Plotinus, the founder of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy, conceptualises two different notions of self (or 'us'): the corporeal and the rational. Personality and imperfection mark the former, while goodness and a striving for understanding mark the latter. In this text, Dr Remes grounds the two selfhoods in deep-seated Platonic ontological commitments, following their manifestations, interrelations and sometimes uneasy coexistence in philosophical psychology, emotional therapy and ethics. Plotinus' interest lies in what it means for a human being to be a temporal and a corporeal thing, yet capable of abstract and impartial reasoning, of self-government and perhaps even invulnerability. The book argues that this involves a philosophically problematic rupture within humanity which is, however, alleviated by the psychological similarities and points of contact between the two aspects of the self. The purpose of life is the cultivation of the latter aspect, the true self.
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Introduction; Part I. The Endowed Structures of Selfhood: 1. Two lives, two identities: the ontological and anthropological setting; 2. The conscious centre; 3. The rational self and its knowledge of itself; Part II. Constructing the Self: Between the World and the Ideal: 4. Sculpting your self: self-control, self-determination and self-constitution; 5. Action and other people: the self as a citizen of two communities; 6. Losing the limits of the self?; Conclusion.
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This text examines Plotinus' conceptualisation of two selfhoods - corporeal and rational, their interrelations and implications for living.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9780521867290
Publisert
2007-09-13
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
610 gr
Høyde
229 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Dybde
21 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
298

Forfatter

Biographical note

Pauliina Remes is a lecturer and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki.