Self, Value, and Narrative

In Self, Value, and Narrative, Anthony Rudd defends a series of interrelated claims about the nature of the self. He argues that the self is not simply a given entity, but a being that constitutes or shapes itself. But it can only do this non-arbitrarily if it has a sense of the good by which it can be guided as it chooses to endorse some of its desires or dispositions and repudiate others. This means that there is an essentially ethical or evaluative dimension to selfhood, and one which has an essentially teleological character. Such self-constitution takes place in narrative terms, through one's telling--and, more importantly, living--one's own story. Versions of some or all of these ideas have been developed by various influential writers (including Frankfurt, Korsgaard, MacIntyre, Ricoeur, and Taylor) but Rudd develops these ideas in a way that is importantly different from others familiar in the literature. He takes his main inspiration from Kierkegaard's account of the self, and argues (controversially) that this account belongs in the Platonic rather than the Aristotelian tradition of teleological thinking. Through close engagement with much contemporary philosophical work, Rudd presents a convincing case for an ancient and currently unfashionable view: that the polarities and tensions that are constitutive of selfhood can only be reconciled through an orientation of the self as a whole to an objective Good. Anyone wanting to understand ethics and narrativity and to discover how much of the present conversation is both a renewal of classical Greek questions and can be linked backward to Kierkegaard, will savor the originality of this exposition. Rudds style is lucid and expert, never murky or inflated. Edward F. Mooney, Syracuse University Anyone who is either interested in learning about, or actively engaged in, this interlocking series of debates about the metaphysics and ethics of self hood will benefit from this discussion. It constitutes an impressive perspicuous representation of the current scene and an incisive contribution to its development. Stephen Mulhall, New College, Oxford Self, Value, and Narrative is an important and timely book. With one foot firmly in Kierkegaard studies and the other firmly in contemporary discussions of the self Rudd delivers rich insight and powerful argument in crystal clear and engaging prose. A must-read for anyone interested in issues of self. Marya Schechtman, University of Illinois, ChicagoAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; PART ONE ; 1. Self-Shaping and Self-Acceptance ; 2. The Teleological Self: Plato and Kierkegaard ; 3. Character ; PART TWO ; Introduction to Part Two ; 4. Personhood, Self-Shaping, and the Good ; 5. Three Theories of Value: A Kierkegaardian Critique ; 6. Being for the Good ; PART THREE ; Introduction to Part Three ; 7. Selfhood and Narrative ; 8. Narrative and Value ; 9. The Unconscious Self ; Bibliography ; Index