Review

'An arrestingly readable exploration of our elusive sense of self. Read it, and you won't be the same again' --John Gray, author of Straw Dogs

`Baggini's study of how identity is defined is lucid and backed by a wealth of anecdote'

--Metro

`Baggini dismantles the idea that we have a `true' self. You won't see yourself the same way after reading this' --Stylist

`Baggini mashes up philosophy with psychology, Buddhism, and neuroscience ... with some entertaining reflections on medical immortality, and "free will"' --Guardian

'While leaving the ego in pieces, he gives your mind a thorough workout'

--Intelligent Life

`Entertaining, educative and gracefully written ... One of the most stimulating introductions about this intriguing topic. Enjoy, and profit.'

--AC Grayling, Financial Times

Product Description

Are you still the person who lived 15, 10 or five years ago? 15, 10 or five minutes ago? Can you plan for your retirement if the you of 30 years hence is in some sense a different person? What and who is the real you? Does it remain constant over time and place, or is it something much more fragmented and fluid? Is it known to you, or are you as much a mystery to yourself as others are to you?With his usual wit,infectious curiosity and bracing scepticism, Julian Baggini sets out to answer these fundamental and unsettling questions.His fascinating quest draws on the history of philosophy, but also anthropology, sociology, psychology and neurology;he talks to theologians, priests, allegedly reincarnated Lamas , and delves into real-life cases of lost memory, personality disorders and personal transformation; and, candidly and engagingly, he describes his own experiences.After reading The Ego Trick, you will never see yourself in the same way again.

Julian Baggini is the editor and co-founder of The Philosophers' Magazine. His books include Do You Think What You Think YouThink? (with Jeremy Stangroom), What's It All About? - Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, the bestselling The Pig That Wants to be Eaten, and Do They Think You're Stupid?, all published by Granta Books.