Life in Common: An Essay in General Anthropology

Tzvetan Todorov

Life in Common: An Essay in General Anthropology
Format
Paperback
Publisher
University of Nebraska Press
Country
United States
Published
1 March 2001
Pages
175
ISBN
9780803294448

Life in Common: An Essay in General Anthropology

Tzvetan Todorov

This title explores the construction of the self and offers perspectives on debates about otherness. Through the 17th century, solitude was considered the human condition in the Western philosophical tradition. The self was not dependent on others to perceive itself as complete. Todorov sees a reversal of this thinking beginning with the writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the 18th century. For the first time the self was defined as incomplete without the other, and the gaze no longer served only to satisfy personal vanity but constituted the fundamental requisite for human identity. Todorov traces the far-reaching implications of Rousseau’s new vision of the self and society through the political, philosophical, and psychoanalytical theories of Adam Smith, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Georges Bataille, Melanie Klein, and others, and the relevant literary works of Karl Philipp Moritz, the Marquis de Sade, and Marcel Proust. In an original study of the bond between parent and child, Todorov develops a compelling vision of the self as social.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 2 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.