Problems of the Self

The Platonic introjection, seeing the satisfactions of studying what is timeless and impersonal as being themselves timeless and impersonal, may be a deep illusion, but it is certainly an illusion.

As usual, Williams is clever and thought-provoking even when being tedious or unconvincing. This collection of essays, mostly covering issues of personal identity and ethics, has some true classics, including "The Self and the Future" and "The Makropulos Case," as well as a few sleepers. While some of these essays are closing in on seventy years old, most haven't lost their relevance or power to stimulate careful consideration—though I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're ultimately persuasive. His argument that personal identity amounts to bodily identity is almost certainly wrong. ( )