How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are
What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was an illusion? And what if that was the key to a freer, more meaningful life?

For over twenty years, J. Eric Oliver’s popular course at the University of Chicago, The Intelligible Self, has transformed the way thousands of students understand themselves. Now, in How to Know Yourself, Oliver brings this life–changing course to readers everywhere, taking us on an illuminating tour of the most relevant ideas in physics, biology, neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology, as well as the time–tested wisdom of ancient and modern philosophical traditions, to show why everything we assume about ourselves—the nature of our identity, the source of our thoughts, even the very idea of a “self”—is an illusion.

But How to Know Yourself isn’t just about breaking down illusions. At the heart of the book is a powerful idea: the ability to see through the illusions of selfhood gives us the opportunity to work with rather than to be controlled by them. By the end of the book, readers will have not only a deeper understanding of themselves, but also a set of practical tools—including meditation, breathwork, and cognitive techniques—to help them navigate their lives with more clarity, balance, and fulfillment. Smart, thought–provoking, and ultimately practical, How to Know Yourself is self–help for skeptics—a book for anyone who has ever wondered, Who am I, really?

1147402747
How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are
What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was an illusion? And what if that was the key to a freer, more meaningful life?

For over twenty years, J. Eric Oliver’s popular course at the University of Chicago, The Intelligible Self, has transformed the way thousands of students understand themselves. Now, in How to Know Yourself, Oliver brings this life–changing course to readers everywhere, taking us on an illuminating tour of the most relevant ideas in physics, biology, neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology, as well as the time–tested wisdom of ancient and modern philosophical traditions, to show why everything we assume about ourselves—the nature of our identity, the source of our thoughts, even the very idea of a “self”—is an illusion.

But How to Know Yourself isn’t just about breaking down illusions. At the heart of the book is a powerful idea: the ability to see through the illusions of selfhood gives us the opportunity to work with rather than to be controlled by them. By the end of the book, readers will have not only a deeper understanding of themselves, but also a set of practical tools—including meditation, breathwork, and cognitive techniques—to help them navigate their lives with more clarity, balance, and fulfillment. Smart, thought–provoking, and ultimately practical, How to Know Yourself is self–help for skeptics—a book for anyone who has ever wondered, Who am I, really?

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How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are

How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are

by J. Eric Oliver
How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are

How To Know Your Self: The Art and Science of Discovering Who You Really Are

by J. Eric Oliver

Hardcover

$31.99 
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Overview

What if everything you thought you knew about yourself was an illusion? And what if that was the key to a freer, more meaningful life?

For over twenty years, J. Eric Oliver’s popular course at the University of Chicago, The Intelligible Self, has transformed the way thousands of students understand themselves. Now, in How to Know Yourself, Oliver brings this life–changing course to readers everywhere, taking us on an illuminating tour of the most relevant ideas in physics, biology, neuroscience, linguistics, and psychology, as well as the time–tested wisdom of ancient and modern philosophical traditions, to show why everything we assume about ourselves—the nature of our identity, the source of our thoughts, even the very idea of a “self”—is an illusion.

But How to Know Yourself isn’t just about breaking down illusions. At the heart of the book is a powerful idea: the ability to see through the illusions of selfhood gives us the opportunity to work with rather than to be controlled by them. By the end of the book, readers will have not only a deeper understanding of themselves, but also a set of practical tools—including meditation, breathwork, and cognitive techniques—to help them navigate their lives with more clarity, balance, and fulfillment. Smart, thought–provoking, and ultimately practical, How to Know Yourself is self–help for skeptics—a book for anyone who has ever wondered, Who am I, really?


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781324095231
Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publication date: 01/06/2026
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

J. Eric Oliver is professor of political science at the University of Chicago and host of the Nine Questions podcast. He has authored five books on subjects ranging from the politics of obesity to magical thinking in American life. He lives in Chicago.
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