Overview

Sculpting the Self addresses 'what it means to be human' in a secular, post-Enlightenment world by exploring notions of self and subjectivity in Islamic and non-Islamic philosophical and mystical thought. Alongside detailed analyses of three major Islamic thinkers (Mulla ?adra, Shah Wali Allah, and Muhammad Iqbal), this study also situates their writings on selfhood within the wider constellation of related discussions in late modern and contemporary thought, engaging the seminal theoretical insights on the self by William James, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Michel Foucault. This allows the book to develop its inquiry within a spectrum theory of selfhood, incorporating bio-physiological, socio-cultural, and ethico-spiritual modes of discourse and meaning-construction. Weaving together insights from several disciplines such as religious studies, philosophy, anthropology, critical theory, and neuroscience, and arguing against views that narrowly restrict the self to a set of cognitive functions and abilities, this study proposes a multidimensional account of the self that offers new options for addressing central issues in the contemporary world, including spirituality, human flourishing, and meaning in life.This is the first book-length treatment of selfhood in Islamic thought that draws on a wealth of primary source texts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Greek, and others. Muhammad U. Faruque's interdisciplinary approach makes a significant contribution in the growing field of cross-cultural dialogue, as it opens up the way for engaging premodern and modern Islamic sources from a contemporary perspective by going beyond the exegesis of historical materials. He initiates a critical conversation between new insights into human nature as developed in neuroscience and modern philosophical literature and millennia-old Islamic perspectives on the self, consciousness, and human flourishing as developed in Islamic philosophical, mystical, and literary traditions.

Full Product Details

Author:   Muhammad Umar Faruque
Publisher:   The University of Michigan Press
Imprint:   The University of Michigan Press
Weight:   0.527kg
ISBN:  

9780472132621

ISBN 10:   0472132628
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   30 August 2021
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
We have confirmation that this item is in stock with the supplier. It will be ordered in for you and dispatched immediately.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Part I I. The Problematic of the Self Is the Self a Modern Invention? The Opacity of the Self Degrees and Dimensions of Selfhood First-person vs. Third-person Perspective Descriptive vs. Normative Approaches A Multi-dimensional Model Overcoming the Terminological Fray Summary II. The View from and beyond the 'I' The Paradox of Self-knowledge Non-reflective Self-knowledge Self-knowledge as Abiding Presence The Varieties of Non-reflective Self-knowledge The Kantian Dilemma Summary III. Self-knowledge and the Levels of Consciousness The Humean Challenge and the Referentiality of the “I” Onto-phenomenological Structure of Consciousness What is It Like to Be a Self? Unity of Self and Consciousness Summary Part II IV. Self, Body, and Consciousness Consciousness in Neuroscience Neurobiological Theories of Consciousness The Center of the Self: Neurons or Consciousness? The Nerve Impulse and the Structure of Consciousness Graeco-Islamic-Indian Conversations Deciphering the Self through the Subtle Bodies Emotion and Subjectivity Summary V. Sculpting the Self Philosophy, Spirituality, and Self-knowledge Self-cultivation and Human Flourishing Self-perfection and the Ideal Self Meditation and Self-transparency Self-transcendence and Transformation Self, Freedom, Being-toward-beyond-death Summary VI. Consummation: 'I or I and I Bibliography Index Locorum Index of Names Index of Subjects

Reviews

Sculpting the Self is an impressive book. Situated at the crossroads between Western and Islamic philosophies of the self, both modern and non-modern, it offers a new way forward: a 'multidimensional' model that is richer, more expansive, and more inclusive than most theories available today. Smart, deeply informed, and engaging, Faruque's book will be a cornerstone for future thinking about the elusive entity we call the self. --James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor of Literature, Departments of Rhetoric and Classics, UC Berkeley Sculpting the Self is a masterpiece. It is among the finest explorations of selfhood and subjectivity in contemporary philosophical literature. Muhammad Faruque's approach is breathtakingly erudite, analytically precise, and extraordinarily synoptic. He draws effectively on a wide range of Western philosophical literature-classical, modern, and contemporary; on classical and recent Indian philosophy; on contemporary cognitive science; and especially, and with great nuance, on a great swath of the Islamic tradition from the medieval period through the work of Muhammad Iqbal. Each of these many threads is spun with great care. But most impressive is the skill with which they are woven into a profoundly illuminating tapestry. Sculpting the Self is not only a superb exploration of selfhood, but a master class in the practice of cross-cultural philosophy. --Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities, Smith College and Visiting Professor of Buddhist Philosophy, Harvard Divinity School In Sculpting the Self we are guided along the maze of the concept of the self in Islamic philosophy by one of the most promising, young global philosophers writing today. Muhammad Faruque's breadth in this work is extraordinary, bringing many key pre-modern and modern Muslim philosophers from Iran and India into conversation with various currents in philosophy, consciousness studies, evolutionary theory, and neuroscience. The result is nothing less than a sophisticated, first of its kind account of Islamic philosophical conceptions of selfhood, personhood, and identity. --Mohammed Rustom, author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ?Ayn al-Qu?at

