Mirror, Mirror: The Uses and Abuses of Self-Love (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780691161426)

From the author of Think, an enlightening and entertaining exploration of narcissism and self-esteem

Everyone deplores narcissism, especially in others. The vain are by turns annoying or absurd, offending us whether they are blissfully oblivious or proudly aware of their behavior. But are narcissism and vanity really as bad as they seem? Can we avoid them even if we try? In Mirror, Mirror, Simon Blackburn, the author of such best-selling philosophy books as Think, Being Good, and Lust, says that narcissism, vanity, pride, and self-esteem are more complex than they first appear and have innumerable good and bad forms. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, literature, history, and popular culture, Blackburn offers an enlightening and entertaining exploration of self-love, from the myth of Narcissus and the Christian story of the Fall to today's self-esteem industry.

A sparkling mixture of learning, humor, and style, Mirror, Mirror examines what great thinkers have said about self-love--from Aristotle, Cicero, and Erasmus to Rousseau, Adam Smith, Kant, and Iris Murdoch. It considers today's "me"-related obsessions, such as the "selfie," plastic surgery, and cosmetic enhancements, and reflects on connected phenomena such as the fatal commodification of social life and the tragic overconfidence of George W. Bush and Tony Blair. Ultimately, Mirror, Mirror shows why self-regard is a necessary and healthy part of life. But it also suggests that we have lost the ability to distinguish--let alone strike a balance--between good and bad forms of self-concern.

Author: Simon Blackburn
ISBN-10: 0691161429
ISBN-13: 9780691161426
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Language: English
Published: 03/02/2014
Pages: 248
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.83lbs
Size: 8.86h x 5.62w x 0.77d

Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 07/09/2014 pg. 42
Chronicle of Higher Education 08/01/2014 pg. 17
Choice 09/01/2014 pg. 88