Author: Zahavi, Dan
Title: Subjectivity and Selfhood: Investigating the First-Person Perspective
Description: Cambridge [MA], MIT Press, 2005. orig.cloth. 24x15cm, vi,265 pp. Minor rubbing. VG. dustwrapper. ¶ This title focuses on the relationship of self, and self-awareness, and experience: exploring classical phenomenological analyses and their relevance to contemporary discussions in consciousness research. What is a self? Does it exist in reality or is it a mere social construct - or is it perhaps a neurologically induced illusion? The legitimacy of the concept of the self has been questioned by both neuroscientists and philosophers in recent years. Countering this, in "Subjectivity and Selfhood", Dan Zahavi argues that the notion of self is crucial for a proper understanding of consciousness. He investigates the interrelationships of experience, self-awareness, and selfhood, proposing that none of these three notions can be understood in isolation. Any investigation of the self, Zahavi argues, must take the first-person perspective seriously and focus on the experiential givenness of the self. "Subjectivity and Selfhood" explores a number of phenomenological analyses pertaining to the nature of consciousness, self, and self-experience in light of contemporary discussions in consciousness research. Philosophical phenomenology - as developed by Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and others - not only addresses crucial issues often absent from current debates over consciousness, but also provides a conceptual framework for understanding subjectivity..." - Publisher's description.

Keywords: Theory of Self-Knowledge, Consciousness, Subjectivity, Phenomenology, Phenomenological, Philosophy, Self, ,