Sculpting the Self is an impressive book. Situated at the crossroads between Western and Islamic philosophies of the self, both modern and non-modern, it offers a new way forward: a 'multidimensional' model that is richer, more expansive, and more inclusive than most theories available today. Smart, deeply informed, and engaging, Faruque's book will be a cornerstone for future thinking about the elusive entity we call the self. --James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor of Literature, Departments of Rhetoric and Classics, UC Berkeley Sculpting the Self is a masterpiece. It is among the finest explorations of selfhood and subjectivity in contemporary philosophical literature. Muhammad Faruque's approach is breathtakingly erudite, analytically precise, and extraordinarily synoptic. He draws effectively on a wide range of Western philosophical literature-classical, modern, and contemporary; on classical and recent Indian philosophy; on contemporary cognitive science; and especially, and with great nuance, on a great swath of the Islamic tradition from the medieval period through the work of Muhammad Iqbal. Each of these many threads is spun with great care. But most impressive is the skill with which they are woven into a profoundly illuminating tapestry. Sculpting the Self is not only a superb exploration of selfhood, but a master class in the practice of cross-cultural philosophy. --Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities, Smith College and Visiting Professor of Buddhist Philosophy, Harvard Divinity School In Sculpting the Self we are guided along the maze of the concept of the self in Islamic philosophy by one of the most promising, young global philosophers writing today. Muhammad Faruque's breadth in this work is extraordinary, bringing many key pre-modern and modern Muslim philosophers from Iran and India into conversation with various currents in philosophy, consciousness studies, evolutionary theory, and neuroscience. The result is nothing less than a sophisticated, first of its kind account of Islamic philosophical conceptions of selfhood, personhood, and identity. --Mohammed Rustom, author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ?Ayn al-Qu?at

Philosophically dense but yet eminently accessible, this book is a landmark publication in the fields of Islamic Studies and the study of religion more broadly. --New Books Network in Religious Studies-- New Books Network Sculpting the Self is an impressive book. Situated at the crossroads between Western and Islamic philosophies of the self, both modern and non-modern, it offers a new way forward: a 'multidimensional' model that is richer, more expansive, and more inclusive than most theories available today. Smart, deeply informed, and engaging, Faruque's book will be a cornerstone for future thinking about the elusive entity we call the self. --James I. Porter, Irving Stone Professor of Literature, Departments of Rhetoric and Classics, UC Berkeley Sculpting the Self is a masterpiece. It is among the finest explorations of selfhood and subjectivity in contemporary philosophical literature. Muhammad Faruque's approach is breathtakingly erudite, analytically precise, and extraordinarily synoptic. He draws effectively on a wide range of Western philosophical literature-classical, modern, and contemporary; on classical and recent Indian philosophy; on contemporary cognitive science; and especially, and with great nuance, on a great swath of the Islamic tradition from the medieval period through the work of Muhammad Iqbal. Each of these many threads is spun with great care. But most impressive is the skill with which they are woven into a profoundly illuminating tapestry. Sculpting the Self is not only a superb exploration of selfhood, but a master class in the practice of cross-cultural philosophy. --Jay L. Garfield, Doris Silbert Professor in the Humanities, Smith College and Visiting Professor of Buddhist Philosophy, Harvard Divinity School In Sculpting the Self we are guided along the maze of the concept of the self in Islamic philosophy by one of the most promising, young global philosophers writing today. Muhammad Faruque's breadth in this work is extraordinary, bringing many key pre-modern and modern Muslim philosophers from Iran and India into conversation with various currents in philosophy, consciousness studies, evolutionary theory, and neuroscience. The result is nothing less than a sophisticated, first of its kind account of Islamic philosophical conceptions of selfhood, personhood, and identity. --Mohammed Rustom, author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ?Ayn al-Qu?at

Author Information

Muhammad U. Faruque is a George Ames Postdoctoral Fellow at Fordham University.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions