The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity [Paperback]

A Appiah believes were in wars of identity because we keep making the same mistake: exaggerating our differences with others and our similarities with our own kind& [his] writing is often fresh, even beautiful& We need more thinkers as wise as Appiah. Excellent& Appiah hopes to inspire a rethinking of our restrictive and therefore divisive notions of who we are. But if that seems an impossible task, should the massive obstacles stop us from trying? [Appiah] brings to the task a number of insights and the mind of a realist& if the solution to the fracturing of our world remains elusive, this book at least helps us think clearly about the problem. Appiah makes the controversial and difficult subject of identity lucid, edifying, and even fun. When it comes to the humane values that allow us to live with one another, he may be our most penetratingand entertainingmajor philosopher. Through this meditative journey, Appiah calls on us to buckle down to the difficult task of living with complexitythat is, the task of being modern. Erudite, personal, timely and deeply humane, this is a book for our time. Not only does that elegant writer and transcendent thinker, Anthony Appiah, clarify the historical gaslighting around color and racial stereotype, he also forges radical new theories of identity as they apply to almost every conceivable aspect of self. KwameAnthony Appiah again demonstrates that he is one of our foremost writers onidentity, culture, and difference. With his trademark clarity, elegance, andrigor, he is a most useful guide to thinking through some of the complicatedproblems of who we are and what we can be. A provocative and brilliant intervention intothe current discussion of the role identity plays in our society. Were doingit all wrong, as Appiah demonstrates with characteristic erudition, clearthinking, and elegant prose. This wonderful book unravels a tapestry of suppositions about identity. Understanding what draws us together and what tearlc8