, and religion - are at the root of global conflict, but the more elusive truth is that these identities are created by conflict in the first place. In provocative, entertaining chapters, Kwame Anthony Appiah interweaves keen-edged argument with engrossing historical tales and reveals the tangled contradictions within the stories that define us. 

Dive into the Deepest Philosophical Questions with "Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds" Are you ready to stimulate your mind and challenge your beliefs? Look no further than "Philosophical Questions for Curious Minds," the third and final book in the "Philosophy for the Curious" series. This book is a collection of the first and second books in its series. This book covers a wide range of philosophical topics, including ethics, politics, consciousness, free will, personal identity, and artificial intelligence. What makes this book special? Get twice the philosophical bang for your ...

Broke Is a Condition. Poor Is an Identity. There is a difference between having little money and allowing limitation to become part of who you believe you are. People can lose jobs, businesses, savings, relationships, health, or financial stability and still retain the ability to rebuild. Others can earn good incomes and remain trapped in destructive habits, short-term thinking, excessive consumption, poor financial judgment, and chronic dependence on circumstances. The difference is not simply money. It is the way a person thinks, responds, learns, adapts, and takes responsibility for the ...

The definitive translation of Plato's Republic, the most influential text in the history of Western philosophy. “To read The Republic as Bloom means it to be read is to question everything we think we know about government, politics, the best human life, and the nature of truth.” —Adam...

The Philosophy of Time Travel: Paradoxes, Causality, Determinism, Multiverse Theory, and Science Fiction Thought Experiments examines time travel as a serious philosophical problem. Instead of treating it as a narrative trick, the book asks what follows if travel to the past or future were possible at all. Could a person change earlier events, or would any attempt already be part of a fixed history. Can an effect occur before its cause. What would count as evidence that someone had really traveled in time. These questions open onto larger issues in metaphysics, logic, freedom, and the ...

Paul Ricoeur Explained: Hermeneutics, Narrative Identity, Memory, Symbolism, and the Meaning of Human Experience offers a practical introduction to a philosopher who asked how people interpret texts, actions, symbols, and their own lives. Ricoeur is often placed within continental philosophy, yet his central concerns are concrete: how a metaphor changes what we can say, how a story gives shape to a life, how memory can guide or mislead, and how interpretation affects moral judgment. This book presents those ideas in clear language for readers who want substance without academic jargon. It ...

In this eye-opening account of "metaphysical blindness" in the West, Watts accents the dense exploration of religious philosophy with wry wit that will engage inquiring minds in search of spiritual power and wisdom.

As featured in the Ram Dass documentary film Becoming Nobody, five essential live teaching sessions on audio, presented here in their entirety The game is not about becoming somebody, it’s about becoming nobody. —Ram Dass If you’re a spiritual explorer of any age or tradition, chances are...

The Book That Knows It’s a Book A Suspiciously Self-Aware Guide to Waking Up Most books about spiritual awakening promise transformation. A better self. A calmer mind. A final breakthrough that will definitely happen if you just keep reading. This book is not so sure. It doesn’t offer enlightenment as a product. It doesn’t hand you a new identity labeled Awake. It doesn’t pretend to be the ultimate authority on your journey of self-discovery. It knows it’s a book. Which makes things slightly awkward. Inside these pages, awareness is explored without performance. The ego is ...

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Financial Times, Inc., Prospect Magazine, and The Conversation “The most comprehensive and reasonable story of this shift that has yet been attempted . . . Mounk has told the story of the Great Awokening better than any other writer who has...

Have you heard that language is violence and that science is sexist? Have you read that certain people shouldn't practice yoga? Or been told that being obese is healthy, that there is no such thing as biological sex, or that only White people can be racist? Are you confused by these ideas, and do you wonder how they have managed to challenge the logic of Western society? In this probing volume, Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay document the evolution of the dogma that informs these ideas, from its coarse origins in French postmodernism to its refinement within activist academic fields.

Brought to you by Penguin. Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the world – hoping it will bring us happiness. But this often leads to a...

Derek Parfit (1942–2017) is the most famous philosopher most people have never heard of. Widely regarded as one of the greatest moral thinkers of the past hundred years, Parfit was anything but a public intellectual. Yet his ideas have shaped the way philosophers think about things that affect us all: equality, altruism, what we owe to future generations, and even what it means to be a person. In Parfit, David Edmonds presents the first biography of an intriguing, obsessive, and eccentric genius.

Johann Gottfried von Herder Explained: Culture, Language, National Identity, Folk Traditions, and Human Diversity introduces a thinker who changed how modern readers understand language, culture, history, and collective identity. Herder rejected abstract accounts of human beings detached from place, memory, and inherited ways of life. He argued that people become who they are within languages, communities, and historical settings. This book presents those arguments in plain terms and shows why they still matter for readers trying to make sense of nationalism, cultural difference, historical...

According to an old joke, everyone knows that men and women are different... except social scientists. In A Billion Years of Sex Differences, evolutionary psychologist Steve Stewart-Williams tackles some of science's most controversial questions: How do men and women differ? Where do the...

What if every possible book already existed? What if truth, falsehood, wisdom, and nonsense were all hidden in an infinite library that stretched forever? Jorge Luis Borges’ short story The Library of Babel has fascinated readers for generations, offering one of the most haunting metaphors for infinity, language, and the search for meaning. In Infinite Meaning: Exploring the Philosophical Ideas Found in Borges’ Library of Babel, The Practical Atlas takes readers on a profound journey through the philosophical questions raised by this timeless vision. Across ten engaging chapters, this ...