Self-Realization and Inner Necessity

Subtitled 'thinking about how to live' this reflective and detailed philosophical treatment examines important themes of self-determination, choice and authenticity. Interestingly, one learns nothing about the author other than the fact that the book originated as a Ph.D. in the University of London. At the end there is a chapter outlining themes derived from ten thinkers, starting with Aristotle and including Isaiah Berlin, Hegel, Kant and other contemporary thinkers like Daniel Kahneman, Harry Frankfurt, Martha Nussbaum, Charles Taylor, John Rawls and Bernard Williams. Self-determination is also considered significant in ethical and political terms as the basis of liberalism. In the second chapter, the notion of inner necessity is introduced – discovering our deepest impulses and following them - as one that involves both risk and trust. Kant's theory of rational autonomy is a significant component, and this leads on to a discussion of self-realisation, using Martha Nussbaum's central human functional capabilities in relation to human flourishing. His essential and important assertion is that what we as individuals care about forms the core of individually distinctive self-realisation (incorporating self-determination) and defines our key projects and commitments. What we care about in turn gives our lives meaning, and it also explores the relationship between self-realisation and meaningfulness. The penultimate chapter examines social and political implications of justice and the connection between self-realisation and the common good. The book will interest philosophically inclined readers who enjoy clear and detailed reasoning.